Latin American Studies 101
Latin American Heritage/ Introduction to Latin American Studies
Fall, 2014
Instructor: Anthony Jerry
Office: AL 377J
Email: ajerry@mail.sdsu.edu
Office hours: Tuesday, 1-3pm; and by appointment.
Goals for this course: Latin America is a diverse part of the world, comprised of a
number of similar and contrasting nations and cultural regions. We will engage a
number of topics that I hope you will find enjoyable, intriguing, and worth
investigating further. After finishing this course, you will have a good foundation for
exploring a number of different fields, including linguistics, geography, economics,
political science, anthropology, and sociology.
Required books
1. Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin
America; Third Edition.
2. Carpentier, Alejo. The Kingdom of This World: A Novel (paperback).
3. Wolf, Eric. Sons of the Shaking Earth: The People of Mexico and Guatemala –
Their Land, History, and Culture.
Course Objectives
The objectives for this course are as follows:
1) To introduce students to the basic concept, theories, and approaches that are
foundational to Latin American Studies
2) To give students a basic understanding of the effect of colonization and its
continued legacy on the on the Latin American region and its peoples
3) To help students build and academic foundation that will allow them to
understand and approach problems in local and global environments
4) To improve students ability to think critically and analytically
5) To improve students skills in reading, writing, communication, and research
General course guidelines: My hope is that you will enjoy this course and decide to
learn more about Latin America. I will be taking attendance each class period, and I
will allow up to three excused absences during the semester. You will enjoy the
course more and find it much easier if you do the readings and assignments as
scheduled, therefore, I suggest that you arrive prepared to be called upon to
contribute to our weekly discussions. The classroom environment is relatively
informal and you are encouraged to speak out, ask questions, and raise issues.
I use the Blackboard site for the course to make announcements, post assignments,
and some readings, and to let you know where we are in the readings. I also give
that information in class, but it is good to have a place to go in case you forget.
Exams (2 midterms and a final) are a mix of essay and multiple choice/short
answer. I will distribute study questions during the semester. The exam itself will
be a subset of the study questions. I do not give make-ups except under the duress
of an extraordinary situation.
Written assignments are due at the start of class. They should be typed using APA
style. We will go over the APA style in class.
Plagiarism will lead to an F in the class. I will not tolerate plagiarism for any reason.
You should all realize the seriousness of plagiarism and how it can hurt your
progress towards a degree.
Grading: Your grade is based on the following assignments.
2 midterms @ 25pts each = 50pts
1 final @ 25pts
Map quiz @ 10pts
Academic citation assignment @ 5pts
Group presentation @ 20pts
2 Analytical Film Reviews @ 10pts each = 20pts
Final grades are based on the following:
A range: 90-100%
B range: 80-89%
C range: 60-79%
D range: 50-59%
Late assignments: I will accept late assignments. I take off points, but you will still
get some points if it is late. If you do not turn it in, you get no points.
Course outline: Please note that I reserve the right to change the reading
schedule as I see fit, according to the direction and tempo of our class
discussions.
Week 1
Wed: Intro to class
Week 2
Mon: Wolf 1-33
Wed: Wolf 34-68
Week 3
Mon: Wolf 102-152
Wed: Map Quiz
Week 4
Mon: Begin Film – Apacalypto
Wed: Finish Apacalypto
Week 5
Mon: Chasteen 1-46 group 6
Wed: Chasteen 49-84 group 3
Week 6
Mon: Begin Film – The Mission
Wed: Finish Film – The Mission
Week 7
Mon: Midterm 1 (In Class)
Wed: Chasteen 87-114 group 1
Week 8
Mon: Carpentier Part 1
Wed: Carpentier Part 2
Week 9
Mon: Carpentier Part 3
Wed: Carpentier Part 4
Week 10
Mon: Film (to be determined)
Wed: Film Continued(Midterm 2 Due)
Week 11
Spring Break
Week 12
Mon: Chasteen 117-147 group 8
Wed: Chasteen 149-176 group 4
Week 13
Mon: Chasteen 181-215 group 7
Wed: Chasteen 216-247 group 2
Week 14
Mon: Begin Film – Soy Cuba (I am Cuba)
Wed: Continue Film – Soy Cuba (I am Cuba)
Week 15
Mon: Chasteen 253-284 group 5
Wed: Chasteen 285-316
Week 16
Mon: Chasteen 319-340
Wed: Class Wrap Up
*Final during Finals week. We will discuss further.
Disability Statement
"If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is
your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in
the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as
possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide
accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated."