SOCIAL SCIENCE 2460 9.0
CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICA

NOTE: I WILL NOT BE TEACHING THIS COURSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

COURSE DIRECTOR
Eduardo Cane

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to the basic features of contemporary Latin America . It focuses on phenomena common to the region as a whole while touching on regional differences to highlight the diversity of the experience of Latin Americans. It begins with a historical overview of the forces and events that have shaped Latin America since the Iberian conquest. Taking into account broader global transformations, the course traces the main social, political and economic changes that occurred in the region over the past century. The course examines the social and economic impact of free-market economic development by focusing on recent transformations in rural and urban life, growing social inequalities, new forms of work, changes in community and family relations, and transformations in gender, class and race/ethnic relations. It also explores various political experiences including dictatorship, democracy and revolution, and highlights the creative responses of Latin Americans in their efforts to overcome inequalities and underdevelopment. The course concludes with an examination of popular culture and cultural resistance by focusing on the role of music and sports in the region.

COURSE STRUCTURE:
There is a two hour lecture each week that explores the major themes of the course and sets them in social and historical context. Students will also meet once a week for a two-hour seminar to discuss course themes, analyze assigned readings in greater detail and develop academic critical skills. Regular attendance at both lectures and tutorials will be integral to this course, as it will be impossible to follow it otherwise. Students will be expected to have read all materials outlined for the appropriate week and to be prepared to actively participate in tutorial discussions. Your success in this course will depend very substantially on the degree of commitment you make to your tutorial.

This course is part of the Faculty of Arts Foundations Program and focuses on improving student's reading, writing and research skills while challenging them to apply these skills to the field of Latin American studies. To this end, students are expected to spend considerable time studying required readings and preparing written assignments. This is a nine-credit course, that is, a full course and a half course combined. The workload is commensurate. In addition to the four hours of class time, expect to do at least an additional eight hours of reading and writing outside of class each week. The subject matter of this course will be challenging, and the workload will be relatively heavy. As instructors and teaching assistants, we will take as our main task to make the course interesting and informative; in turn, what we will ask of students is a serious commitment to it.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADES:

Please note: Test Study-Guides will be provided in lecture one week before each test.

REQUIRED READINGS:

• B. Burns & J. Charlip, Latin America. A Concise Interpretive History, New Jersey: Prentice Hall (Eighth Ed.), 2007.
• Duncan Green, Faces of Latin America. London: Latin America Bureau, 1997.
• D. Barndt, Tangled Routes. Women, Work and Globalization on the Tomato Trail, Toronto: Garamond Press, 2002.
• Reading Kit (available for purchase at the York University Bookstore)

TEACHING TEAM, LECTURE AND TUTORIAL GROUPS