HIST 211

Latin America: A History

Tu/Th 5:30- 6:45pm Rich Building 106

Spring 2019

Instructor: Hannah R. Abrahamson

125 Bowden Hall
hannah.rose.abrahamson@emory.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 1-3pm, or by appointment

Course Description:

Latin America’s past is marked by the processes of conquest, conversion, colonialism,

and neocolonialism. However, a history of Latin America is also a history of its people: the
conquistadors and their indigenous allies, the African slaves who were brought to its shores, the
men and women who fought for independence, the charismatic populists of the twentieth
century, and the millions of people who reside within it today. How do we understand the history
of the lands that lie beyond the United States’ southern border? This course will tackle the last
500 years of Latin America’s history, from the dawn of the sixteenth-century to the present. The
advent of Spanish colonialism inaugurated processes of Catholic conversion, labor exploitation,
and cultural syncretism that persist to this day. Over the course of the semester, we will address
Latin America’s 300-year colonial period, the Independence movements that gripped the region
in the early nineteenth century, and the tumultuous revolutions and “dirty wars” of the twentieth
century. We will examine how hierarchies grounded in notions of race, class, and gender have
impacted the lives of people throughout Latin America.
Special attention will be directed to the experiences of traditionally underrepresented
historical actors, including indigenous communities, Africans, and women. Students will engage
with a wide array of primary sources, including Aztec codices, Inquisition records, revolutionary
calls to action, and formerly classified political files in order to better understand the lives of
ordinary people who lived and died in Latin America. Assignments will include active class
participation, response essays, primary source evaluations, and short oral presentations. By the
end of the course, students will have a nuanced understanding of the social, political, and
economic institutions that have shaped a region whose history is inextricably intertwined with
that of the United States.









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Teaching Aims:
v Work with students to develop an understanding of the trajectory of Latin American
history from the colonial period to the present
v Examine the experiences of historical figures who have traditionally been
underrepresented in scholarship, namely women and indigenous peoples of the Americas

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the semester, students should know how to:
v Critically engage with primary and secondary sources, with an eye to historical context, the
use of evidence, and the author’s argument
v Formulate written and oral arguments based on a wide array of sources

Required Texts:
v Chasteen, John Charles, Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America
(3rd edition, Norton, W.W. & Company, Inc, 2011). ISBN: 9780393911541.
v Chasteen, John Charles and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History:
Sources and Interpretations, (4th edition, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013). ISBN:
9781442218604.

These texts will be held on Woodruff Library course reserves. They are also available on
Amazon and in the university bookstore. Please note that Problems in Modern Latin American
History: Sources and Interpretations is available online through Woodruff Library.

Some of the assigned readings may consist of articles, selections from books, or primary sources
in edited volumes not listed under required texts. In these cases, scans of the reading will be
uploaded and posted to Canvas. This is done for two reasons: 1. I want students to engage with a
wide array of documents. 2. I prefer that class materials be as affordable as possible for students.
I will also occasionally assign sections of academic websites as part of the weekly reading. For
these weeks, the website URL will be listed in the syllabus and a link will be posted on Canvas.

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Class Participation: Attendance and class participation are required. The course
is designed to be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Therefore, it is imperative that students
complete the assigned readings for the whole week prior to attending class. In order to earn
points for participation, students are expected to contribute to class discussion, pose questions,
speak thoughtfully about the source material, and engage with other students during small group
discussions. Please keep in mind that I measure class participation by the quality, rather than
quantity, of students’ contributions. Repeated absences, lack of participation in class discussion,
or continued disruptive behavior will have an adverse effect on a student’s overall course grade.
Students are permitted two unexcused absences during the semester without any impact on their
grade. Each subsequent unexcused absence will result in losing one-half letter grade for the
course. Excessive tardiness may count as an absence and is subject to the instructor’s discretion.
Students in need of accommodations should meet with the instructor at the beginning of the
semester in order to discuss attendance, participation, and assignments.
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Map Quiz: There will be one in-class map quiz during the third week of the semester. Students
will be asked to identify Latin American countries, cities, and geographic features. A sample
map and list of terms will be posted on Canvas.

Reading and Writing Assignments: Reading assignments for the week should be completed by
the start of class on Tuesday. Each week, please identify which of the readings are primary and
secondary sources and prepare to discuss the nature of the sources in class. Over the course of
the semester, students will complete three short responses to primary sources or digital
humanities sites (each 1-2 pages in length), one midterm, and one final project: either an
analytical paper (5-7 pages) or a digital humanities project. The guidelines and requirements for
each assignment will be posted on Canvas and discussed during class time closer to the due date.

Oral Presentations and Discussion Leaders: People are not born already knowing how to
successfully present information in front of an audience. Like analytical reading and writing,
giving an oral presentation is an acquired skill. This class will provide students with two
opportunities to sharpen their oral rhetorical skills. Students will be asked to pose questions and
lead discussion once during the semester. Additionally, during the penultimate week of class,
students will present a three-minute analysis of a primary source not addressed in class.

Grades:
Your grades for the semester will be determined as follows:
v Attendance and Class Participation: 25%
v Map Quiz 5%
v Responses to Primary Source or Digital Humanities site: 5% each, 15% total
v Discussion Leader: 5%
v Midterm exam: 20%
v Oral Presentation: 5%
v Final Paper or Digital Humanities Project: 25%

Grading scale:
A 100–93 B 86–83 C 76–73 D 66–63
A– 92–90 B– 82–80 C– 72–70 D- 63–60
B+ 89–87 C+ 79–77 D+ 69–67 F 60–0

Course Policies:
Grading Policy: All of your work will be graded in accordance with the rubrics listed on
assignment sheets, which will be posted to Canvas and discussed in class closer to the due date. I
am happy to discuss concerns regarding your grade during office hours—not after class or via
email. I do not offer extra credit or paper re-writes to individual students. I may offer extra credit
or paper re-writes to the class as a whole, but only to those who are in attendance when I offer it.
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Late Work: Late assignments will be penalized in the following manner: same day, after class,
one-half letter grade; each day thereafter one letter grade. Exceptions may be granted in rare
circumstances, and are at the discretion of the instructor.

Electronics Policy: Cell phone use is not permitted during class. Please leave your phones on
silent and in your backpack. Students are permitted to use computers and tablets to take notes
and access readings during class discussion. If I find that students use their computers in a
disruptive manner (Facebook, Amazon, etc.), I will tell the student to put away their computer
and deduct participation points. Repeated disruptive use of technology will result in that student
no longer being allowed to use computers or tablets in class.

Class Comportment Policy: Be kind and respectful to others, including your classmates and the
instructor. This course will touch on many sensitive topics including slavery, conquest, and
various forms of violence. You are encouraged to thoughtfully consider the material that we are
covering and to ask questions. Intentionally discriminatory remarks are not acceptable class
behavior and will affect your participation grade. My philosophy on class comportment can
easily be summarized with four words: don’t be a jerk.

Academic Support: There is a range of resources available to Emory undergraduates designed

to enrich each student’s educational experience and support their academic progress. Visit
http://college.emory.edu/oue/student-support/index.html for a list of programs and appointment
instructions.

Office of Accessibility Services: Office of Accessibility Services works with students who have
disabilities to provide reasonable accommodations. In order to receive consideration for
reasonable accommodations, you must contact OAS. It is the responsibility of the student to
register with OAS. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and that disability
accommodations are not provided until an accommodation letter has been processed. Students
registered with OAS who have a letter outlining their academic accommodations, are strongly
encouraged to coordinate a meeting time with your professor that will be best for both to discuss
a protocol to implement the accommodations as needed throughout the semester. This meeting
should occur as early in the semester as possible. Students must renew their accommodation
letter every semester they attend classes. Contact the Office of Accessibility Services for more
information at (404) 727-9877 or accessibility@emory.edu. Additional information is available
at the OAS website at http://equityandinclusion.emory.edu/access/students/index.html.

Honor Code: The Honor Code applies to all work submitted for courses in Emory College.
Students who violate the Honor Code may be subject to a written mark on their record, failure of
the course, suspension, permanent exclusion, or a combination of these and other sanctions. The
Honor Code may be reviewed online at: http://catalog.college.emory.edu/academic/policies-
regulations/honor-code.html.
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Course Schedule:

Week 1: INTRODUCTION
Introduce course themes, review the syllabus, and discuss course objectives. A representative of
the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship will present regarding how to conduct a digital
humanities project.

Week 2: PRE-CONTACT AMERICAS: THE AZTEC, MAYA, AND INCA

Reading:
v Selections from Robert M. Buffington and Lila Caimari’s Keen’s Latin American
Civilization, Volume 1: A Primary Source Reader, Volume One: The Colonial Era, 10th
edition on Canvas
v “Introduction to the Matricula de Tributos” page on Mesolore:
http://www.mesolore.org/tutorials/learn/17/Introduction-to-the-Matrcula-de-Tributos
v Then read through the “Matricula de Tributos” document:
http://www.mesolore.org/viewer/view/1/Matrcula-de-Tributos

Week 3: THE PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CONQUEST

Reading:
v One chapter from Matthew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest on Canvas
v “Introduction to the Lienzo de Tlaxcala” page on Mesolore:
http://www.mesolore.org/tutorials/learn/19/Introduction-to-the-Lienzo-de-Tlaxcala-
v Read through the “Lienzo de Tlaxcala” document:
http://www.mesolore.org/viewer/view/2/Lienzo-de-Tlaxcala.
Map Quiz; Start First Response to Primary Source or Digital Humanities Site

Week 4: THE COLONIAL PERIOD: ADMINISTRATION, ECONOMY, AND SOCIETY

Reading:
v Selected chapters from Catalina de Erauso, Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque
Transvestite in the New World on Canvas
v One selection from Robert M. Buffington and Lila Caimari’s Keen’s Latin American
Civilization, Volume 1: A Primary Source Reader, Volume One: The Colonial Era, 10th
edition on Canvas
v Selections from Restall, Matthew and Kris E. Lane, Latin America in Colonial Times
on Canvas
Submit First Response to Primary Source or Digital Humanities Site by Friday at 5pm

Week 5: THE BOURBON REFORMS AND THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE:

COLONIALISM DRAWS TO A CLOSE
Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America,
pgs. 82-94.
v Selections from Robert M. Buffington and Lila Caimari’s Keen’s Latin American
Civilization, Volume 1: A Primary Source Reader, Volume One: The Colonial Era, 10th
edition on Canvas
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v Read Essays on Voyages website: http://www.slavevoyages.org/assessment/essays#.
Search 3 voyages on the database: http://www.slavevoyages.org/voyage/search.
Begin Take-Home Midterm

Week 6: INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, Chapter 4
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapter 1
v Read Simón Bolívar’s “Address at the Congress of Angostura”:
https://library.brown.edu/create/modernlatinamerica/chapters/chapter-2-the-colonial-
foundations/primary-documents-with-accompanying-discussion-questions/document-3-
simon-bolivar-address-at-the-congress-of-angostura-1819/.
Submit Take-Home Midterm by Friday at 5pm

Week 7: THE “MIDDLE PERIOD”: NATIONALISM AND CAUDILLOS

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, Chapter 5
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapter 3
v One selection from Nora E Jaffary, Edward W. Osowski, and Susie S. Porter’s Mexican
History: A Primary Source Reader on Canvas

Week 8: SPRING BREAK

Reading: None. Have fun!

Week 9: TENSIONS WITHIN NEW NATIONS AND NEOCOLONIALISM

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, Chapters 6-7
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapter 4-5
v One source from the Latin America Print Confidential 1833-1969:
http://www.archivesdirect.amdigital.co.uk.proxy.library.emory.edu/CP_LatinAmerica.
Start Second Response to Primary Source

Week 10: NATIONALISMS AND THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pgs. 233-262
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapter 6
v Read Emiliano Zapata’s “Plan de Ayala”:
https://library.brown.edu/create/modernlatinamerica/chapters/chapter-3-mexico/primary-
documents-with-accompanying-discussion-questions/document-6-plan-de-ayala-emilio-
zapata-1911/.
Submit Second Response to Primary Source Friday at 5pm
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Week 11: REFORM, POPULISM, AND LATIN AMERICA IN WWII
Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pgs. 263-274
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapters 7-8
v Read Eva Perón’s Announcement of Women’s Suffrage Law:
http://college.cengage.com/history/world/keen/latin_america/8e/assets/students/sources/p
dfs/73_eva_peron_suffrage_speech.pdf.

Week 12: REVOLUTIONS AND THE COLD WAR

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire, pgs. 275-296
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapters 9-10
v Selections from the Castro Speech Database:
http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/cuba/castro.html
Start Third Response to Primary Source

Week 13: NEOLIBERALISM, DICTATORSHIPS, AND “DIRTY WARS”

Reading:
v John Charles Chasteen, Born in Blood and Fire Chapter 10
v John Charles Chasteen and James Wood, Problems in Modern Latin American History,
selections from Chapter 12
v Selections from the Archdiocese of São Paulo, Torture in Brazil: A Report by the
Archdiocese of São Paulo on Canvas
Submit Third Response to Primary Source by Friday at 5pm

Week 14: LATIN AMERICA IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Reading:
v Each student will identify and read 3 recent newspaper articles regarding a Latin
American country and come to class prepared to discuss
ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Week 15:
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
WORK ON FINAL PAPER OR DIGITAL HUMANITIES PROJECT
Due date TBD