Intro to Latin American Studies
LTAM 1110, 51
Fall 2017, 3 Credit Hours
Online in CNM’s Blackboard Learn
learn.cnm.edu
Brandon Morgan, Ph.D
Office: MJG 201, Cubicle 13 (Westside) Hours: M: 9:00-11:00 am (either in person or online)
Phone: Text message to: (385)743-8515;
224-4000 ext. 50309 (Office)
Twitter: @CNMBrandon
My policy is to respond to email within 24 hours, 48 hours on the weekend
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is an interdisciplinary survey of Latin American history, culture, economics, politics, and social relations. In particular, we will focus on the legacies of colonization and imperialism in the region in order to more clearly understand its place in global politics and economics.
TEXTBOOKS/MATERIALS
Links to all materials are included in the Course Schedule below and in the Learning Modules in CNM Learn. You ARE NOT required to purchase any materials at the bookstore ?
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe the unique cultural and social traditions in the region
- Identify the principal events, problems, and concerns faced by Latin Americans today within a cultural and historical context
- Evaluate the role of race, class, and gender in the creation of Latin American societies
- Analyze the impact of colonialism on the construction of unique Latin American societies, and on the region’s indigenous peoples
- Interpret the political, cultural, and environmental developments that have contributed to interrelations among current Latin American communities and nations
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Technology Requirements:
This course will be completed in the online CNM Learn (Blackboard) environment--there are NO face-to-face or scheduled meeting times. Regular access to a computer and basic computer literacy skills are therefore required. Additionally, you will need internet access, word processing software (Microsoft Word, Open Office, Pages, etc), and Adobe Reader (to access .pdf files). The instructor WILL NOT provide tutorials or training on how to use Blackboard. There are online and face-to-face tutorials available through the CNM Distance Learning department and via the “CNM Student Resources” tab at the bottom of the course menu in CNM Learn. You can access some of the online resources here:
Additionally, we will use Twitter, Slack, and Google Earth Tour Builder in this class. All are free, online platforms that are powerful tools for learning. I have provided tutorials in several places in our course that explain how to register for and use each one. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me with them as soon as possible!! I understand that most of us do not have experience with these tools (part of the reason I assign them is to acquaint you with new online social media and learning resources AND to make the online learning environment more engaging), so I am more than willing to help you through any concerns or issues that you experience. I can’t help, however, if I don’t know that you need it!
Attendance in the online environment: This is not a self-paced course.Although the course is not self-paced, you do have the opportunity to work ahead. If you choose to do so, remember that you may need to return to the Twitter or Slack in order to see what others have posted to complete replies. Also, be aware that I will not grade any assignments until after the due date listed in the Learning Modules.
You will need to plan specific blocks of time each week to dedicate to this class. You will need to login to the course at least 4 times each week. To successfully complete all of the work, you should plan on at least 4-7 hours each week. I tell you this so that you can remember to set aside time that you will dedicate specifically to this course. It is easy to put online classes on the back burner and forget about them. Please do not do that! Devise a daily schedule that fits your life and allows you to complete all of the assignments by the time they are due.
Assignments:
Over the course of the semester, we will explore Latin America through a series of Reading Tweets, class discussions on Slack, and blog posts. All of that work will be based on articles, podcasts, and videos contained in the Learning Modules for our course on CNM Learn, as well as some of your own independent research. Additionally, you will get to know Latin American Geography through the creation of a virtual tour on Google Earth Tour Builder. And, by the end of the semester, you will complete a Final Project based on a set of archival documents on mid-twentieth century Guatemala.
Class theme: Because our goal is to complete a broad survey of Latin American peoples, cultures, history, politics, art, and literature, among other things, this class is structured around the theme of the travelogue (something we’ll discuss in our assignments at the beginning of the term). In short, nineteenth-century European travelers and early scientists wrote detailed accounts of the people and places, flora and fauna, traditions and political systems, of the places they visited in Latin America. As you might imagine, nineteenth-century travelogues tended to be ethnocentric and condescending toward Latin Americans. As we write about our virtual travels around the region (through the course materials), our work will not replicate that particular aspect of the travelogues. The idea of recording observations and new (to us) information about Latin America, though, will guide our survey of the region.
To find out which materials you need to read, listen to, and/or view for each Unit, see the course schedule below and the Learning Modules in Blackboard. I may also post some of the materials in Slack so that you can access them more easily on mobile devices, should you wish to do so. Below, you will find links to the full descriptions for each assignment type. Due dates will be listed in the instructions OR in the Learning Modules as appropriate.
Twitter Assignments
Class Discussions AND Current Events (as well as Netiquette)
Blog Assignments
Geography Assignment (Google Earth Tour Builder)
Final Project
Please consult the Instructor Information section in CNM Learn for the late work policy
EXTRA CREDIT:
Film Review:
If you would like to write an extended essay (600-800 words) on “Even the Rain” (EC assignment during the week of Thanksgiving--or whenever you have a chance to view it), you can earn extra credit. Also, if you watch a film that is relevant to Latin America and you would like to write an essay about it to earn extra credit, please notify the instructor to get permission. These essays should be grounded in evidence from the films themselves, as well as course materials. Your essay should provide a critical reaction to the film. What were the producers’/creators’ goals for the film, do you think? Did they achieve them? What sort of picture of Latin America does the film provide? Does the film treat Latin American people and cultures in all their complexity, or as shallow stereotypes (or something in between)?
Latin American Studies Speakers Series:
Click here to see the list of CNM-UNM Latin American Studies Speakers for Fall 2017. The first took place prior to the beginning of the term, but you can still attend the last two. By doing so, you can earn +2% to your overall grade. Be sure to sign in or check in with me (I'd love to meet you in person) to ensure that you will earn the EC points. Additionally, for up to +3% (for a grand total of up to 5%) you can write a 400-500 word review of the lecture. What were the speaker’s main ideas and arguments? What did you learn from the talk?
Remember that the hashtag for our class on Twitter is #LTAM1110
Grading
The grading for this course will follow the grading scale as shown below:
90-100%= A
80-89%= B
70-79%= C
60-69%= D
below 60%= F
Twitter Assignments= 10%
Current Events on Slack= 10%
Discussions on Slack= 15%
Blog Assignments= 20%
Geography Assignment= 15%
Final Project= 30%
Total100% of the grade
Although each assignment is scored on a points scale (Reading Tweets are worth 5 points each, for example), the CNM Learn Gradebook is set up to weight all of the assignments accordingly. All of the Reading Tweets taken together, then, are worth 15% of the total grade, etc.
Course Expectations
I expect that students will develop critical thinking skills through class participation. Students are expected to login regularly and submit their work on time. In addition, they are expected to display courteous behavior with respect for their instructor and fellow students and honesty in their academic and personal interactions.
According to the CNM Student Code of Conduct, found in the Catalog, “students are expected to be fully acquainted with all published policies of procedures of CNM and will be held responsible for compliance with them.” In cases of academic dishonesty including cheating and plagiarism instructors “may impose an academic sanction up to and including a “0” for the assignment or test, or contact the Dean of Students to coordinate a more severe penalty for the offense.” (Academic Dishonest Policy pp. 303-4) The Student Code of Conduct can be accessed online at:
As the policy applies to this course: Anyone caught plagiarizing or cheating will receive an immediate 0 for that assignment—NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Students With Special Needs:
This course is hosted on Blackboard Learn 9.1, which is ADA compliant.
Qualified students with special learning needs are encouraged to notify the instructor at the beginning of the class about any specific assistance that may be required to support the student’s learning. It is the instructor’s intent to assist qualified students with special learning needs by making course modifications that will ensure a successful learning experience for the student.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center to arrange for academic adjustments, including auxiliary aids, i.e., accommodations.
●Main Campus and Westside Campus 224-3259:
e-mail:
●Montoya Campus 224-5946:
e-mail:
●Website:
Also, students should tell the instructor if they have special needs because of learning or other disabilities.
Veterans and active duty military personnel with special circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill requirements, disabilities) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor. Veterans and those on active duty are also encouraged to communicate any questions or concerns to J.R. Romero, MRC, CNM Vet Success on Campus, at 224-3265.
Students may occasionally find that the stresses of life interfere with their academic performance. Please be advised that CNM offers free CONFIDENTIAL counseling to students on a variety of issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, anger management, relationship difficulties, and mental health issues. For personal counseling, students from any campus may contact Merry Guild at the Main Campus Student Services Center at 224-3271.
Students should also be aware that the Rust Opportunity Assistance Fund provides emergency financial assistance to CNM students facing an unforeseen financial obstacle which may force them to drop out of school. Information about the Rust Fund can be obtained at 224-3090
For more information on CNM’s ADA policy, please clickhere
Other Information
PaperCut is an element of the sustainability effort at CNM. Its purpose is to reduce paper usage. Each student has an online account with an allotment of 150 pages of free printer pages per term. If this allotment runs out, additional pages may be purchased by the student. For more information, go to the PaperCut website:
COURSE SCHEDULE
Unit 1 (9/18-10/1): Course intro and how to approach the study of Latin America and the Global South
During the first week:
Complete personal introductions on Slack, register for Twitter and Wordpress (details in CNM Learn)
Slack introduction and initial Blog Post due by Sunday, September 24 at 11:59 pm.
During the Second Week:
How should we approach the study of Latin America?
Calle 13, “Latinoamérica”
Courtney Martin, “Western Dogooders Need to Resist the Allure of ‘Exotic Problems,’” The Guardian, 23 April 2016.
#Lochtegate articles from 2016 Brazil Olympics: “#LochteGate or its 1862 all over again”; “Lochte is One of Many Privileged First-World Tourists”; “Ryan Lochte Apologizes for ‘my behavior’”
Video: What is “the Global South?” Slides: What is “the Global South”?
Post Tweets and respond to discussion questions on Slack by October 1 at 11:59 pm
Unit 2 (10/2-10/15): Setting the Scene--Where is Latin America and why does place matter?
During the first week:
Visiting Latin America--the genre of the travelogue
McCullough, "Journey to the Top of the World," Chapter 1 in Brave Companions: Portraits in History (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992)
Candelario, “It is Said that Haiti is Getting Blacker and Blacker,” Chapter 1 in Black Behind the Ears: Dominican Racial Identity from Museums to Beauty Shops (Duke, 2007).
Radio Ambulante, “Infinite City/Ciudad Infinita” and “En el Delta”
Video: Latin American Geography Slides: Latin American Geography
Post Reading Tweets and respond to discussion questions on Slack by October 8 at 11:59 pm
During the second week:
Complete your tour of Latin America on Google Earth Tour Builder
Tour due on CNM Learn on October 15 by 11:59 pm.
Unit 3 (10/16-10/29): Crash Course in Latin American history and culture
During the first week:
Thousands of years of history in a week or so . . .
Video: Latin American History Crash Course; Slides: Latin American History Crash Course
John Green’s Crash Course Series: “Latin American Revolutions” (Independence)
Jackiewicz and Bosco, “The Making of a Region,” Chapter 2 in Placing Latin America.
Post Tweets and respond to discussion questions on Slack by October 22 at 11:59 pm
During the second week:
Recent Histories
99% Invisible Podcast, Episode 264: “Mexico 68”
Also (optional), Radio Diaries, “Mexico 68: A Movement, a Massacre, and the 40-Year Search for the Truth”
Radio Ambulante: “El Juez”; “#RenunciaYa”
Video: Guatemala in the Twentieth Century; Slides: Guatemala in the Twentieth Century
Complete Blog Post by October 29 at 11:59 pm
Statement of topic, research question(s), and format for the Final Project due Oct. 29 by 11:59 pm.
Unit 4 (10/30-11/12): Social Legacies of Colonialism--Race, Class, and Gender
During the first week:
Syncretism in religion and culture
Video: Días de los Muertos; Slides: Días de los Muertos and Cultural Appropriation
Film School Shorts, “Día de los Muertos”
Documents on Colonial Transculturation in John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire: Latin American Voices (Norton, 2011)
Post Tweets and respond to discussion questions on Slack by November 5 at 11:59 pm
During the second week:
Issues of Race and Gender
Rough Translation Podcast, 14 August 2017, “Brazil in Black and White”
Isabel Allende, “Two Words” (a short story)
“Black in Latin America”:
Haiti and Dominican Republic
Mexico and Peru
Brazil
Post Tweets and complete Blog Post by November 12 at 11:59 pm
Unit 5 (11/13-11/26): Issues of Land Tenure and the Environment
During the first week:
Land and Resource Conflicts
“Playing for Your Life,” Snap Judgement
“Instrumentos de guerra,” Radio Ambulante
Paerregaard, et al., “Water Citizenship: Negotiating Water Rights and Contesting Water Culture in the Peruvian Andes” Latin American Research Review 51, no 1 (2016): 198-217
Post Tweets and Complete Blog Post by October 22 at 11:59 pm
During the second week:
Thanksgiving Break! For EC, view “Even the Rain” (available on Netflix)
Unit 6 (11/27-12/8): Settling Accounts-- “Good Neighbor” or “Our Backyard”
During the first week:
Economic Patterns and Cold War
Dependency Theory and Banana RepublicsNationalization to Neoliberalism
Cárdenas’ speech on expropriation of oil, 18 March 1938
Blacker, “Cold War in the Countryside: Conflict in Guerrero, Mexico,” The Americas 66, no. 2 (October 2009): 181-210
Post Tweets and respond to discussion questions on Slack by December 3 at 11:59 pm
During the second week:
Settling Accounts
Snider, “Student Mobilization, Higher Education, and the 2013 Protests in Brazil in Historical Perspective,” Latin American Research Review 52, no. 2 (fall 2017): 253-268.
Guatemala, Cuba, Nicaragua & the Cold War
Guatemala Documents from Benson Library
Complete Blog Post by November 8 at 11:59 pm
Final Projects due on CNM Learn by Friday, December 8, at 11:59 pm
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