History 281: Modern Latin America

Spring 2017Tu/Th11-12:20 Wyatt 313

John Lear: Wyatt 136, 879-2792; E-mail:
Office Hours:Office Hours: M & W, 10-11:30, or by appointment

In the Carlos Fuentes novel The Campaign(a portion of which you will read for this class), the fictional Argentine independence fighter Baltasar Bustos declares that “in order to have liberty, we must first have equality." Two related dilemmas have marked the countries of Latin America since the wars of independence at the beginning of the 19th century: the first is to create stable political institutions, while also making them democratic and representative; the second is to achieve economic growth, while resolving social inequalities rooted in the colonial period and the global economic order. In a region of enormous inequalities, both dilemmas have engendered a series of conflicts, the study of which will be at the heart of this course.

How did a handful of colonies of Spain and Portugal become the many nations of Latin America? How did these new nations fit into the global economy and relate to emerging world powers such as Britain and the United States? How have changes in the global context—from cycles of globalization to the Cold War--effected the organization of work, social relations and politics within Latin American nations? Howhave the conflicts inherent in the 500-year "meeting" between native peoples, Africans and Europeans developed over time? How have gender inequalities manifested themselves within and between different social groups? What can our attempts to answer these questions tell us about the history of our own country? About Latin America today? These are some of the questions we will explore as a class.

History 281 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 countries. In keeping with the Humanistic Approaches guidelines, History 281 explores the history of modern Latin America over an extended period of time and across cultures. We consider the common and divergent social and economic structures and institutions of the modern nations of Latin America, and the evolving relationship of the region to the world, particularly Europe and the United States, the dominant powers of the 19th and 20th centuries. A central focus is the on-going transformative "encounter" between native peoples, Africans and Europeans and their descendants. 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, we develop a conceptual understanding of history as a scholarly discipline. Readings include different kinds of historical sources. In class discussions, presentations and writing assignments, we examine historical evidence and the arguments of historians in order to arrive at our 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.

Readings: You are expected to do all of the reading for the day it is assigned and bring assigned readings in printed form to each class. This preparation makes for a much more exciting learning experience for all of us. The chapters in the textbook, ModernLatin America, are assigned where appropriate, and will help provide students with the necessary historical background to understand the broader course narrative and the more specific themes and readings. I choseadditional readings first to consider a specific problem, the perspective of a particular writer,or to provide insights into the experience of a particular country.

Many of the readings are scholarly secondary sources. They combine studies derived from traditional methodologies with newer types of history and several readings by historians and writers from Latin America. We will also examine multiple primary sources, including testimonial writing, political and polemical readings, and portions of a historical novel. My intention in assigning these readings is to encourage students to relate broad historical changes to individual lives, and emphasize the standards and subjectivity of historical viewpoints. In addition to the books available at the UPS bookstore, shorter articles, documents and selected book chapters will be available on the course web site at (see below). Students are encouraged to keep up with contemporary events in Latin America, and will have opportunities to relate them to the historical themes of the class.

Available at UPS Bookstore:

+Thomas Skidmore, Peter Smith and James Green, Modern Latin America (Text), 8th edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).

Useful companion website at:

+Miguel Barnet, Biography of a Runaway Slave, (New York: Curbstone, 1994)

+Stephen Rabe, The Killing Zone, (Oxford, 2016, second edition)

All assigned readings not listed above are available on Moodle.pugetsound.edu

Participation: Your participation will shape the content, quality and directions of our discussion. You should come to every class, be prepared with questions and thoughts about the reading and the material presented by the instructor, and participate fully in the discussions. Only very rarely will I give short lectures, and discussion will periodically be led by student groups. You will regularly be asked to make short presentations individually and in groups and respond to the presentations of others. During the week before the midterm, and as a way of reviewing previous material for the midterm, student groups will present on assigned academic articles covering the period before 1929. Throughout the second semester, groups will lead discussions on the US and Latin America during the Cold War, incorporating an additional academic article of the group’s choice. During the last week of classes, students will give a brief presentation on some aspect of contemporary Latin America related to the themes and analytical frameworks of the course, based on very preliminary library research, and in anticipation of the take-home final. I may occasionally ask you to post a comment on readings to Moodle before class. 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. Class participation is fifteen 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.

Absences: I will drop the course grade of students who miss more than four classes by one percentage class for each additional absence. For an absence to be excused, you must communicate with me before the class to be missed. Those involved in a varsity sport should have their coach send me an initial letter with a game schedule, and should check with me before missing each class for an away game. I reserve the right to withdraw students with more than six absences, excused or not, and/or multiple incomplete assignments.

Writing: A short paper and longer essays are designed to encourage students to recognize arguments, analyze how they are put together, distinguish differing viewpoints, and react to the ideas and realities conveyed in the readings. The short paper will be based on the Fuentes novel. The first essay will be based on one or more primary or testimonial readings on slavery and abolition. The second essay will be in relation to U.S. interventions in Latin America in the context of the Cold War. A final take-home essay, in lieu of a final exam, will ask you to tie your understanding of a historical theme of the class to a contemporary event or issue in Latin America. Further guidelines will be handed out and discussed in class. In addition, students may periodically be given short written assignments based on the readings that will count towards their quiz or participation grades. 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.

Writing Help: Although these papers will be discussed in class and I am available in my office hours, I strongly encourage you to make appointments with the Center for Writing, Learning and Teaching in Howarth 105 (Ext. 3395) to go over your initial drafts or specific writing issues. You can make a CWLT appointment at

Academic Honesty: To avoid improperly copying or paraphrasing the work of others, students should be familiar with guidelines for citations and disciplinary procedures for plagiarism in:

  • University of Puget Sound Academic Handbook:
  • The Collins Library guide to Academic Integrity:
  • “Managing information; avoiding plagiarism” (357) in Hacker and Sommers, A Writer’s Reference, seventh edition.

Exams: There will be short quizzes, a mid-term, and a take-home final. During the second week there will be a map quiz, and throughout the semester there will be eight short quizzes requiring mostly objective answers, based on all class presentations and readings since the previous quiz and including that day's reading. Quizzes may occasionally be replaced or supplemented by short in-class or take-home essay questions. The lowest quiz score will be dropped. There are no make-up quizzes, though I may allow alternative assignments (arranged before the day of the quiz) for excused absences. The mid-term will consist primarily of identifications and longer analytical essay questions that will require students to refer directly to the course readings and synthesize broader themes of the course. Make up exams are allowed only for medical emergencies. Please note the exam date now and make travel and other plans accordingly.

Evaluation:

Map test and quizzes15%

One short paper 5%

Two longer essays (15, 15)30%

Mid-term exam15%

Take home final15%

Participation (including oral presentations) 20%

Total: 100%

Grading Guidelines: I paraphrase the following guidelines from various colleagues:

The instructor will grade written work (exams as well as papers) according to the following scheme: An "A" paper is clearly written, well-organized and 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.

Messages from the University:

Office of Student Accessibility and Accommodation:If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Peggy Perno, Director of the Office of Accessibility and Accommodation, 105 Howarth, 253.879.3395. She will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Classroom Emergency Response Guidance: Please review university emergency preparedness and response procedures posted at There is a link on the university home page. Familiarize yourself with hall exit doors and the designated gathering area for your class and laboratory buildings.

If building evacuation becomes necessary (e.g. earthquake), meet your instructor at the designated gathering area so she/he can account for your presence. Then wait for further instructions. Do not return to the building or classroom until advised by a university emergency response representative.

If confronted by an act of violence, be prepared to make quick decisions to protect your safety. Flee the area by running away from the source of danger if you can safely do so. If this is not possible, shelter in place by securing classroom or lab doors and windows, closing blinds, andturning off room lights. Lie on the floor out of sight and away from windows and doors. Place cell phones or pagers on vibrate so that you can receive messages quietly. Wait for further instructions.

Student Bereavement Policy: Upon approval from the Dean of Students’ Office, students who experience a death in the family, including parent, grandparent, sibling, or persons living in the same household, are allowed three consecutive weekdays of excused absences, as negotiated with the Dean of Students’. For more information, please see the Academic Handbook.

Week One

I. Introduction: Colonial Roots and Independence

T1/17: Introduction

Th1/19: Analytical Frameworks, Lay of the Land, and Peoples of the Americas

Read and discuss:

  • Skidmore, Smith and Green, Modern Latin America, (hereafter, MLA), pp. 3-29

Write an introduction of yourself for your professor and post it to the course website at Include anything you wish to share about your background, fears and interests.

Do Map worksheet (attached to back of syllabus).

PREP QUESTIONS: Why, according to Skidmore, Smith and Green, should we read about Latin America? What are some of the contrasts and paradoxes noted in the reading? What are some of the geographical differences you noted doing the reading and the map worksheet? How might geography shape Latin American economies and societies? What were the key economic activities and institutions of colonial Latin America? What were the racial and cultural components of Latin American societies? What was the relation between colonies and Spain and Portugal? How was labor organized? What role did the church play in colonial society? Be ready to define and compare theories of modernization and dependency.

TERMS TO KNOW: “Latin” America, Modernization Theory, Dependency

Theory, Aztecs, Incas, Tupí-Guaraní, El Dorado, viceroy, “obedezco pero no cumplo,” mestizos, mulattos, peninsulares, creoles, machismo

Week Two

not time for much more than intro

OK class, started out with announcements of events, harbury, worked well, not enough time to develop exercise well

did guate exercise, than mapped out mod/dep debate, not much time for anything else, did a very quick run through on map, mountains, rivers, etcs this class, didn't get to map and geog, only guat. exercise, disc. of hist as interp, and disc. of modern and dependency

T1/24: The Colonial Order and its Crisis/The Campaign in Buenos Aires

Read and discuss:

  • MLA, pp. 29-35;
  • Handout questions on Fuentes
  • (Moodle reading) Carlos Fuentes, The Campaign (novel), pp.1-28.
  • Simón Bolívar, "War to the Death,” in Problems in Latin American History (Hereafter, Problems),editors J. Chasteen/Tulchin, pp. 20-22;

MAP QUIZ

  • Short paper on Fuentes assigned.

Handout on the Campaign

PREP: What were the principal causes of the movements for independence in Latin America? Where did these movements begin first, and where were they most successful? Which social groups directed the struggles for independence and to what extent did other groups participate? (see guidesheets, Van Young, races, hierarchy, estates)gave map quiz, then discussion of race, people,

TERMS: Bourbon monarchs, cabildos, Napoleon, Ferdinand VII, Decree of Free Trade, Tupac Amaru II, Bolívar, Hidalgo, Morelos

Th1/26: War to the Death

Read and discuss:

  • MLA, pp. 29-39;
  • Fuentes, pp. 29-64;
  • Simón Bolívar, “Speech before the Congress of Angostura,” pp. 175-176 in Problems.

TERMS: San Martín, Dom Pedro

Week Three

T1/31: Reluctant Independence

Read and discuss:

  • Fuentes, ch. 3.
  • José María Morelos, “Sentiments of the Nation,” Chilpancingo, Mexico, 1813
  • Plan of Iguala, 1821

PREP: Be able to compare the two documents from Mexico in terms of their distinct moments, protagonists and goals.

TERMS: Morelos, Iturbide

Short paper on Fuentes due in class

Show rest of video here.

II. Aftermath of Independence: The Long Wait, 1830-1870s.

Th2/2: The Aftermath of Independence/Caudillos and the Search for Stability.

Read and discuss:

  • MLA, 39-44, 47-53, 236-240
  • John Charles Chasteen, “Making Sense of Caudillos...” in Problems, 37-41;
  • Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, “Rosas’s Ribbons and Rituals,” in Problems, 61-64.
  • Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, “Civilization and Barbarism,” in Problems, 176-179.

Show piece of Camila in class

PREP: What were some of the key political, economic and social problems facing the new nations of Latin America? What is a caudillo? Why did they dominate the political scene in Latin America after independence? Get a sense of Rosas’s origins, policies and sources of support.

TERMS: caudillo, Juan Manuel de Rosas, Domingo Sarmiento, “Civilization and Barbarism,” Santa Anna, War of the North American Invasion, treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

First Essay Assigned along with study questions for Barnet

Week Four

T2/7: (QUIZ) Slavery and Export Economies

Read and discuss:

  • MLA, 112-115;
  • Intro, “Slavery” in Problems.
  • Miguel Barnet, The Biography of a Runaway Slave, pp. 11-37.(Bring in music, Brazil, Cuba)(Note glossary in the back of the book.)

?

PREP: How many Africans were brought to the New World as slaves, and how many were brought to Brazil and Cuba? How did slaves respond to slavery? See handout for questions on Barnet/Montejo.

TERMS:, middle passage, quilombo, Golden Law, manumission, Ten Years War, Jose Martí, Antonio Maceo, Platt Amendment

Th2/9: Slavery and Export Economies

Read and discuss:

  • Miguel Barnet, The Biography of a Runaway Slave, pp. 37-106. (optional: pp. 107-151.)(Bring in music, Brazil, Cuba)

III. The Golden Age: The Transformation of Modern Latin America, 1880s-1930