07F: 10A 09S: 2
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to the geographical conditions, historical roots, and enduring cultural diversity of Latin America and the Caribbean. After a brief survey of the physical and cultural geography of the region, the course examines the history of selected countries to highlight the way European conquest and colonialism have molded Latin American institutions and attitudes. The course then turns to particular case studies of contemporary life and society to analyze the ongoing problems of ethnicity, inequality, and political repression engendered by the region’s colonial past. Finally, the course draws on these historical and anthropological understandings to assess recent economic, social, and political developments in Latin America. By juxtaposing historical realities with their living consequences, the course presents a multi-disciplinary perspective on the nature, dynamics—and future prospects—of the many peoples who inhabit this vast and diverse continent. Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Mato (07F), Baldez (09S).
08W: 10A 09W: Arrange
The Spanish discovery and conquest of this continent created Latin America and the Caribbean out of the diverse and complex realities of the pre-Columbian world. Since colonial times Latin American and Caribbean cultures have developed against a background of cultural repression, racial conflict, political domination, colonial exploitation, and gender inequality. And yet, in the midst of all this turmoil, Latin America and the Caribbean have produced an extraordinary variety and wealth of artistic creations, ranging from literature to the visual arts, from music to film. In this course we will turn to some of the works by Latin American and Caribbean artists and writers in an attempt to illuminate and explore some of the wonders of the cultural dynamics that shape the many faces of what we call Latin America and the Caribbean. Dist: LIT; WCult: NW. Bueno, Walker (08W), Franconi, Pastor (09W).
Consult special listings
08S: 11
Latin American mega-cities figure among the cultural objects/texts/expressions that are the most difficult to study. They are physical places, economic systems, collective and individual experiences, communities, sources of alienation, sites of social conflict, and inspiration for dreams (whether idealistic or apocalyptic) of modernization and globalization. In this course, we will explore the various ways in which these urban phenomena are imagined. We will consult texts from a number of analytic disciplines and creative genres: geography, history, sociology, anthropology, architecture, photography, film, and literature. We will consider the advantages and risks of combining multiple ways of understanding the city. Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Biron.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
09W: 2A
As one of the world’s few remaining socialist regimes and the only surviving socialist regime in Latin America, Cuba is unique. But Cuba is also subject to many of the forces that have shaped other countries in Latin America and the third world: a heritage of Spanish colonialism and slavery, a geography that contains a limited array of natural resources and a system of government that has evolved under the constant shadow of the United States. To that extent we can learn something about Latin American politics—and politics more generally—by studying Cuba. Dist. SOC or INT. Baldez.
09W: 11
For nearly two thousand years the dominant political power in Middle America has resided in central Mexico. Mexico City, the capital of the empire of New Spain and of the modern nation-state of Mexico, lies over the remains of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. This course examines the development of the Aztec empire and the organization of Aztec society and religion, and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec. It ends with an introduction to Nahua society in the first century after conquest. We will also consider the varied perspectives of Aztec history offered by Nahua texts, archaeology, history, and art history. (ARCH) Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Nichols.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
07F: 2A
In 07F, Interculturalities: Relations, Conflicts and Negotiations Across Cultural Differences in Latin America (Identical to Sociology 59). This course focuses on the study of relations, conflicts and negotiations across cultural differences in Latin America. It does so through the discussion of specific examples drawn from diverse fields of social experience (health, education, museums, tourism, business, marketing, management, development, and politics). Taking these case studies as references, the course will introduce students to theories of mestizaje, heterogeneity, transculturation, and hybridity, which have been developed by Latin American scholars to give account of the diverse forms in which social agents engage in relations, conflicts and negotiations across cultural differences. The core articulating idea of the course is the idea of interculturality, which has been diversely conceived and applied by scholars from diverse disciplines and regions of the world. The course title puts this word in plural, Interculturalities, to emphasize the actual and potential diversity of applications of this idea, used here to highlight significant differences and relations between diverse experiences and analytical perspectives. Dist: SOC. WCult: CI. Mato.
08W: 12 09W: 11
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Ball.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
This course examines women’s movements in Latin America. Women in Latin America are perhaps the most highly mobilized population in the world. Throughout the region women have organized around myriad issues, including the right to vote, human rights, poverty, legal rights, anticommunism, the workplace, race, ethnicity and war. Women’s efforts to challenge fiercely repressive regimes, deeply entrenched norms of machismo and extreme poverty defy conventional stereotypes about women and provide us with inspiring examples of how to sustain hope during difficult times. The seminar will introduce students to recent scholarship on women’s movements in Latin America in the 20th century and seek to understand the emergence, evolution and outcomes of women’s movements in particular countries and crossnationally. Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Baldez.
09W: 10A
For many people, Che Guevara remains the key symbol of protest in Latin America. His passionate belief in social justice, his refusal to compromise and the extraordinary personal sacrifices he made on behalf of the poor all contribute to his enduring legacy. While this legacy continues to inspire people to engage in protest and revolutionary movements, it does little to help us understand the conditions under which organized movements will succeed in their goals-or even form in the first place. Under what conditions do people organize on behalf of their collective interests? Under what conditions will efforts to mobilize succeed? We compare revolutionary movements, social movements, political parties and other forms at political action in various countries throughout the region Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Baldez.
07F: 10A
Dist: LIT; WCult: CI. Vásquez.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
08S: 10A
Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Padilla.
09S: 2A
Dist: SOC. Carey.
08S: 12
Dist: ART; WCult: W. Coffey
08S: 2
In 08S, Gender and Race in Latin America. This course looks at how different ideas about gender and race have shaped Latin American politics in the 20th and 21st centuries. We will focus on the evolution of these categories as the basis for political incorporation and representation over time, instances of collective mobilization around gender and race, the creation and impact of law and public policy, and political institutions as they relate to race and gender. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Baldez.
All terms: Arrange
Students wishing to pursue intensive supervised study in some aspect of Latin American and Caribbean Studies should consult the appropriate member of the LACS faculty to design and carry out an independent study project. Students are required to submit a short description proposal to the program office in the term prior to doing the independent study. This course fulfills the ‘culminating experience’ requirement for all majors who do not complete the Honors Program.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
All terms: Arrange
Guidance in the selection of a topic and in research and writing will be provided by the student’s thesis adviser. Only students accepted into the Honors Program may take this sequence.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 08S
The Latino population currently consists of approximately 35 million people in the United States; by the year 2050 the Census estimates that they will make up at least 25 percent of the total U.S. population. This diverse group traces its origins to a variety of countries and their experience in the United States is quite varied. This seminar explores issues of race, class, and gender within the Latino community in the United States. The class will spend several weeks on various Latino groups (Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Central and South Americans) examining their socio-economic experiences. Topics of discussion include issues of pan-ethnicity, representation of group politics, language, gender and class conflicts. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Gutiérrez Nájera.
Consult special listings
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
08S, 09S: 10
Dist. SOC; WCult: CI. Wright.
07F: 10
What role do the media and the arts play in the formation of ethnic, racial and cultural identities for Latinos/as? How do Latin@s respond to these representations of themselves through various electronic media and the arts? This class investigates how race, ethnicity, gender, and “otherness” are represented in various media and art forms, including: cinema, radio broadcasting, performance art, mural art, graphic novels, and the Internet. We will trace the history of Latin@s in various media and artistic movements, as well as hold online discussions and videoconferences with students and professionals working in these areas. Students will explore the politics and dynamics of representation by producing their own creative and critical work and presenting it to the Dartmouth community through their final projects. Dist: ART. Moody.
09W: 2
This course focuses on the experiences of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, and Central American migrants living in the U.S. The literature will draw from anthropology and its neighboring disciplines in an attempt to understand the social, political, and economic processes that shape the varied experiences of Latino migrants living in the United States. In doing so, the class will examine Latino migrant experiences in relation to issues such as the changing character of capitalism as an international system, the organizing role of networks and families, changing patterns of gender relations, the emergence of a second generation, and the cultural politics of class formation. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Gutiérrez Nájera.
07F: 2
The borderlands will be examined in ways that take us from a concrete analysis of the region, including conflict and organizing efforts at the border to more abstract notions that include strategies of cultural representations and the forging of new dietetics. We will consider several analytical perspectives relevant to anthropology including: gender, identity, resistance, economics, globablization, migration, and the politics of everyday life. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Gutiérrez Nájera.
Not offered in the period from 07F through 09S
08S: 10A
Dist: ART; WCult: CI. A’Ness, Herrera.
08S: 2A
Through an engagement of narratives mediated by recordings, literature, visual art and performances for, by and about Latinas, this course examines the highly contested and still-evolving site of Latina feminist practices. Students will be introduced to foundational writings in Latina feminist theory. We will pay particular attention to how the shared—and the divergent—experiences of Latinas in the US are produced, reflected, and resisted in cultural expression. Our central task will be to analyze how these women-centered texts redefine sexuality, gender, race and class. Several questions frame our studies in the course, including: How do we theorize a Latina feminist tradition? How has Latina feminism reshaped the field of ethnic and gender studies? Topics include, but are not limited to: triple oppressions theory, identity politics, mestiza consciousness, Latina subjectivity, and lesbian identities. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI. Herrera.
Courses with a central focus on Latin America and the Caribbean offered by various departments.
Departmental Seminars: These will vary from year to year. Consult the program office for a list of seminars available in 2007-2008.
LACS students are strongly advised to take courses in economics, especially Economics 1, The Price System: Analysis, Problems, and Policies, Economics 21, Microeconomics, and Economics 39, International Trade.
* Students taking Government 80, Readings in Government, may receive LACS credit if the instructor approves independent study or a seminar paper dealing with the politics of Latin America or the Caribbean.
