Becoming Latin America, 1492-1830 (260-1-20)

Instructors

Paul Ramirez
847/491-7444
Harris Hall Room 233

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L06: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

A survey of Latin America through documents, from the era of Spanish exploration and conquest through Independence (roughly 1492 to 1830), stressing the experiences and sociocultural contributions of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans to the region's history. Participants will examine texts in translation, as well as music, film, and images - artwork, architecture, maps - with consideration of the following topics: Aztec, Inca, and Iberian civilizations; models of governance (Spanish, Portuguese, and Amerindian); religion, the Catholic Church, and the Inquisition; the development of mining and sugar; food, clothing, and urban life; and the meanings of race, caste, class, gender, and honor. Brazil provides a continuous counterpoint to Mexico and the Andes, while "fringe" areas of empire, such as Cuba, Argentina, and northern Mexico, become central in the final weeks.

Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in this course will:
• Acquire knowledge of the experiences and sociocultural contributions of Americans, Europeans, and Africans to Latin America's history and the processes and repercussions of Spanish and Portuguese colonialism in local, regional, and global context
• Learn to assess, analyze, and interpret relevant primary and secondary sources, including but not limited to artifacts, texts, maps, images, chronicles, letters, and films, and use them to develop arguments about Latin America's past
• Express the results of historical investigation effectively and persuasively in written and oral forms and engage in debate with other interpreters of history, both past and present
• Assess the impact of historical developments from the past in the present

Evaluation Method

Living History Essay 25%
Mid-term Exam 25%
Final Project 25%
Class Participation 25%

Class Notes

Attendance at first class mandatory.

History Major Concentration(s): Americas
History Minor Concentration(s): Latin America

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro