Note: A placement exam will be required when you arrive on site.

Intermediate

This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of two semesters (or three quarters) of college-level Spanish. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.

Advanced

This course is designed for students who have completed or tested out of a minimum of four semesters (or six quarters) of college-level Spanish. However, students must take a placement exam to determine the course level into which they will be able to enroll.

DESCRIPTION

In this course, we will examine, in an exploratory and introductory manner, the shaping of the cultures and societies of Latin America. We will pay special attention to the principal historical milestones, to the processes and socio-cultural forces that have impacted, given potential, or served as obstacles to the development of Latin American societies. Our analysis will focus on three large areas of the region: the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

1. Understand, from a social perspective, the experience of Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.
2. To make presentations on topics related to the culture of Latin America.
3. Analyze critically the topics about the culture of Latin America.

CONTENTS

Unit 1: Introductory elements.

1. Presentation of the class.
2. Geographic map of the continent.
3. The meeting of three cultures.

Unit 2: Historical milestones that define Latin American identity.

1. The plantation economy. Analysis of the different models of colonization.
2. Independence movements and the different social projects. Liberalism vs. Conservatives.
3. Economics. The phenomenon of urbanization. Impact on Latin American agrarian societies. Trade unions. New models of the state.

Unit 3: Cultural marks in the Americas.

1. The indigenous civilizations of Latin America.
2. African influence.
3. Imperial cultures.
4. Cultural synchretism: Popular Latin American music. Latin American religiosity.

Unit 4: Social movements in Latin America.

1. The emergence of new social actors.
2. Women as a social and political actor.
3. Civil society and the state. Reform and participation.

EVALUATION:

Reports (Based on readings): 30%
Class participation (Class attendance, individual presentations and commentaries): 20%
Essay (Final written project): 25%
Presentation of essay: 25%
Total: 100%

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bastide, R. (1967) Las Américas Negras. Madrid, España: Alianza Editorial. Págs. 159 �" 207.

Centro Dominicano de Estudios de la Educación (CEDEE). (Marzo 1987) Las hijas invisibles cuestionan la iglesia. Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.
Centro de Estudios y Promoción del Desarrollo-DESCO. (Diciembre de 1996) Reflexiones sobre sicología del poblador. En “Sociedad y Poder local: La comunidad de Villa El Salvador 1971-1996”. Lima. Págs. 343-349.

DESCO, Centro de Estudios y Promoción del Desarrollo. (Diciembre de 1996) Reflexiones de un alcalde distrital. En “Sociedad y Poder local: La comunidad de Villa El Salvador 1971-1996”. Lima. Págs. 365-379.

Fernández Poncela, A. M. (1995) Las niñas buenas van al cielo y las malas... Caracas, Venezuela: Nueva Sociedad.

Galeano, E. (1973) Las Venas Abiertas de América Latina. Argentina: Editorial Siglo XXI.

Giraldo Isaza, F.; Universidad Javeriana, FEDEVIVIENDA. (Abril de 1999) Ciudad y nuevos paradigmas. “Ciudad y Crisis ¿Hacia un nuevo paradigma”, Santa Fe de Bogotá, Colombia. Págs. 1-28

Grupo de Iniciativa II CONADES. (1998) Hablan las organizaciones sociales. En: “Perú, afrontando el desafío del mañana”, Lima, Perú. Págs. 64-80.

James Figarola, Joel. (1997) Cuba: Esclavitud, sociedad e independencia. Revista del Caribe No. 26, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Págs. 5-18.

Loprete, C. A. (1995) Iberoamérica: Historia de su civilización y cultura. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Palmer, P. R. Historia e Identidad de Talamanca: Costa Rica. (Mayo de 1994) En “Expresión Cultural y el Desarrollo de Base”. Quito, Ecuador. Págs. 175-184.

Patiño Sánchez, N. (Mayo 1997) Mestizaje, racismo e identidad étnica. De razas a construcción de identidades en Ecuador. “Seminario sobre los problemas raciales en la República Dominicana y el Caribe”. Santo Domingo, República Dominicana.

Wali, A. En comunión con la tierra. Etnicidad y Desarrollo en Chile. (Mayo de 1994) En Expresión Cultural y el Desarrollo de Base”. Quito, Ecuador. Págs. 253 �" 269.