Semester.ly

Johns Hopkins University | AS.361.130

Introduction to Latin American Studies

3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

(3.65)

The goal of this course is to provide an overview of Latin America, analyzing political and cultural aspects, chronologically organized. We will begin studying the origins of the multi–ethnic societies, starting with the ancient civilizations and their transformation under colonization. It is important to understand the survival of cultural traits among indigenous peasants today in the countries that were the cradle of ancient civilizations: Mexico, Guatemala and the Andean countries. In the republican era the course will focus on the classical Caribbean dictators in the first half of the 20th century and their reflection in the literature, comparing the historical reality with the magic representation in the work of Garcia Marquez. The course will scrutinize the most important revolutions in the continent: the Mexican, Cuban and Bolivian revolutions and the geopolitics of USA in the Americas. Weekly lectures related to the assigned reading will focus on specific periods, topics and regions. After each lecture, we will review the material, connecting specific details from the readings with the more theoretical aspects provided in my lecture. The course has a website where the PowerPoint presentations will be posted. Students are encouraged to post their questions, comments and suggestions on the web after their readings. Students will be given a study guide for each lecture, which will be the basis for the exams. Our perspective on Latin America will be enhanced by a selection of few films related to the topics.

Fall 2012

(4.36)

Spring 2015

(2.93)

Fall 2012

Professor: Lea Ramsdel

(4.36)

The best aspect of this course was the professor’s effective use of various course materials like PowerPoint’s, videos, and readings to teach students about Latin America. Students enjoyed the interesting lectures, passionate professor, and straightforward exams, which were always easy to study for. The worst aspect of this course was the large class size, which made it hard for students to participate and engage in class discussions. Many students also felt that their assigned essays were graded too harshly and arbitrarily for an introductory level course. The course would improve if the class size were smaller and if there was more in-depth discussion of each country’s culture and history. Prospective students should know that this is an interesting introductory course about Latin America, with a lot of exciting things for them to learn about. 193

Spring 2015

Professor: Eduardo Gonzalez

(2.93)

The best part about this class was the knowledgeable instructor who asked his students to think critically and creatively about the readings. Many students agreed that the course materials were interesting and covered a variety of countries, ethnicities, histories, and cultures. Some students claimed that the professor was disorganized and that lectures suffered as a result. Thus, they suggested that this class would benefit from more focus and direction, and from more explicit discussion of the texts presented. Prospective students should know that this class will require a lot of reading, and that office hours may prove to be more helpful than lecture.