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History 281
Modern Latin America


Spring 2013
Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:45 - 2:00
Liberal Arts 201


Professor R.A. Kashanipour
Office Hours: Tuesdays 9:00 11:00
or by appointment
Biological Sciences 206
ra.kashanipour@nau.edu




Course Description

Hoje voc quem manda
Apesar de voc
amanh h de ser outro dia
Today, you are in charge
In spite of you,
tomorrow will be another day
Chico Buarque, Apesar a voc (1970)

This course is an introduction to the history of modern Latin America from the late-colonial period
to the present. Students will engage in the main trends, problems, and factors that have historically
shaped modern Latin American societies, including economic development and underdevelopment,
national identity formation, political and economic exclusion, autocratic and repressive campaigns of
terror, and democratic social movements of resistance. This course provides an overview of the
history of the modern Latin Americas development as a site of distinct nationalist, democratic, and
developmentalist campaigns through lectures, discussions and critical analysis of scholarly and
historical sources. Considerable emphasis will be given to how local, regional, and international
forces shaped everyday experiences by exploring historical and scholarly texts that include political
declarations, personal letters, testimonials, novels, and songs.

History 281 stresses how political and economic forces have been interwoven with social and
cultural developments in Latin America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will
explore the apparent contradictions that transcend the development of the region. In this vein, we
will investigate questions like the following: Why did Mexico, the center of wealth, society, and
Alfredo Rostgaard,
Cancion Protesta (1967)





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commerce at the beginning of the eighteenth century, become site of political upheaval and
economic disrepair by the middle of the century? Why did legitimate democratic regimes fall as
victims of international pressures and policies that seemingly stressed democratic principles? Why
did nationalist campaigns that claimed to protect the state, the church, and the family target their
own populations using methods of terror and genocide? When Chico Buarque sang Apesar a
voc in 1970, he did so as an act of subversion that targeted oppressive regimes of Brazil.
Although clearly optimistic in its outlook, the song also invoked the long histories of repression that
characterized modern Latin America.

This course supports NAUs Global Diversity curriculum by creating learning experiences that focus
on the web of social, political, and economic peoples relations that tied together disparate groups
across Latin America. This course places significant emphasis on the tensions between diversity and
cohesion in the region. By examining the lived cohesive connections of disparate peoples, students
will develop the tools to analyze how individual actions and communal relations can create powerful
ties across extended areas. These interconnections, therefore, encourage students to consider how
their own lives are not unique manifestations, but rather the products of ongoing and dynamic
processes of social, cultural, political, and economic change. As such, then, this course also advances
the Liberal Studies Cultural Understandings curriculum by exposing students to the diverse
constructs of gender, ethnicity, religion, wealth, and power that form the substrate of historical and
contemporary experiences in Latin America. The reading, writing, and discussion requirements of
this course are designed to foster analytical skills and thus support the Liberal Studies Critical
Thinking curriculum. The assignments aim to provide students with a diverse body of content and
cultivate skills of interrogation and interpretation. The overall aim is to create learning experiences
that allow for students to interpret qualitative historical analysis and fashion well-reasoned
argumentation.

As noted above, this is a survey of modern Latin American history. That point is relevant for a
number of factors that go beyond the descriptive and move into the practical. First, while this is
indeed an introductory history course, it is not a remedial course. Students lacking in the basic
university skills, such as reading, writing, and, most importantly, critical thinking, will find this course
exceptionally challenging. You are all working towards baccalaureate degrees that certify that you
are, at the least, effective writers, critical thinkers, and, above all else, highly analytical. If you are
deficient in theses skills, this class will push you to improve. Everyone, regardless of ability, will find
significant challenges here and I am always happy to work with individual students to improve skills
and engage in course materials. If you need help, ask! Second, this course lays the groundwork for
advanced study in history and Latin America. Most students taking a similar course in US history
have, at the very least, broad knowledge of the figures, time periods, and region. Because of serious
and fundamental deficiencies in secondary education, however, many students do not come into this
course with sufficient base of knowledge. One would be hard pressed to find high school students
(much less, university students) in Latin America that cannot identify Ronald Reagan, the Cold War,
or Texas. Nevertheless, many university students in US have never heard of Lazaro Cardenas, la
guerra sucia, or the Pampas. This class will expose numerous issues and matters that some will be
hearing for the first time. Just as the professors of introductory courses in Chemistry make no
apologies for introducing new terms, concepts, and processes, I will make none for Latin American
history. It is incumbent for every student to commit to learning what may be very new and
exceptionally foreign. This all to say that for some students there is a steep learning curve in this
class. Again, if you need help ask!





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Texts and Readings

This course is reading and writing intensive. Students will read and reflect on a variety of historical
and scholarly works dealing with the history of modern Latin America. Readings are grouped
according to themes and topics and assigned on a daily basis and come in the form of assigned
books, which appear below, and articles, excerpts, and accounts posted on the BlackBoard site
associated with the course. All readings, except the books listed below, will appear as electronic
copies or web links on Blackboard. Readings can be found in the Content section, in the Readings
folder, listed according to the corresponding week.

Through the course of the semester we will be engaging in some of the most important themes on
current understandings of modern Latin America. All students are expected to engage the readings
consistently and critically. Everyone should aim to complete each weeks reading at the start of the
week and be prepared for discussion by the end of the week. There will be regular exercises based
on the readings that will take place (in the case of in-class quizzes) or be due (in the case of response
essays) on Thursdays.

There are two books available for purchase at the campus bookstore. Teresa Meades A History of
Latin America will serve as the basic, introductory text. Everyone one should read this book for
background content-oriented information. Please read it for context and orient broader
comprehension and readings. We will also be reading I, Rigoberta Mench, a noble peace prize winning
testimonial of life and survival through the Guatemalas Dirty War.

Available for purchase in the campus bookstore:
Teresa Meade, A History of Modern Latin America: 1800 to the Present (New York: Wiley-
Blackwell, 2010).
Rigoberta Mench, I, Rigoberta Mench, An Indian Woman in Guatemala, Second English
Language Edition, edited and introduced by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, translated by
Ann Wright (Brooklyn: Verso, 2009).

Attendance and Participation

This course is designed as an introduction to the critical issues that shape modern Latin America.
Attendance in class is mandatory. Beyond merely being present, however, I expect everyone to
attend class fully engaged with the course material. Participation will be measured based not only on
attendance, but through by engagement with the material as demonstrated by posing questions,
activity in discussions, and demonstrating preparation. Discussions will typically take place on
Thursdays. Each student is required to submit, at a minimum, five sets of discussion questions
based on individual weekly readings the before Thursday class discussion. Each class is worth five
points, which total one hundred and fifty for the entire course. Attendance and Participation
account for fifteen percent of the overall course grade.

Quizzes

Regular examinations of course material will take place through the semester. These quizzes are
intended to evaluate comprehension of critical content and encourage direct engagement with the





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course material. Terms, concepts, and issues addressed in lecture and the readings may appear on
the quizzes. By in large, they are intended to be relatively short and direct. Quizzes will often
consist of identification of basic terms. They are, again, designed to test content knowledge and
engagement with the material. Quizzes will take place every week on Thursdays. Overall, they
account for fifteen percent of the course grade.

Map Quiz

On February 5, there will be a general quiz on the political, physical, and cultural geography of Latin
America. All students are expected to be able to identify all twenty-one countries in Latin America,
their capitals, and significant geographic features. Related to cultural geography, everyone should
know the distribution of the important linguistic groups. You should, then, know the location of
every country, every capital, every major physical landmark, and the approximate boundaries of
every major language contained in Latin America. The map quiz accounts for five percent of the
overall course grade.

Response Papers

Based on readings through the semester, each student must submit three response papers. The
papers are designed to be critical reflections on the content and implications of the readings. So, for
instance, if one were to write on Week 9s readings that deal with the Guatemalan Coup of 1954, the
paper would need to both summarize the major issues and articulate an analysis of the sources.
Likewise, if writing about a film, the papers should synthesize the film into a clearly articulate
perspective. These papers are not simple summaries, but reflections based on course information
and individual views. Everyone must submit a paper in response to I, Rigoberta Mench. Each paper
should be 1,200 words (+/- 120). See the Blackboard site for general guidelines and specific
instructions for the response papers. All together, the response papers are worth fifteen percent of
the overall course grade.

Collaborative Project

Popular culture often reflects broad social, political and historical themes. During this course, we
will frequently look at music as an important lens on Latin American societies. As a collaborative
project, groups of students will work together to examine specific musical genres, including Bossa
Nova, Nuevo Cancin, Narcorrido, Rock en Espaol, Samba, Tango, and Tropiclia. Collectively,
groups will analyze the history of each genre and identify important musicians and works. On April
16 & 18, each group will give a 20-minute presentation on their findings. The group portion of the
project is worth one hundred points. Individually, each student will be responsible for submitting a
written analysis of the importance of a specific song. The individual essay is worth two hundred
points. More details on this project will be posted on BBLearn.

Final Exam

A final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7 from 12:30 to 2:30. This exam will intensively and
comprehensively cover the materials associated with this class, including lectures, readings, and
films. The exam will consist of identification, short essay, and long essay.






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Course Evaluation

Attendance and Participation 150 points
Weekly Quizzes 150 points
Map Quiz 50 points
Response Papers 150 points
Group Project 300 points
Final Exam 200 points
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Total 1000 points


Extra Credit

Our class will be competing in an inter-collegiate competition with Latin American history students
from five other universitiesCal State Fullerton, Miami University, Saint Xavier, SUNY Plattsburg,
and Susquehanna University. I designed this competition, called El Gran Bsqueda, with my
colleagues from these other institutions as a scavenger hunt to identify the ways that Latin America
is represented locally in the United States. On your behalf, I have wagered that you all are far superior
to the students at other institutions that you will overwhelm this competition. By winning this
competition, participants will receive a major reward, which at the least will be ten percent on their
overall course grade and at most will be something else. All submissions are due March 28.
Everyone is encouraged to take full advantage of this generous opportunity to not only bolster their
overall course grade, but also to actively participate in the direction and nature of this course.







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The Arizona Board of Regents Academic Contact Hour Policy (ABOR Handbook, 2-206, Academic Credit) states: an hour of work is the
equivalent of 50 minutes of class timeat least 15 contact hours of recitation, lecture, discussion, testing or evaluation, seminar, or colloquium as
well as a minimum of 30 hours of student homework is required for each unit of credit.

The reasonable interpretation of this policy is that for every credit hour, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of two additional
hours of work per week; e.g., preparation, homework, studying.

SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS
If an instructor believes it is appropriate, the syllabus should communicate to students that some course content may be considered sensitive by
some students.

University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily involves engagement with a wide range of
information, ideas, and creative representations. In the course of college studies, students can expect to encounterand critically appraise
materials that may differ from and perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are encouraged to discuss these matters
with faculty.







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Course Schedule
*


Week 1 (Jan 15 & 17) The Idea of Latin America
Readings:
Teresa Meade, A History of Modern Latin America, 1-21.
Marshall C. Eakin, Does Latin America Have a Common History?, Vanderbilt e-
Journal of Luso-Hispanic Studies 1: 2004. (BBLearn)
Calle 13, Latinoamrica. (BBLearn)

Week 2 (Jan 22 & 24) Colonial Legacies and Neocolonialism
Readings:
Meade, 23-48, 51-66 (Only as background).
Meade, 50, 67-101.
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism. (BBLearn)

Week 3 (Jan 29 & 31) Views from Below
Readings:
Meade, 135-154.
Alexander Von Humboldt, Problems and Progress in Mexico, [1800]. (BBLearn)
John Lloyd Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan [1841].
(BBLearn)

Week 4 (Feb 5 & 7) The Order and Progress of Modernity
Feb 5 Map Quiz
Readings:
Meade, 105-133, 157-161
Aline Helg, Race in Argentina and Cuba, 1880-1930: Theory, Policies, and Popular
Reactions, The Idea of Race in Latin America, (1990), 37-69. (BBLearn)

Week 5 (Feb 12 & 14) Revolution! Revolution?
Readings:
Meade, 157-174.
Emiliano Zapata, Plan de Ayala. (BBLearn)
Dain Borges, Puffy, Ugly, Slothful and Inert: Degeneration in Brazilian Social
Thought, 1880-1940, Journal of Latin American Studies 25:2 (1993): 235-256.
(BBLearn)

Week 6 (Feb 19 & 21) Nations and Identity
Readings:
Meade, 175-192.
Matthew Karush, National Identity in the Sports Pages: Football and the Mass
Media in 1920s Buenos Aires, The Americas 60:1 (2003), 11-32. (BBLearn)

*
Always subject to change, adjustment and negotiation.





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Manifesto of the Communist International, To the Workers and Peasantof South
America

Week 7 ( Feb 26 & 28) Populism
Readings:
Meade, 193-212.
Robert Dix, Populism: Authoritarian and Democratic, Latin American Research
Review 20:2 (1985), 29-52. (BBLearn)
Juan Domingo Pern, Justicialism, [1950].
Eva Duarte de Pern, History of Pernism, [1951].

Week 8 (Mar 5 & 7) Counting on a Coup
Readings:
Meade, 213-234.
James Handy, The Most Precious Fruit of the Revolution: Guatemalan Agrarian
Reform 1952-1954, Hispanic American Historical Review 68:1 (1988): 675-705.
(BBLearn)
Documents 1, 2, or 5, The Guatemala 1954 Documents

Week 9 (Mar 12 & 14) Cuba and the Fight for Latin America
Readings:
Meade, 235-250.
Susanne Bodenheimer, Dependency and Imperialism: The Roots of Latin American
Underdevelopment, Politics & Society 1:3 (1971): 327-357. (BBLearn)
The Alliance for Progress
Operation Northwoods (BBLearn)


Spring Break! (Mar 18 to 22) Nada y ms de nada


Week 10 (Mar 26 & 28) Revolution and Terror
Readings:
Timothy Wickham-Crowley, Terror and Guerrilla Warfare in Latin America, 1956-
1970, Comparative Studies in Society and History 32:2 (1990), 201-237. (BBLearn)
Fidel Castro, Second Declaration of Havana, 1962
Che Guevara, Guerilla Warfare: A Method

Week 11 (Apr 2 & 4) Authoritarianism(s)
Readings:
Meade, 251-276.
Documents from the Assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero
Documents from Operation Condor
Nunca ms and Nunca mais. Excerpts (BBLearn)






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Week 12 (Apr 9 & 11) Authoritarianism(s)
Readings:
Meade, 277-304.
Navarro, Marysa. The Personal is Political: Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo. Power
and Popular Protest. Latin American Social Movements. Ed. Susan Eckstein. 1989.
(BBLearn)
Documents on the US Support for Military Dictatorships

Week 13 (Apr 16 & 18) Group Presentations
Reading:
Robert Neustadt, Music as Memory and Torture: Sounds of Repression and Protest
in Chile and Argentina, Chasqui 33:1 (2004), 128-137. (BBLearn)

Week 14 (Apr 23 & 25) Neoliberalism and Democracy
Thursday, Ap 25 Mench Response Paper Due
Readings:
Meade, 305-334.
Rigoberta Mench, I, Rigoberta Mench (entire book)

Week 15 (April 30 & May 2) The Idea of Latin America
Readings:
Patrice McSherry, Counterterror Wars and Human Rights: From Operation Condor
to the Present, NACLA Report on the Americas (2009), 10-14. (BBLearn)
Kate Doyle, The Atrocity Files, Harpers (December 2007). (BBLearn)
Charles Bowden, We Bring Fear, Mother Jones (July/August 2009). (BBLearn)

Finals Week (May 6 to 9)
Tuesday, May 7, 12:30 to 2:30 AM