HST 121: History of Latin America

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title	Lec-Lab	Credit Hours
HST	121	History of Latin America	(3-0)	3

Course Description

Surveys the political and constitutional history of the principal Latin American nations. The course will cover movements leading to independence and social and economic events which are pertinent to relationships with the United States.

Topical Outline

1. The Pre-Columbian Civilizations
2. The Iberian Background
3. The Iberian Conquest of Latin America
4. The Institutions of Colonial Spanish America: Government, Labor, Economic, Church, Social
5. The Causes of Independence
6. The Wars for Independence in Latin America
7. Nineteenth Century Political Life: The Rise of Dictatorships
8. The Mexican-American War
9. The Abolition of Slavery in Brazil
10. Revolutionary Mexico
11. Argentina: The Age of Peron
12. The Causes and Consequences of the Cuban Revolution
13. The Civil War in El Salvador
14. U.S. Foreign Policy in Latin America
15. Current Events and Issues in Latin America Today

Method of Presentation

1. Lecture
2. Class discussion
3. Student research and presentations

Student Outcomes (The student should…)

1. comprehend the social, economic, and political development of Colonial Latin America.
2. understand the social, economic, and political development of principle Latin American nations.
3. comprehend the development of United States-Latin American relations.

Method of Evaluation

1. Three essay exams
2. Map quiz of Latin America
3. Objective quizzes
4. In-class writing assignments
5. Two research papers (The student’s ability to organize, analyze, and write will be taken into account.)

Textbook

Asturias, The President, Waveland, 1997.

Danner, Mark, The Massacre at El Mozote, Random House, 1994.

Keen, Benjamin, et al., History of Latin America, 7^th ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., 2009.

Prepared by: David T. Richmond, Fall, 2008