San José State University
Department of Political Science
Pols 146: Latin American Politics, Spring 2016
Course and Contact Information
Instructor:
Dr. Sergio Béjar-López
Office Location:
Clark 402F
Telephone:
(408) 924-8330 (during office hours only)
Email:
Sergio.Bejar@sjsu.edu (preferred method of contact)
Office Hours:
TTR 10:30-noon, and by appointment
Class Days/Time:
TTR 1:30-2:45 PM
Classroom:
HGH 116
Course Description
This class is an introduction to the politics of Latin America. It is framed around the region’s
struggle for political order and economic development. We will first focus on studying the
socio-economic and institutional explanations of development and inequality. We will then
analyze the region’s experience with autocracy and democracy, and the challenges that
democratic governments face in the region. The third part is devoted to analyze four current
topics: the resurgence of the political left, the rule of law, drug trade and immigration.
Political Science Learning Outcomes
The Political Science Department has the following objectives for its students:
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Breadth: Students should possess a broad knowledge of the theory and methods of
the various branches of the discipline.
Application: Students should be able to apply a variety of techniques to identify,
understand, and analyze domestic and international political issues and
organizations.
Disciplinary methods: Students should be able to formulate research questions,
engage in systematic literature searches using primary and secondary sources,
have competence in systematic data gathering using library sources, government
documents, and data available through electronic sources, should be able to
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evaluate research studies, and should be able to critically analyze and interpret
influential political texts.
Communication Skills: Students should master basic competencies in oral and
written communication skills and be able to apply these skills in the context of
political science. This means communicating effectively about politics and/or
public administration, public policy, and law.
Citizenship: Students should acquire an understanding of the role of the citizen in
local, state, national, and global contexts and appreciate the importance of lifelong
participation in political processes.
GE Learning Outcomes
At the end of the semester, students should be able to:
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Understand the main social, political, and economic features of colonial societies and
identify their legacies in contemporary Latin American societies.
Identify the competing theories that have been used to explain autocracy and
democracy in Latin America.
Define the main development strategies of Latin American countries, and relate them
to the prevailing domestic and international political conditions in the region.
Explain the links between democracy and globalization in Latin America.
Identify different democratic political institutions (i.e. political parties, the judiciary,
the military, and electoral institutions), and understand the challenges that they pose
to the prospects for democratic consolidation in the region.
Identify cultural, economic and political similarities and differences across Latin
American countries.
Make use of Latin American data sources in studying Latin America.
Reading Material
The following books are required for this course. Additional readings are listed below. Those
readings will be available in the CANVAS page of the course.
1. Chasteen John Charles. 2010. Born in Fire and Blood: A Concise History of Latin America.
3rd edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
2. Soto, Hernando. 2000. The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and
Fails Everywhere Else. Basic Books.
3. Magaloni, Beatriz. 2006. Voting for Autocracy: Hegemonic Party Survival and its Demise in
Mexico. New York: Cambridge University Press.
4. Carey, John M. 2009. Legislative Voting and Accountability. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
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5. Kitschelt, Herbert, Kirk A. Hawkins, Juan Pablo Luna, Guillermo Rosas, and Elizabeth J.
Zechmeister. 2010. Latin American Party Systems. New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Course Requirements
Grades in the course will be based on the following items:
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90% 3 exams (30% each).
The exams will cover material from the readings, lectures, and class discussions.
They will require you to develop short, essay-style responses. You should be able to
define concepts and describe theoretical arguments. You should be able to summarize
the empirical tests of the theories we cover. No make-up exams will be given.
 Participation (10%).
This is an upper division course so I expect you to bring viewpoints, questions, and ideas to
class. It is difficult to receive a good grade should you choose not to participate.
Political Science Departmental Writing Policy
Students of political science should develop the ability to write in clear, grammatical English.
Spelling and grammar count! Students must take care that appropriate citations are used.
Direct quotations must be so indicated with quotation marks and a specific reference to the
page in the source from which it was taken. Failure to cite your sources constitutes academic
misconduct which carries with it serious sanctions. A tutorial on citations is available at the
library website at http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/literacy/info_comp/citing.htm. For
assistance with writing, please see me or visit the SJSU Writing Center located in Clark Hall,
Suite 126. All Writing Specialists have gone through a rigorous hiring process, and they are
well trained to assist all students at all levels within all disciplines to become better writers.
In addition to one-on-one tutoring services, the Writing Center also offers workshops every
semester on a variety of writing topics. To make an appointment or to refer to the numerous
online resources offered through the Writing Center, visit the Writing Center website at
http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter.
Grading and Written Work Policies
A+ = 97-100%; A = 93-96.9%; A- = 90-92.9%
B+ = 87-89.9%; B = 83-86.9%; B- = 80-82.9%
C+ = 77-79.9%; C= 73-76.9%; C- = 70-72.9%
D+ = 67-69.9%; D = 63-66.9%; D- = 60-62.9%
F = 59.99% or lower
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University Policies
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop, grade
forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semester’s Catalog Policies section at
http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current
academic year calendars document on the Academic Calendars webpage at
http://www.sjsu.edu/provost/services/academic_calendars/. The Late Drop Policy is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should be aware of the current
deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.
Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at
http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.
Consent for Recording of Class and Public Sharing of Instructor Material
Please see University Policy S12-7, http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-7.pdf
Electronic Device Policy for This Course
Laptops may be used during class for the purpose of taking notes, but students are expected to
stop typing and participate in discussions when they occur. Cell phones and pagers must be
turned off for the duration of class. Texting is discouraged as it strongly detracts from your
ability to receive information. If a cell phone rings during class, I reserve my right to answer it;
if you are texting, I reserve the right to ask you to leave the classroom.
Academic integrity
Your commitment, as a student, to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State
University. The University Academic Integrity Policy S07-2 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S07-2.pdf requires you to be honest in all your academic course
work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and
Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at
http://www.sjsu.edu/studentconduct/.
The rule is simple: If you cheat, I will fail you in the course and report you to the Office of
Student Conduct. So, do not do it!
Late Paper Policy
Hard copies of all papers are to be turned in to me personally on the announced due date during
the first 10 minutes of class. Any paper turned in after this period expires will be considered one
day late. I will deduct one letter grade for each day that the paper is late.
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Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to
make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at
http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with
disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center
(AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec to establish a record of their disability.
Accommodation to Students' Religious Holidays
San José State University shall provide accommodation on any graded class work or activities
for students wishing to observe religious holidays when such observances require students to be
absent from class. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor, in writing, about
such holidays before the add deadline at the start of each semester. If such holidays occur before
the add deadline, the student must notify the instructor, in writing, at least three days before the
date that he/she will be absent. It is the responsibility of the instructor to make every reasonable
effort to honor the student request without penalty, and of the student to make up the work
missed. See University Policy S14-7 at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S14-7.pdf.
Student Technology Resources
Computer labs for student use are available in the Academic Success Center at
http://www.sjsu.edu/at/asc/ located on the 1st floor of Clark Hall and in the Associated Students
Lab on the 2nd floor of the Student Union. Additional computer labs may be available in your
department/college. Computers are also available in the Martin Luther King Library. A wide
variety of audio-visual equipment is available for student checkout from Media Services located
in IRC 112. These items include DV and HD digital camcorders; digital still cameras; video,
slide and overhead projectors; DVD, CD, and audiotape players; sound systems, wireless
microphones, projection screens and monitors.
Disclaimer
All information in this syllabus may be subject to change with fair notice by the instructor, the
Department of Political Science or San Jose State University.
Course Schedule & Reading Assignments
Course Introduction
What is Latin America?
 Inglehart, R., & Carballo, M. (1997). Does Latin America Exist? (And is There a
Confucian Culture?): A Global Analysis of Cross-Cultural Differences. PS: Political
Science and Politics, 34-47.
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Latin American Political History I
 Chasteen, Chapters 1-7
The Mystery of Capital I
 De Soto, Chapters 1-7
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Factors and Institutions
 Coatsworth
 Engerman et al
Order and Development
 North, Summerhill, and Weingast
 Acemoglu et al
Inequality
 Williamson
Health
 Biggs et al
 Reenock, Bernhard, and Sobek
Civil Military Relations
 Loveman
The Party and Authoritarian Elections

Magaloni, Chapters TBA
The Party and Authoritarian Elections
 Magaloni, Chapters TBA
The Left Turn
 TBD
Party Systems
 Kitschelt et al, Chapters TBA
Party Systems
 Kitschelt, Chapters TBA
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Party Systems
 Kitschelt, Chapters TBA
Legislative Accountability
 Carey, Chapters 1-3
Legislative Accountability
 Carey, Chapters 4 – 7
The Rule of Law
 Brinks, Daniel M. 2003. “Informal Institutions and the Rule of Law: The Judicial
Response to State Killings in Buenos Aires and São Paulo in the 1990s” Comparative
Politics 36.
Immigration
 Huntington
 Hopkins
Law and Legal Change
 Helmke, Gretchen. 2002. “The Logic of Strategic Defection: Court-Executive Relations
in
Argentina under Dictatorship and Democracy.” The American Political Science Review
96 (June): 291-303.
 Staton, Jeffrey K. 2004 “Judicial Policy Implementation in Mexico City and Mérida.”
Comparative Politics 37 (October): 41-60.
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