History 280: Colonial Latin America

History 280: Colonial Latin America Fall 2010

John Lear

Wyatt 136

Telephone: 879-2792

email:

Office Hours: Monday, 11-12 and Tuesday and Thursday, 2-3 or by appointment.

Course web site (for readings, discussion board and handouts): http://moodle.ups.edu/

This course is a survey of the early period of Latin American history, covering the Spanish and Portuguese colonial systems from their initial founding after 1492 to their dissolution by 1826. An initial premise is that in spite of the region's tremendous diversity, there is a shared "Latin American" colonial experience that in turn has shaped contemporary Latin America. We begin with an overview of the European background and the major indigenous civilizations in what became known as the “New World.” A central focus of the course will be the encounter of peoples of Amerindian, African and Iberian cultures. While this process inevitably involved a degree of military “conquest,” the term “encounter” acknowledges the resistance and mutual transformation that ensued over the next three centuries. We will also consider the social and economic structures and institutions of the mature colonies, the divergent settlement patterns in some regions of plantation economies using slave labor from Africa, and the evolving relationship of Spanish and Portuguese America to Europe, culminating in independence. Chronologically, the course is divided roughly into three parts: the initial century of “conquest,” the middle centuries of colonial consolidation, and the late 18th-century reforms and crises that culminated in the wars for independence in the early 19th century.

History 280 is an introductory course that assumes no prior knowledge of Latin America or the discipline of history. The course is broadly comparative, stressing similarities throughout the hemisphere while considering patterns of variation among and within different colonies. In keeping with the Humanistic Approaches core, the central focus is the 300-year transformative "encounter" between native peoples, Africans and Europeans and their descendents that culminates in the formation of independent nations with distinct cultures. Identities and experiences of “nation,” class, race, ethnicity and gender are examined at the level of broad social groups and ordinary and exceptional individuals. In keeping with History Department goals for surveys, the course introduces students to a major region of the world during a significant time period. A major goal is the acquisition of a conceptual understanding of history as a scholarly discipline. Reading assignments expose students to a variety of different kinds of historical sources, and class discussions, presentations and writing assignments ask students to examine historical evidence and the arguments of historians in order to arrive at their own understanding of the past. Finally, the course aims to encourage both an appreciation for the uniqueness of the past and an understanding of the ways that the present has emerged from the past.

Required Books available for purchase in the bookstore:

· Edwin Williamson, The Penguin History of Latin America (2009 edition)

· Bernal Díaz, The True History of the Conquest of New Spain (Penguin Classics).

· Required documents and shorter readings posted to Moodle.

Readings: This is a fairly intensive reading course, with virtually all discussion, writing and exams grounded in close, critical readings of primary and secondary sources. I expect students will do about three hours of preparation for most class periods, not including time devoted to papers and exams. Most readings were chosen first to consider a specific issue and second to provide insights into the experience of a particular region or time period. The textbook, Edwin Williamson's The Penguin History of Latin America, will help provide students with basic historical and institutional background needed to understand additional readings. Many of the principal readings are primary sources, documents and narratives from the colonial period. Others are scholarly secondary sources derived from traditional historical methodologies as well as newer types of history. Several readings are by historians and writers from Latin America. The intention in assigning these readings is to encourage students to relate historical change to individual lives, and emphasize the subjectivity of historical viewpoints.

Participation: This class will be organized primarily and fundamentally around discussions. Students should come to every class on time, read and be prepared with questions and thoughts about the assigned readings, and participate fully in the discussions. Students will often be asked to make short presentations on readings, individually and in groups. During the middle weeks of the semester, students in groups will lead discussion of short biographical readings. During the last two classes, students in groups will make oral presentations based on basic library research on some aspect of race or ethnicity in contemporary Latin America. Interaction among students and with the instructor is vital to the over-all success of the course as well as to receiving a good final grade. In addition, students will occasionally be required to use the “forum” feature of Moodle (see below) to post a question or comment on readings. Class participation, including group presentations and blackboard discussion, is 15 percent of the grade. A student who receives an "A" for her participation in discussion typically comes to every class with questions about the readings already in mind, engages other students and the instructor in discussion of their ideas as well as hers, and respects the opinions of others. I reserve the right to withdraw or withdraw-fail any students who misses more than four classes during the semester.

Forum Discussions and Group Led Presentations: For selected readings, students will be asked to sign up ahead of time to take the lead in discussion. In the first half of the semester, everyone will sign up to take the lead in discussion on the Moodle forum and in class on a particular reading. This will not require group collaboration. Those not signed up on a particular day will still have to participate in three out of four required forum discussions. For the second half of the semester, groups of five will be in charge of leading class discussion on a particular reading. This will involve meeting once outside of class.

Exams: There will be short quizzes, a mid-term, and a final exam. During the second week there will be a map quiz, and throughout the semester there will be short-answer quizzes requiring primarily objective answers, based on all class discussions and readings since the previous quiz and including that day's reading. The lowest quiz score will be dropped. If you need to miss a class session with a quiz, I can provide an alternative assignment only if you contact me to request an alternative before the class where the quiz is given. The mid-term and final exams will consist primarily of longer analytical essay questions that will require students to refer directly to the course readings and synthesize broader course themes. Note the exam dates now and make travel and other plans accordingly. No make-up exams will be given.

Writing: Students will write one short paper and two essays designed to encourage them to examine primary and secondary sources closely, recognize and formulate arguments, analyze how they are put together, distinguish differing viewpoints, and react to the ideas and realities conveyed in the readings. The short essay will examine a primary source. The first longer essay will be based on primary sources and will be an extension of the first short paper. The second essay will be on a choice from three topics based on primary and secondary readings. Further guidelines will be handed out and discussed in class. I encourage you to talk to me about your ideas for papers, and to consider getting help with drafts from the Center for Writing, Learning and Teaching. All papers and essays can be turned in as late as 5:00pm. The grade on late papers will be dropped five percentage points for each working day the papers are late, except in the case of medical or family emergencies that are communicated to me before the paper is due. After five working days, late papers will not be accepted. In addition, students may periodically be given short written assignments based on the readings that will count either as quizzes or towards their participation grade.

To avoid improperly copying or paraphrasing the work of others, students should become familiar with guidelines for correct citations and disciplinary procedures for plagiarism in “Academic Integrity" in the University of Puget Sound Academic Handbook (http://www.pugetsound.edu/student-life/student-resources/student-handbook/academic-handbook/academic-integrity/), as well as the library resource (http://alacarte.pugetsound.edu/subject-guide/6-Academic-Integrity-Puget-Sound).

Grading Guidelines: The instructor will grade written work (exams as well as papers) according to the following scheme (paraphrased from the similar guidelines of History Department colleagues):

An "A" paper is one that is good enough to be read aloud in class. A typical "A" paper is of course clearly written and well-organized, but most importantly it contains a perceptive, original, central argument supported by a well-chosen variety of specific examples. It demonstrates that the student has grappled with the issues raised in the course, synthesized the readings, discussions, and lectures, and formulated a compelling, independent argument. A typical "B" paper is a solid work containing insights that demonstrate that the student has wrestled with some of the issues in the course. Yet a typical "B" paper mainly provides a summary of ideas and information already covered. Other "B" papers give evidence of independent thought, but the argument is not presented clearly or convincingly. A typical "C" paper has a good grasp on the course material but provides a less thorough defense of an independent analysis. A paper that receives a grade lower than "C" typically does not respond adequately to the assignment, is marred by frequent errors, unclear writing, poor organization, or some combination of these problems.

Evaluation:

Map test and quizzes 15%

One short paper (5%) 5%

Two longer essays (15, 15%) 30%

Mid-term exam 15%

Final exam 20%

Participation (including oral presentations) 15%

Total: 100%

Our Virtual Classroom: We will make extensive use of a course website to communicate outside of class, post readings, exercises and announcements. The course site is organized by the company Blackboard.com through the UPS server, and is open only to History 281 students. You must register by the second day of class (see first assignment noted below). Here are the steps for enrolling.

· Go to the following site: http://blackboard.ups.edu

· Click on: Create Account

· Choose a username that incorporates your first and last name, so that classmates can easily identify your comments and submissions.

· After you have created an account, go to “Course catalog,” find this course and choose “Enroll.”

· The initial access code (not your password) you need for this course is: 1492

Getting Help: If you are having any problem with the class (doing the reading, taking reading or class notes, understanding discussion or presentations, writing papers) or simply would like to meet to talk about course content, I strongly encourage you to come see me during my office hours, or make an appointment. It is much better to come see me with doubts early and well before deadlines or exam dates.

We will make extensive use of a course website to communicate outside of class, post readings, exercises and announcements, and post some of your individual and group projects. The course site is organized using the software of the company Moodle on a UPS-based server. The course site is open only to LAS100 students. You can access the Moodle site (http://moodle.pugetsound.edu/) using the same ID and password you use for your email.

As part of your first homework assignment, take a thorough look at the site. Key features will be:

Our Virtual Classroom: We will make extensive use of a course website to post readings and assignments, turn in papers, and communicate outside of class. The course site is organized using Moodle software on a UPS-server. You can access the Moodle site (http://moodle.pugetsound.edu/) using the same ID and password you use for your email.

As part of your first homework assignment, take a look at the site. Key features are:

As part of your first homework assignment, take a thorough look at the site. Key features will be:

· in the center of the page, the “Weekly Outline,” which lists the daily themes, links to readings (in .pdf or .doc format), questions and keywords to guide your readings, and links to the written exercises. In essence, the Outline is the official syllabus for the course.

· in the left-hand column, links to assignments (the prompts for the written exercises), forums (our occasional discussion boards), and grades.

· in the right-hand column, links to news articles and upcoming events.

By class on Thursday, September 2, you should have: