Modern Latin American History
HIST 4392-001
Dr. Colin Snider – Department of History
BUS 267
csnider@uttyler.edu
903-565-5758
Office Hours:
Mondays, 3:30-5:00 PM
Wednesdays, 8:30-10:00 AM
Or by Appointment
Course Description
This course looks at the peoples, cultures, and events of Latin America from 1810 to
the present. From the beginning of independence movements to the rise of the “New
Left” in the 21st century, from the abolition of slavery to indigenous rights struggles in
the twentieth century, from the age of caudillos to the rise of military regimes, from
women’s struggles to the region’s relations with the US, from tango and samba to salsa
and reggaeton, this course will allow students to understand the cultural, social,
economic, and political complexities of societies and cultures in post-independence
Latin America while providing points of comparison and contrast between Spanish
and Portuguese America. Through the use of primary documents, secondary readings,
film, music, and other materials, we will look at the ways societies, cultures, politics,
and economies from Mexico to the Tierra del Fuego operated and changed over time.
Texts and Readings
This course relies on a mixture of secondary and primary sources in order to get
students to understand early American history as the people lived it. These sources
also allow students to consider how history is produced, who produces it, and how it
is used and interpreted. Students will read an average of 100-175 pages a week
(though some weeks may be over 175 pages, and others may be under 100 pages). In
addition to the books listed below, there will also be primary source readings
throughout the semester that will be made available on Blackboard. Readings are due
on the date they are listed on the syllabus. Textbooks will be available in the
bookstore. Unless otherwise noted, all the books below are required reading. Books
marked with an asterisk are also available on Kindle. The books for this class are:
*Dawson, Alexander. Latin America since Independence: A History with Primary
Sources. New York: Routledge, 2010. [Recommended]
(ISBN: 978-0415991964)
*O’Connor, Erin. Mothers Making Latin America: Gender, Households, and Politics
Since 1825. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.
(ISBN: 978-1118271445)
Sanders, James E. The Vanguard of the Atlantic World: Creating Modernity, Nation,
and Democracy in Nineteenth-Century Latin America. Durham: Duke
University Press, 2014.
(ISBN: 978-0822357803)
Wasserman, Mark. The Mexican Revolution: A Brief History with Documents. New
York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012.
(ISBN: 978-0312535049)
Levine, Robert M. The Life and Death of Carolina Maria de Jesus. Albuquerque:
University of New Mexico Press, 1995.
(ISBN: 978-0826316486)
*Tinsman, Heidi. Buying Into the Regime: Grapes and Consumption in Cold War
Chile and the United States. Durham: Duke University Press, 2014.
(ISBN: 978-0822355359)
*Menchú, Rigoberta. I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala. New
York: Verso Books, 2010.
(ISBN: 978-1844674183)
Course Requirements
Students are required to attend lectures and participate in discussions. A full 10% (one
letter grade) of the student’s grade will be based on attendance and participation in
the classroom. There will be many times where we discuss the readings, as well as
films we will be watching throughout the semester, and students are fully expected to
complete the readings on time and to engage in discussion with one another and with
the professor in the classroom. In the event that it becomes clear that students are not
doing the assigned readings on time, pop quizzes may become a regular feature of the
course.
Writing is an essential party of historical study and analysis, and of the liberal arts
tradition of education more generally; as a result, students will be given a number of
writing assignments. The first of these are a series of five (5) short primary source
analyses based upon the primary documents in O’Connor’s Mothers Making Latin
America. These are relatively short assignments, in which students are to consider a
document from a week’s reading and to provide a brief analysis of a primary source
assigned for that week. The form for these short analyses is available on blackboard.
You will have nine opportunities to complete the five analyses, meaning students are
welcome to pick which sources they analyze from a chapter in the week they turn in
the analyses. Collectively, these primary source analyses are worth 15% of the
student’s final grade (3% per analysis).
In addition to these short analyses, students will also write analytical papers that ask
them to consider the readings from the class from a variety of conceptual and
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thematic angles. There will be five paper assignments, and students are expected to
write three of the four papers. These papers will focus on the book-length readings
from the class reading list; outside research will not be necessary. Each paper should
be 4-5 pages in length, and each paper will make up 15% of the student’s grade, for a
total of 45% of the student’s final grade. If students would like, they may write a
fourth paper for extra credit; the grade on the fourth paper will replace the lowest
grade from the first three papers. All papers will be submitted electronically through
Blackboard, with the professor providing specific instructions as the due date
approaches. Students are welcome to bring by drafts of their papers at any time
before the due date as well, and they are also encouraged to use the Writing Center
(located in BUS 202; phone – 903-565-5995).
Finally, in order for students to demonstrate the broader materials students have
learned, there will also be a midterm exam and a final exam, each worth 15% of the
student’s final grade. These exams will be in class exams and will focus on important
terms/ideas and themes from the lecture materials. Test materials will come from class
lecture notes and readings, which is another reason why attendance and participation
are so important.
Grades
As outlined above, the grades will be determined in the following manner:
Primary Source Analyses (five at 3% each):
Paper 1:
Paper 2:
Paper 3:
Mid-Term Exam:
Final Exam:
Attendance & Participation:
TOTAL:
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
15%
10%
100%
Classroom Etiquette
While college can be a fun environment, it is also a learning environment, and a place
where certain precepts of etiquette should be followed out of respect for your peers.
In general, if you are in class, you are here to learn, not to focus on other matters; if
you don’t want to be there, then you should reconsider whether or not you should be
enrolled in school. With that in mind, please:
 Be on time: Sometimes something happens that delays your arrival to class
(scheduling, distance between buildings, etc.), but in general, habitual
lateness is distracting to your colleagues.
 Do not leave early: Once you are in the classroom, you should plan on
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staying through the class – departing because you feel like it is both
disrespectful and distracting to your colleagues. If you think you may have
to leave early, please sit near the door and leave in a quiet fashion.
Put away your cell phones: Yes, in this time, it is very easy to become
compulsive about checking phones. However, you are here to learn;
excepting in the case of an emergency, please do not take out your phones,
answer your phones, send text messages in class, play games on your
phone, or otherwise use your phone as a distraction, as it is both distracting
and disrespectful. If you are expecting a really important call (i.e., a sick
family member, etc.), please alert the professor before class.
Computer use: Some students have become accustomed to using computers
in the class. However, they are also an easy distraction for those in the
classroom. This has included using social media, playing video games, and
even watching movies in class. Unfortunately, as a result, based on the past
experiences and actions of students in class, the use of laptops, tablets, and
other devices is COMPLETELY PROHIBITED without prior consultation
with the professor.
Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity
of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrates a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Definition of Academic Dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, submitting work that is not one’s
own. In the classroom, this generally takes one of two forms: plagiarism or cheating.
Cheating can include (but is not limited to) using unauthorized materials to aid in
achieving a better grade, inventing information, including citations, on an
assignment, and copying answers from a colleague or other source.
Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your
own. Plagiarism can include, but is not limited to, submitting work as if it is your own
when it is at least partly the work of others, submitting work that has been purchased
or obtained from the internet or another source without authorization, and
incorporating the words and ideas of another writer or scholar without providing due
credit to the original author.
Any and all cases of plagiarism or cheating will result in an automatic zero for the
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assignment. The professor also reserves the right to assign the students a zero for the
semester, and to refer cases of plagiarism to the student’s respective dean.
Please read the complete policy at
http://www.uttyler.edu/judicialaffairs/scholasticdishonesty.php
Incomplete Policy
In accordance with UT-Tyler policy, “Should the student fail to complete all of the
work for the course within the time limit, then the instructor may assign zeroes to
the unfinished work, compute the course average for the student, and assign the
appropriate grade.” Therefore, it is incumbent upon the student to do the work during
the semester, as the professor is not required to give an incomplete for unfinished
assignments without thoroughly documented evidence of extenuating circumstances.
It is the professor’s prerogative to determine whether or not a student’s individual
circumstances merit an incomplete, and in the rare instances when such
circumstances arise, students must meet with the professor as soon as they occur. For
more information, see the UT-Tyler policy at
http://www.uttyler.edu/registrar/policies/incompletes.php
Student Rights and Responsibilities
To know and understand the policies that affect your rights and responsibilities as a
student at UT Tyler, please follow this link:
https://www.uttyler.edu/wellness/rightsresponsibilities.php
Grade Replacement/Forgiveness and Census Date Policies
Students repeating a course for grade forgiveness (grade replacement) must file a
Grade Replacement Contract with the Enrollment Services Center (ADM 230) on or
before the Census Date of the semester in which the course will be repeated. Grade
Replacement Contracts are available in the Enrollment Services Center or at
http://www.uttyler.edu/registrar. Each semester’s Census Date can be found on the
Contract itself, on the Academic Calendar, or in the information pamphlets published
each semester by the Office of the Registrar. Failure to file a Grade Replacement
Contract will result in both the original and repeated grade being used to calculate
your overall grade point average. Undergraduates are eligible to exercise grade
replacement for only three course repeats during their career at UT Tyler; graduates
are eligible for two grade replacements. Full policy details are printed on each Grade
Replacement Contract. The Census Date is the deadline for many forms and
enrollment actions that students need to be aware of. These include:
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Submitting Grade Replacement Contracts, Transient Forms, requests to
withhold directory information, approvals for taking courses as Audit,
Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit;
Receiving 100% refunds for partial withdrawals. (There is no refund for these
after the Census Date);
Schedule adjustments (section changes, adding a new class, dropping without a
“W” grade);
Being reinstated or re-enrolled in classes after being dropped for nonpayment;
Completing the process for tuition exemptions or waivers through Financial
Aid.
State-Mandated Course Drop Policy
Texas law prohibits a student who began college for the first time in Fall 2007 or
thereafter from dropping more than six courses during their entire undergraduate
career. This includes courses dropped at another 2-year or 4-year Texas public college
or university. For purposes of this rule, a dropped course is any course that is dropped
after the census date (See Academic Calendar for the specific date). Exceptions to the
6-drop rule may be found in the catalog. Petitions for exemptions must be submitted
to the Enrollment Services Center and must be accompanied by documentation of the
extenuating circumstance. Please contact the Enrollment Services Center if you have
any questions.
Students with Disabilities
To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids,
students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human
Services Building, and Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in
the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the
accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a
timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, see
http://www2.uttyler.edu/disabilityservices/.
Student Absence due to Religious Observance
Students who anticipate being absent from class due to a religious observance are
requested to inform the instructor of such absences by the second class meeting of the
semester.
Student Absence for University-Sponsored Events and Activities
If you intend to be absent for a university-sponsored event or activity, you (or the
event sponsor) must notify the instructor at least two weeks prior to the date of the
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planned absence. At that time the instructor will set a date and time when make-up
assignments will be completed.
Social Security and FERPA Statement:
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Tyler to protect the confidential nature
of social security numbers. The University has changed its computer programming so
that all students have an identification number. The electronic transmission of grades
(e.g., via e-mail) risks violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act;
grades will not be transmitted electronically.
Emergency Exits and Evacuation:
Everyone is required to exit the building when a fire alarm goes off. Follow your
instructor’s directions regarding the appropriate exit. If you require assistance during
an evacuation, inform your instructor in the first week of class. Do not re-enter the
building unless given permission by University Police, Fire department, or Fire
Prevention Services.
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Course Schedule
Week 1 – Intro
Readings: O’Connor, Chapters 1 and 2
Monday, January 12: Introduction
Wednesday, January 14: The Americas on the Eve of Independence
Friday, January 16: Varying Paths to Independence, 1810-1824
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #1
Week 2 – The Challenge of State Formation in 19th Century Latin America
Readings: O’Connor, Chapter 3
Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – No Class
Wednesday, January 21: A Nation for Whom? Nation-State Building in Latin
America, 1820s-1830s
Friday, January 23: The Age of Caudillismo in Latin America
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #2
Week 3
Readings: Sanders, The Vanguard of the Atlantic World
Monday, January 26: An Empire Amidst Republics: The Brazilian Empire, 1821-1889
Wednesday, January 28: Wars Civil and Foreign: Commodities and Competition in
Spanish America
Friday, January 30: Nations for Whom? Nineteenth-Century Latin American Society
& Democracy
In-Class Discussion of Sanders, The Vanguard of the Atlantic World
Week 4 – Latin America’s Fin de Siècle
Readings: O’Connor, Chapter 4
Monday, February 2: Race, Nation, Citizenship, and Identity in Late Nineteenth
Century Latin America
Paper 1 Due by 10:00 AM
Wednesday, February 4: Liberalism’s Ascent in Late Nineteenth Century Latin
America
Friday, February 6: A Turbulent Turn of the Century
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #3
Week 5 – The Mexican Revolution
Readings: Wasserman, The Mexican Revolution
Monday, February 9: ¡Revolución!, 1910-1920
Wednesday, February 11: Culture and Society during ¡Revolución!
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Friday, February 13: The Costs of Revolution in Mexico
In-Class Discussion of Wasserman, The Mexican Revolution
Week 6 – The End of Latin America’s “Long Nineteenth Century”: 1900-1929
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 5
Monday, February 16: Social Mobilization and Politics in Latin America
Paper 2 Due by 10:00 AM
Wednesday, February 18: The End of an Empire: Brazil’s First Republic, 1889-1930
Friday, February 20: The Great Depression and Latin America
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #4
Week 7 – Populism and Nationalism in Latin America, 1920s-1940s
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 6, and primary sources on Populism, available on
Blackboard
Monday, February 23: The Rise of Populism – The 1920s and 1930s
Wednesday, February 25: Populism and the People(?) – 1930s-1940s
Friday, February 27: Latin America and World War II
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #5
Week 8 – Shifting Politics in the Postwar Era
Readings: Levine, Life and Death of Carolina Maria de Jesus
Monday, March 2: What Kind of Neighbor? US-Latin American Relations, 1945-1954
Wednesday, March 4: Of Democracy and “Development” in Postwar Latin America
Friday, March 6: The Face of “Modernity”? Life in the 1950s
In-Class Discussion of Levine, Life and Death of Carolina Maria de Jesus
Week 9 – SPRING BREAK
Week 10 – Polarization, Politics, and Society in Latin America, 1950s-1960s
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 7
Monday, March 16: The Cuban Revolution
Wednesday, March 18: Latin American Radicalization…
Friday, March 20: …and Conservative Reaction in Latin America
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #6
Week 11 – The Rise of Bureaucratic Authoritarianism
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 8
Monday, March 23: Dictatorship and “Democracy” In South America
Wednesday, March 25: In-Class Film: Machuca
Friday, March 27: In-Class Film: Machuca
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #7
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Week 12 – Life Under Dictatorship
Readings: Tinsman, Buying Into the Regime
Monday, March 30: Finish Machuca and discuss in class
Wednesday, April 1: Resistance and Survival in Authoritarian Regimes
Friday, April 3: Authoritarian Regimes in the International Setting
In-Class Discussion of Tinsman, Buying Into the Regime
Week 13 – The Uneven 80s: Civil War and Democratization in Latin America
Readings: Menchú, I, Rigoberta Menchú
Monday, April 6: A Return to Democracy in South America, 1983-1990
Paper3 Due by 10:00 AM
Wednesday, April 8: The (Counter)-Revolution Moves North: Civil Wars in Central
America, 1979-1996
Friday, April 10: Ethnicity and Struggle in the Face of Genocide
In-Class Discussion of Menchú
Week 14 – Life amidst Democratization and Destabilization
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 9
Monday, April 13: Latin America and the World in the 1980s
Wednesday, April 15: The Neoliberal Nineties
Paper 4 Due by 10:00 AM
Friday, April 17: Latin American Culture & Society on the Eve of a New Millennium
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #8
Week 15 – A Promising Future? Latin America in the 21st Century
Readings: O’Connor, Ch. 10
Monday, April 20: Political Unrest, Political Transformation in the 21st Century
Wednesday, April 22: Regional Issues, Social Movements and Transnational
Connections in the 21st Century
Friday, April 24: Latin America Today
Primary Source Analysis Opportunity #9
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