COMPARATIVE POLITICS OF
LATIN AMERICA:
DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIZATION
POLI 134AA
SPRING 2014
Instructor: Peter H. Smith
364 Social Science Building
phsmith@ucsd.edu
Office hours: Wednesday 2-4
TA/Reader: Kathryn Dove
448 Social Science Building
kdove@ucsd.edu
Office hours: 3:50-4:50 Wednesday
COURSE WEBSITE
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~phsmith
OR go to UCSD and then:
Political Science
Faculty
Peter Smith
Homepage
Teaching
PS134AA
READINGS
 Peter H. Smith, Democracy in Latin America:
Political Change in Comparative Perspective, 2nd
edition (2012)
 Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith, and James N.
Green Modern Latin America, 8th revised edition
(2014)
 Selected Readings on Website
COUNTRY BRIEFS
Apr 02: Chile (PHS)
Apr 09: Mexico (Melissa Flaco)
Apr 23: Argentina (Sebastian Saiegh)
Apr 30: Brazil (Saul Cunow)
May 14: El Salvador (Elaine Denny)
May 21: Colombia (TBA)
May 28: Venezuela (TBA)
VIDEOS
 “Battle of Chile”
 “No” [Chile]
 “Garden of the Forking Paths” [Argentina]
 “In Women’s Hands” [Chile]
EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS
 Mid-term: Wednesday, May 7 (33% of grade)
 Final: Friday, June 13 (67% of grade)
 Optional paper: Wednesday, May 28 (30% of course
grade, reducing mid-term to 20% and final to 50%)
KEY QUESTIONS
 What explains the spread of democracy in Latin


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America? Given authoritarian past?
What kind of democracy? What quality?
What’s new about the current phase of democratic
change? How does it compare to prior periods?
What role (if any) for the United States?
What implications for U.S. relations with Latin
America?
COURSE SCHEDULE
 Apr 02: Introduction
 Apr 09: Cycles and Transitions
 Apr 16: Changing Roles of the Military
 Apr 23: Presidentialism and Representation
 Apr 30: Economic Policies and Performance
 May 07: MIDTERM
 May 14: Liberal and Illiberal Democracy
 May 21: Politics of Gender
 May 28: The Rise of the New Left
 June 04: What Now? Democracy and U.S.-Latin
American Relations
FRIENDLY ADMONITIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Try to put yourself in the place of a Latin American
citizen,
Imagine how the world feels, not only how it looks,
View course material as relevant to political change in
other regions and parts of the world,
Take videos seriously, and
Have fun!