The fundamental purpose of this course is to help you understand the historical background and the political, economic, and social structures prevalent in Latin America. At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- describe how the heritage of Western colonial and post-colonial exploitation of Latin America has led to current underdevelopment in the region
- explain how the nationalist period of the 1930s to 1950s was a response to Western exploitation, and led to the military dictatorships that were prevalent in Latin America from the 1960s to the 1980s, which led to the introduction of neo-liberalism
- communicate how some countries, led by Cuba and Venezuela, have searched for an alternative to neoliberalism
- discuss the above listed points with specific references to the experiences of the Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico
Along the way, you will develop several transferable skills that will help you beyond this classroom to reach your future academic and career goals. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Ethically cite all evidence and information that you use in your informal and formal writing in APA style
- Summarize and analyze what information is important and necessary to understand course readings, videos, and podcasts and what information is less important
- Locate and critically evaluate information in online news media and peer-reviewed articles
- Present strong written arguments supported by reputable evidence in your WI assignments
