J. Pablo Silva  
Fall Semester 2009
History 202. The History of Modern Latin America

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Syllabus

Week 2: January 26
Week 3: February 2
Week 4: February 9
Week 5: February 16
Week 6: February 23
Week 7: March 2
Week 8: March 9
Week 9: March 30
Week 10: April 6
Week 11: April 13
Week 12: April 20
Week 13: April 27
Week 14: May 4

Required Texts

Assignments

Research Paper

Exams

Grading

 

 

Introduction and Overview (week 1)
Monday, 19 January
How was Latin America colonized and how did it become independent?
  Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pp. 15-57.
   
Wednesday, 21 January
What are the contours of Latin America's 19th Century?
  Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pp. 59-147.
   
Friday, 23 January
What are the contours of Latin America's 20th Century?
  Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pp. 149-246.

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Section 1. Independence in Latin America (weeks 2-4)
Monday, 26 January
How did the Independence Process Start?
  Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pp. 249-329.
   
Wednesday, 28 January
What was the scene?
  Chasteen, Americanos, 1-34.
   
Friday, 30 January
How did the Independence Process Start?
  Chasteen, Americanos, 35-94.
 

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Week 3
Monday, 2 February
How did the rebels pull it off?
  Chasteen, Americanos, 95-158.
   
Wednesday, 4 February
A Different Take on Independence.
  Andrews, On JStor.
   
Friday, 6 February
Why does the manner of Independence Matter? I
  Lasso, Print off the pdf version.

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Section 2. Building New Nations (weeks 4-5)
Week 4  
Monday, 9 February
Why does the manner of Independence Matter? II
  Chasteen, Americanos, 159-188.
Monday, 9 February Paper Topics are Due.  
   
Wednesday, 11 February
Why Didn't Liberals Create an Effective Republic? I
  Colombian Liberals vs. Conservatives, on Blackboard.
   
Friday, 13 February
Why Didn't Liberals Create an Effective Republic? II
  Argentine Federales vs. Unitarios, on Blackboard.

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Week 5  
Monday, 16 February
Now, with more detail: The Mexican Case.
  Map Quiz
Wasserman, 3-90.
Wednesday, 18 February
Why Didn't Liberals Create an Effective Republic? III
  Wikipedia, The Holy Alliance.
Mexican Liberalism Documents, e-reserves.
Friday, 20 February
How did Mexico Recover?
  Wasserman, pp. 93-157.

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Section 3. Export Booms and Busts (weeks 6-7)
Week 6  
Monday, 23 February
How did Latin America dig itself out?
  Reread Chasteen, pp. 149-211.
Glade, on Blackboard.
Wednesday, 25 February
How did Mexico Boom?
  Wasserman, pp. 161-232.
Thursday, 26 February Paper Bibliographies are due. Remember to include a title page.
   
Friday, 27 February
A Glance at the Cultural Transformation.
 
Bauer, on Blackboard.

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Week 7  
Monday, 2 March
What was the Downside? I
  Burns, The Poverty of Progress, pp. 1-85.
   
Wednesday, 4 March
What was the Downside? II
  Burns, The Poverty of Progress, pp. 86-154.
   
Friday, 6 March
EXAM

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Section 4. National Development 1920-47 (weeks 8-9)
Week 8  
Monday, 9 March
How and Why did Latin America Change Direction? I
  Reread Chasteeen, "Nationalism."
Rodo on wikipedia & on Blackboard.
Da Cunha on wikipedia & e-reserves.
   
Wednesday, 11 March
How did thinking change in Brazil?
  Borges, on JStor.
   
Friday, 13 March
How did thinking change in Mexico?
  Knight on Indigenismo, on e-reserves
Source Assignment Due in Class.

Spring Break, 16 through 27 March

 

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Week 9  
Monday, 30 March
Why did Latin America Change Direction? II
  Kindleberger, on e-reserves
Diaz-Alejandro, on e-reserves
   
Wednesday, 1 April
How did things shift? What the numbers show
  Maddison, on e-reserves
   
Friday, 3 April
Wait! What happened to all the Boom $$$?
  Barham & Coomes , on JStor.

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Section 5. National Development 1947-1990 (weeks 10-11)
Week 10  
Monday, 6 April
How did the Cold War Change Things? Round 1.
  Bethell & Roxborough, on JStor.
   
Wednesday, 8 April
In this Context, how could Cuba go Communist?
  Wright, Latin America in the era ..., pp. xi-38.
Thursday, 9 April Argument Summaries are Due.
   
Friday, 10 April
What was the impact?
 

Wright, Latin America in the era ..., pp. 39-109.

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Week 11  
Monday, 13 April
What was the impact of Cuban Revolution?
  Reread Chasteen, "Revolution."
Wright, Latin America in the era ..., pp. 111-147.
   
Wednesday, 15 April
How did elites react?
  Reread Chasteen, "Reaction."
Wright, Latin America in the era ..., pp. 149-164.
   
Friday, 17 April
What did the Reaction Look Like? Argentina
 
Children of Cain, 77-141.

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Week 12  
Monday, 20 April
What did the Reaction Look Like? Salvador, Chile
  Children of Cain, 217-272, 331-388.
Wednesday, 22 April
Peru
  Children of Cain, 143-215.
Friday, 24 April
Introductions are Due. Remember to include a title page and your previous stages.
  Children of Cain, 23-76.

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Section 6. The Neo-Liberal Age, 1973-? (weeks 10-11)
Week 13  
Monday, 27 April
Is Nicaragua an exceptional case?
  Wright, Latin America in the era ..., pp. 165-185.
Children of Cain, pp. 273-329.
   
Wednesday, 29 April
Why did Latin America shift again?
  Reread Chasteen, "Neoliberalism."
Roberts and Araujo, excerpt on e-reserves.
   
Friday, 1 May
Has Neo-Liberalism been a good thing?
  Winn, excerpt on e-reserve.

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Week 14  
Monday, 4 May
Neo-Liberalism in Historical Perspective I
  Astorga, Get the PDF.
   
Wednesday, 6 May
Neo-Liberalism in Historical Perspective II
  Reid, on e-reserve.
Thursday, 7 May Final Draft is Due. Remember to include a title page and all the previous stages that I have looked at.
   
Friday, 8 May
 Conclusion and Review

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Last Modified: May 1, 2009