SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal
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Name of proponent: Professor Myrna Santiago
E-Mail address: msantiag@stmarys-ca.edu
Department of proponent: History
Name of Department hosting the course: History
Name of Department Chair: Myrna Santiago
Course Information: History 152: Revolution! Latin America and the Search for the Common
Good in the Twentieth Century
7. Semester in which the course will be offered: Fall 2013
8. How often is this course taught: Every other year
9. Course prerequisites: None
10. Unit value of course: One
11. Proper audience for course: sophomores, juniors, seniors
12. The learning goals for which the course is being submitted: Engaging the World: Global
Perspectives, Option 2
Teaching Narrative for Global Perspectives
The course will examine how revolutionary movements in Mexico, Bolivia, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and
Venezuela constructed their own visions of a just world and the common good over the course of the
twentieth century and early twenty-first and sought to bring them into fruition through peaceful or violent
actions. With regards to the learning objective of asking students to demonstrate an understanding of the
world from a specific non-US and non-Western European viewpoint, the course will ask students to
identify how various movements understood their own socio-economic realities, what theories they used to
critique their own societies, and how they defined the common good for the future of their countries in the
first place. Students will then discuss and analyze to what degree those same movements put in practice
their ideas and theories through governmental policies and socio-economic priorities. Lastly, students will
write three papers in which they will have to articulate viewpoints from the countries assigned (Mexico,
Cuba) and those they select themselves (four different ones). In correctly articulating how those different
movements diagnosed the world and sought solutions for the problems they identified, the students will be
demonstrating an understanding of Latin American perspectives on issues of justice and the common good
in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Learning Narrative for Global Perspectives
The course will use oral participation and three papers to evaluate students’ progress in understanding how
Latin American revolutionary movements interpreted their realities and organized to change them. Using a
Socratic method, I aim to steer oral participation in the direction of discussing Latin American notions of
the common good, community, social justice, and the social order over the course of the twentieth century
in class, every day. Thus the requirements for participation are stringent (see syllabus) and student
participation is carefully monitored. The students’ understanding of Latin American perspectives deepens
over time as they move from one case to the next chronologically and they begin to do comparisons on their
own. Here the instructor’s task is to make sure students keep in mind how historical change takes place and
how one revolutionary experience affected the next, as the revolutionaries themselves refined their ideas,
broadened their social base, and tried to correct mistakes they believed their predecessors committed. The
conversation is cumulative at that point, even though the concepts remain the same at heart. Three writing
assignments, increasing in length, focus on the constituent parts of the learning goal: defining terms and
articulating someone else’s point of view accurately before moving to critique mode. Students will start
with two papers, one on Mexico and one on Cuba, poking at those issues in six pages of text. The final
paper allows them to play to their interests and strengths in choosing theory or synthesis, or both, but
challenging them to see if there are patterns across four different countries in four different periods of time,
asking them to test whether professed revolutionaries lived up to their ideas and promises.
Syllabus is attached.
History 152:
Revolution! Latin America and the Search for the Common Good in the Twentieth Century
Professor: Myrna Santiago
Course description. Latin Americans have been debating what constitutes the common good as they
fight for social justice over the course of centuries. In the 20th and 21st that struggle led to multiple
revolutionary movements and the rise of several revolutionary governments. Why has revolution been so
pronounced in the continent? Who was involved in those debates and great upheavals? What were their
grievances and how did they define the common good? And what did revolutionaries achieve when they
gained power? To what degree did they achieve their vision of the common good and social justice? Those
are the questions that frame this course on Latin American Revolutions. The class follows a case study
method in chronological order. Mexico is the first case, as it was the first social revolution of the 20 th
century (1910-1946) and it produced its share of theoretical documents about the common good. It is
compared to the Bolivian Revolution (1952-1964). Next is a set of readings about the Guatemalan
experiment that began in 1944 and was crushed in 1954, with an eye to its legacy for politically radical
movements, including the 1959 revolution in Cuba. After analyzing socialism in Cuba and the theoretical
work of Ernesto “Che” Guevara on his conception of the common good and social justice, the focus will
turn to Chile’s peaceful road to socialism (1970-1973), followed by the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua
(1979-1990). The class will return to Mexico briefly to look at the Zapatista revolt of 1994 and its vision of
the same topics, to finish with a glance at las nuevas izquierdas in South America, particularly Bolivia under
Evo Morales and Venezuela under Hugo Chávez. Throughout, the class will analyze and discuss the ideas
about a just social order based on the common good each revolution produced, articulating their points of
view and debating them. To that end, students will read primary sources that speak to a Latin American
point of view on social justice and the common good to complement the secondary literature and answer
the questions posed.
Method. The professor will use a Socratic style to run this seminar course, with mini-lectures as
necessary. That means students should be prepared to answer questions in class on a daily basis.
Learning objectives and outcomes. By the end of the course, students will have working definitions
of a number of historical concepts, including 19th century Liberalism; capitalism; anarchism; socialism;
communism; revolution; feminism; solidarity; liberation theology and the common good. In addition,
students will be familiar with some of the historiographical debates about revolution in Latin America.
Students should also be able to demonstrate an understanding of the world from a Latin American
perspective and articulate that point of view in writing, including reflection on the ways Latin Americans
envisioned finding fulfillment in community. At the same time, students will use a comparative framework
to write critical accounts of what Latin Americans believed to constitute a just social order, as part of their
study of violent and peaceful revolutions as means to achieve those goals. Likewise, students will sharpen
their skills in critical reading of media coverage of the region and will practice analyzing visual material
(photographs, art, and film) and expressing themselves orally with confidence, sophistication, and poise.
Lastly, students should be able to write critical essays referring to historical questions and theoretical
problems raised by their readings, the professor, class discussion, and the media.
Requirements and assessment. Grades measure performance, not personality or any other quality.
Thus, preparation for class is essential. The reading load will be around 150 pages per week. Positive,
active class participation is expected. That means students must demonstrate to the professor that they have
done the reading, answering questions and commenting on the material, supporting their points of view
with textual references. Fluff, off-topic and irrelevant remarks do not constitute a positive contribution to
class discussion and will count against the grade. Attendance is mandatory. Three absences will
automatically deduct one whole grade for the course. Students are required to attend two historysponsored co-curricular events outside of class. The professor will make note of attendance. Such events
are an integral part of a college education and developing the habit of life-long learning. Participation is
20% of the grade.
Each student will make a brief presentation on a news item, do a critique of it in class, and turn it in for
evaluation (see “newsbrief” for details; 10%). The purpose of this exercise is to track what the mainstream
media says about Latin American countries, paying close attention to tone, point of view, and reliability.
The learning objective of this assignment is to sharpen students’ critical approach to the news media.
Students will write three papers. Two will be 6 pages of text, plus additional pages for footnotes at the end
and a bibliography (20% each). The third paper will be 9-10 pages of text, plus additional pages for
footnotes at the end and bibliography (30%). Instructions are attached. Papers should be turned in as hard
copies on the day they are due. Neither e-mailed papers nor late ones will be accepted. Drafts are
encouraged; re-writes are not. All grades are final.
Class Etiquette. Education is a serious and professional affair. Therefore classroom demeanor should be
up to par: no tardiness, no early departures, no walking out of the classroom for any reason; no food
(drinks are fine), no cell phones, no pajamas. Computers will be allowed unless they become a distraction
or a nuisance. The professor will determine what a distraction is and what constitutes a nuisance. Breaking
class etiquette rules will result in a diminished participation grade. Agreement on issues and ideas is not
expected; respect for each other’s opinions is. Remember the following: if classes do not make you
intellectually uncomfortable, you are not learning.
Final reminder: education is your profession. If you miss work, arrive late, leave early, walk in and out of
your place of employment, and do not perform, you get fired. The same holds for class: you fail.
Policy regarding disabilities:
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into account the
context of the course and its essential elements, for individuals with qualifying disabilities. Students with
disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Director at (925) 631-4164 to set up a
confidential appointment to discuss accommodation guidelines and available services. Additional
information regarding the services available may be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s
website: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and-achievement/student-disabilityservices.html
Required Readings:
William H. Beezley and Colin M. Maclachlan, Mexicans in Revolution, 1910-1946
Nellie Campobello, Cartucho/My Mother’s Hands
Thomas Wright, Latin America in the Era of the Cuban Revolution, Revised Edition
Ernesto Che Guevara, Back on the Road
Hilda Gadea, Ernesto: A Memoir of Che Guevara
Packet of articles and primary sources on e-reserve, marked with an *
Highly recommended:
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 5th Edition
Class Schedule
Mon, Aug 29
Introduction: “The Revolution will not be televised”
Mexico: First Social Revolution of the 20th Century, 1910-1946
Wed, Aug 31
The Porfiriato as Historical Context
Discuss: Beezley and MacClachlan, Introduction, Ch 1; Plan de San Luis Potosí,
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1910potosi.html
Definitions due today: 19th century Liberalism, capitalism, democracy
Fri, Sept 2
Zapata and the Common Good: ¡Tierra y Libertad!
Discuss: *Peter Calvert, “Emiliano Zapata,” pp. 3-26; Plan de Ayala:
http://www.hist.umn.edu/~rmccaa/la20c/ayala.htm
Define: anarchism, socialism
Wed, Sept 7
Pancho Villa and his norteños: All action, but the Common Good?
Discuss: Campobello, Sections I, II, III; *Friedrich Katz, “Villa and Hollywood”;
*Charles Burress, “Wells Fargo’s Hush-Hush Deal with Pancho Villa,” San Francisco
Chronicle (May 5, 1999)
Film recommendation: “And Pancho Villa Starring as Himself”
Fri, Sept 9
Las soldaderas: No Voice, All Action
Discuss: *Elisabeth Salas, Soldaderas, Ch 3: Amazons and Wives, Ch 4: In the thick of the
Fray
Define: patriarchy, feminism
Film: “Como Agua Para Chocolate”
Mon, Sept 12
Las soldaderas and their Representation
Discuss: *Elisabeth Salas, Soldaderas, Ch 5: We, the Women; *Corridos: “La Rielera,”
“Adelita,” “Valentina,” “Marijuana, la Soldadera”
Film: “Antonieta”
Wed, Sept 14 Revolutionaries in Power: Justice? Common Good?
Discuss: Beezley and MacClachlan, Ch 2; *Martha Eva Rocha, “The Faces of Rebellion:
From Revolutionaries to Veterans in Nationalist Mexico,” from Mitchell and Schell, The
Women’s Revolution in Mexico; *Patience A. Schell, “Of the Sublime Mission of Mothers
of Families,” from Mitchell and Schell, The Women’s Revolution in Mexico
Fri, Sept 16
High Politics and Private Lives
Discuss: Beezley and MacClachlan, Ch 3; *Nancy Deffebach, “Frida Kahlo: Heroism of
Private Life,” from Brunk and Fallaw, Heroes and Hero Cults
Film: “Frida”
Mon, Sept 19
The Zenith and End of the Mexican Revolution
Discuss: Beezley and MacClachlan, Ch 4- Conclusion
Wed, Sept 21 Youthful adventurer: Ernesto Guevara hits the road
Discuss: *Alberto Granado, Traveling with Che Guevara, “Ernesto cannot tell a lie”;
*“For actors, Motorcycle Diaries is a revolutionary lesson” (September16, 2004);
*Aleida Guevara, “Riding My Father’s Motorcycle,” NYT (October 9, 2004)
Film: “The Motorcycle Diaries”
Bolivia 1952-1964: The Miners’ Revolution
Fri, Sept 23
Bolivia: Another Mexico?
Discuss: Ernesto Guevara, Back on the Road, pp. 3-18; *Alan Knight, “The Domestic
Dynamics of the Mexican and Bolivian Revolutions Compared,” Ch 3 from Grindle and
Domingo, Proclaiming Revolution
Mon, Sept 26
The United States’ Reaction
Discuss: *Ken Lehman, “Braked but Not Broken: Mexico and Bolivia—Factoring the
United States into the Revolutionary Equation,” Ch 4 from Grindle and Domingo,
Proclaiming Revolution
Paper on Mexico due
Guatemala, 1944-1954: The Revolution Crushed
Wed, Sept 28 “The Battle for Guatemala:” Whose Common Good?
Discuss: *Susanne Jonas, The Battle for Guatemala, Ch 1: Legacies of the Past: 15241944, and Ch 2: The Revolution of 1944-1954: The Democracy that Gave Way
Fri, Sept 30
Eyewitness to History
Discuss: Guevara, Back on the Road, pp. 19-82; *“The CIA’s Cover Has Been Blown,”
NYT (July 6, 2003)
Mon, Oct 3
The Aftermath
Discuss: *Richard Gott, “The Fall of Arbenz and the Origins of the Guerrillas,” Ch 7 from
Castro, Revolution and Revolutionaries; *Tyche Hendricks, “Coup Still Sears Guatemalans
50 Years Later,” SFGate.com (June 26, 2004); Guevara, Back on the Road, pp. 83-117
Films: “Men with Guns” and “El Norte” and “Discovering Dominga”
Wed, Oct 5
The Making of a Revolutionary Man
Discuss: Hilda Gadea, Ernesto: A Memoir of Che Guevara, Chs 12-19
Cuba’s Socialist Revolution, 1959 – 1990
Fri, Oct 7
Independence: A Vision Frustrated
Discuss: *Josè Martì, “Our America”; *1897: The Breckenridge Memorandum; *1899:
From the Diary of General Màximo Gòmez; *1891: Text of the Platt Amendment;
Wright, Ch 1
Film: “The Last Supper” and “José Martí and Cuba Libre”
Mon, Oct 10
The Making of a Revolution
Discuss: Wright, Ch 2; *Guillermo Cabrera Alvarez, Memories of Che, Introduction, pp.
15-29; *Jon Lee Anderson, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary, IV, pp. 384-393
Films: Che, Part I (by Sodebergh)
Wed, Oct 12
and “Memories of Underdevelopment”
Social Justice and the Common Good in Theory
Discuss: *Guevara, “On Revolutionary Medicine” (1960), Monthly Review 58:8 (January
2005); *Guevara, “To Be a Young Communist” (1962), “The Philosophy of Plunder Must
Cease,” (1964), and “Socialism and Man in Cuba” (1965), from Deutschmann, The Che
Guevara Reader
Define: Communism
Film: “El Che: Investigating a Legend”
Mon, Oct 17
Social Justice and the Common Good in Practice?
Discuss: *Guevara, Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War, “Lydia and
Clodomira;” *”Women in Revolutionary Cuba,” (1972) from Hahner, Women in Latin
America; *Margaret Randall, Cuban Women Now (1974), 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 22;
*Margaret Randall, Women in Cuba (1981), Ch 1: The Struggle against Sexism
Definition due today: sexism
Films: “Up to a certain point” and “Teresa”
Wed, Oct 19
Social Justice and the Common Good in Practice?
Discuss: * Nora Hamilton, “The Cuban Economy: Dilemmas of Socialist Construction,”
Ch 3 from Chaffee and Prevost, Cuba: A Different America; *Susan Eckstein, Back from
the Future, Ch 5: The Irony of Success
Film: “Fidel”
Fri, Oct 21
The Limits of Social Justice and the Common Good
*David Craven, “Cuban Art and Culture,” Ch 8 from Chaffee and Prevost, Cuba: A
Different America; *Rafael Ocasio, “Gays and the Cuban Revolution,” Latin American
Perspectives, Issue 123, 29:2 (March 2002)
Film: “Before Night Falls” and “Strawberry and Chocolate”
Mon Oct 24
The United States’ Reaction and the Latin American Response
Discuss: Wright, Ch 4, Ch 5 (up to p. 80); *Duncan Campbell, “638 Ways to Kill
Castro,” The Guardian (August 3, 2006)
El Che en Bolivia
Wed Oct 26
The Death of Che Guevara in Bolivia, 1967
Discuss: *Michèle Ray, “The Execution of Che by the CIA,” Ramparts; *Franco Pierini,
“Che Guevara’s Angry End,” Atlas (January 1968); *Guillermo Cabrera Alvarez, Memories
of Che, “Autopsy Report,” “An Interview with Mario Terán by journalist Jorge Canelas,”
“What One Journalist had to say,” “A UPI Dispatch”; *Norman Gall, “The Legacy of Che
Guevara,” Commentary (December 1967)
Film: “Che,” Part II (by Sodebergh)
La via chilena al socialismo, 1970-1973
Fri, Oct 28
The Peaceful Road to Socialism: Allende’s Vision for the Common Good
Discuss: Wright, Ch 8; *Salvador Allende, Chile’s Road to Socialism, Chs 2, 7, 9, 17;
*“All The President Had to Do Was Ask,” NYT (September 13, 1998)
Paper on Cuba due
Films: “Missing” and “Machuca”
Mon Oct 31
The Legacy of September 11
Discuss: *Paul Heath Hoeffel and Peter Kornbluh, “The War at Home: Chile’s Legacy in
the United States,” NACLA, Report on the Americas, 27:5 (September/October 1983);
*Christopher Hitchens, “The Case Against Henry Kissinger,” Part I and Part II Harper’s
Magazine (February 2001 and March 2001); *Diana Jean Schemo, “Kissinger Accused of
Blocking Scholar,” NYT (June 5, 2004)
Nicaragua: The Sandinista Revolution, 1979-1990
Wed, Nov 2
Sandino
Discuss: *Sergio Ramirez, “The Kid from Niquinohomo,” Ch 4 from Castro, Revolution
and Revolutionaries; *Ben Fallaw, “Augusto Sandino of Nicaragua,” Ch 7 from Brunk and
Fallaw, Heroes and Hero Cults; *Sandino without frontiers
Film: “Walker”
Fri, Nov 4
The Sandinistas’ Vision of Social Justice and the Common Good
Discuss: Wright, Ch 10; *Matilde Zimmerman, “Cuba, Foquismo, and the Sandinista
Guerrillas of the 1960s;” The Historic Program of the FSLN:
http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3his290/D-1969.Historic.Program.of.the.FSLN.htm
Film: “Under Fire”
Mon, Nov 7
Women in the Revolution: Vision, Activism, Justice?
Discuss: *Margaret Randall, Sandino’s Daughters, Ch 2: The Commanders, and Ch 8:
Gladys Baez; *Margaret Randall, Risking a Somersault in the Air, “Daisy Zamora”;
*Maxime Molyneux,“Women: Activism without Liberation?” from Rosset and
Vandermeer, Nicaragua: Unfinished Revolution
Wed, Nov 9
Is Nature Part of the Common Good?
Discuss: *Daniel Faber, Environment Under Fire, Ch 5: The Nicaraguan Revolution and
the Liberation of Nature
Fri Nov 11
The Church and the debate over the Common Good
Discuss: *Miguel D’Escoto, “Nicaragua: Unfinished Canvas,” and “Ideological Struggle in
the Nicaraguan Church,” from Rosset and Vandermeer, Nicaragua: Unfinished
Revolution; * Margaret Randall, Risking a Somersault in the Air, Ernesto Cardenal
Mon Nov 14
The United States’ Reaction
Discuss: *Michael Dodson and Laura O’Shaughnessy, Nicaragua’s Other Revolution, Ch
10: Religion, Revolution, and the Reagan Doctrine; *Ronald Reagan, “President Reagan’s
View of Nicaragua” from Rosset and Vandermeer, Nicaragua: Unfinished Revolution
Wed, Nov 16
“Low Intensity Conflict”
Discuss: *Philip Agee, “The CIA Blueprint for Nicaragua,” from Sklar, Washington’s War
on Nicaragua; *Edgar Chamorro, “World Court Affidavit,” from Rosset and Vandermeer,
Nicaragua: Unfinished Revolution; Democracy Now! “Reagan was the Butcher of My
People” (June 8, 1004)
Film: “Carla’s Song” and “Latino”
Fri, Nov 18
Solidarity, Social Justice, and a Transnational Vision for the Common Good
Discuss: *Sheryl (Sheyla) Hirshon, and Romero Family, from Ridenour, yankee
Sandinistas; *Jeffry Steele, ¡Internacionalismo es... Revolución!” Debra Wise, “Puppetry
in the New Nicaragua,” Sesshu Foster, “One Way to Get Nicaraguan Earth Under Your
Fingernails,” Andrew Courtney, Joan Harmon, Elaine Myrianthopoulos, “Describe the
community center that you built,” and Lois Wessel, from Jones, Brigadista; *“Contras kill
former Portlander,” The Oregonian (April 29, 1987); *Daniel Ortega, “May the Bells no
Longer Toll in Nicaragua” (April 30, 1987)
Define: solidarity
Film: “American/Sandinista”
Mon Nov 21
Legacy of Counterrevolution: The Cocaine Connection
Discuss: *Gary Webb, “The Dark Alliance” (August 1996); *Daniel Siegel and Jenny
Yancey, “With U.S. Help, Contras Cash in on Drug Traffic,” Star Tribune (March 6,
1988); *Dominic Streatfeild, Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography, Ch 13: Sandinista!
Mexico Revisted: The EZLN and Chiapas, 1994
Mon Nov 28
Indigenous People Fight for Social Justice and their views of the Common Good
Discuss: *Mihalis Mentinis, Zapatistas, Ch 1: “Zapatista Chronicle” ; *Gloria Muñoz
Ramírez, The Fire and the World, “Insurgent Lieutenant of Public Health Gabriela”
Film: “A Place Called Chiapas” and “The Last Zapatistas”
Cuba post 1990
Wed, Nov 30
New Changes, Old Revolutionaries
Discuss: Wright, Ch 11; *John Newhouse, “Socialism or Death,” The New Yorker (April
27, 1992); *Peter Rosset, “The Greening of Cuba,” from Collinson, Green Guerrillas;
*Marc Lacey, A Castro Strives to Open Cuban’s Opinions on Sex,” NYT (June 9, 2007);
*“We Need Changes in Cuba,” Interview with Mariela Castro, SpiegelOnline (July 21,
2010)
Fri, Dec 2
Revolutionary Changes: Ecology
Films: “The Power of Community” and “The Greening of Cuba”
Due: question for final paper and bibliography
“The Pink Tide” or the Persistence of Revolution
Mon, Dec 5
“The Bolivarian Revolution” and “Socialism for the 21st Century:” Venezuela since 1998
Discuss: *John Bellamy Foster, “The Latin American Revolt,” Monthly Review 59:3
(July/August 2007); *Michael Lebowitz, “Venezuela: A Good Example of the Bad Left of
Latin America,” Monthly Review 59:3 (July/August, 2007); *Nikolas Kozloff,
Revolution!, Ch 6: Red is the Color of Revolution; *“Castro Helps Chávez Avert a Coup,”
An Excerpt from Fidel Castro: My Life, in The Nation (January 21, 2008); *Sean Penn,
“Conversations with Chávez and Castro,” The Nation (December 15, 2008)
Wed, Dec 7
Bolivia’s Version of the Common Good under Evo Morales (2005-)
Discuss: *Nikolas Kozloff, Revolution!, pp. 114-127; *Federico Fuentes, “The Struggle
for Bolivia’s Future,” Monthly Review (July/August 2007); *Evo Morales, “Letter from
President Evo Morales to the member representatives of the UN on the issue of the
environment,” (September 26,2007); *Evo Morales, “10 Commandments to save the
Planet” (April 28, 2008)
Film: “Even the Rain”
Fri, Dec 9
“South of the Border”
Mon, December 12, 2-4 p.m.
Final paper due
Newsbrief: Latin America in the Media
Choose an item in the press in the days prior to your scheduled presentation date. The source must be a
major newspaper or news source (avoid unknown internet sources). Bring a copy of the article to class and
prepare a short paper (2 single-spaced pages maximum; 10% of the grade) that includes the following, in
separate paragraphs:
1. A summary of the article
2. Your analysis about the reliability of the article. Explain what sources the writer used, whether you
think she/he should have consulted others or interviewed other people; what is the point of view of
the author; and your conclusion about whether the article can be trusted or not.
Present the article to the class, covering briefly all the points above. Be prepared to answer questions about
your article.
The learning objective of this exercise is to sharpen your skills in close reading, to practice identifying and
summarizing the important points in a media story, to sharpen your ability to detect bias, and to practice
synthesis and apply new knowledge. The questions I ask are: do you demonstrate that you know how to
write a summary? Did you follow the article closely to identify the main points? Did you think about what
you read in order to judge the text’s reliability? Are you being critical of what you read?
Writing Assignments
Papers 1 and 2 (20%) each. Write 6 pages of text discussing the notions of social justice and the common
good raised by the readings, the professor, and class discussion (footnotes and bibliography are additional
pages). Review the evidence and make an argument that addressed those ideas from any perspective you
choose. The style should be standard expository writing, with a clearly stated thesis (please highlight it) and
plenty of supporting evidence. The objective of the paper is depth and thoughtfulness. This is not a
summary of the reading, nor is it a research paper. It is a paper where you go deeper into analysis and
interpretation. Paper 1 will be on Mexico and it must include a new source in your argument, the 1917
Constitution, which is at: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexico/1917-Constitution.htm
Paper 2 will be on Cuba, including Ernesto Guevara.
Paper 3. The third paper is an exercise in synthesis or theory, or both. It is 9-10 pages of text (plus
footnotes and bibliography). Choose one of three questions (or you may choose a question of your own
after consulting with the professor):
1. Why do people rebel? (Theory)
2. What changed or how much change did these revolutions bring about once in power? (Synthesis)
3. To what extent did those revolutions achieve a just social order and the common good? (Theory and
synthesis)
To answer the question, students must include evidence from at least 4 countries (30%).
Citations. All papers will have footnotes at the end (“end notes” in computer parlance) on a separate page.
The bibliography will also be on a separate page, after the footnotes (this is your last page). Follow the style
in Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, Fifth Edition (Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2007). Points will be deducted for not using proper style. Use accents for words or names in
Spanish that require them: if they are missing, the words are misspelled (and your grade will be affected
accordingly).
Honor Code. Not giving credit where credit is due is an academic offense and I take it seriously. A
plagiarized paper will mean an “F” in the course (not just the paper) and a trip to the disciplinary
committee, even if the plagiarism was unintentional. Make sure you are familiar with college policies
regarding academic honesty, as explained in the Student Handbook.
Grading standards
For written work, I look for the following:
1. Focus. What is your thesis? Did the topic sentence for each paragraph establish what the paragraph will
argue?
2. Evidence. Did you provide sufficient and convincing evidence for your argument? Where did your
evidence come from? Is it reliable?
3. Development. Did your essay develop the argument logically? Was it organized coherently from one
paragraph to the next? Did the paragraph advance your thesis?
4. Diction and grammar. Was your choice of words as sophisticated as the subject matter? Were your
sentences grammatically correct?
5. Sophistication. Did your paper have something original to say? Are the ideas challenging? Is the essay
interesting enough for an audience beyond the professor?
Expectations for grades:
A: Excellent: high quality ideas, thoughtful, challenging, original, coherent, clear, concise, flawless
grammar
B: Good: well-argued, conventional ideas, grammatically correct
C: Average: fair argument, clear thesis
D: Passing: paper with a thesis, but the argument is not developed or coherent; or paper showed more
incoherence than understanding; or did not have a thesis; or paper was a summary/book report rather than
an analysis and interpretation; or serious grammatical problems
F: Fail: paper shows no understanding; or deeply flawed in its argument, ideas, grammar, thesis