last modified:2009-11-23 13:25:13
Courses
Approved Courses
Anthropology
3153 Black Atlantic: Anthropology of the African Diaspora (3)Fulfills International Requirement.
Meets with ANTH 6153. Anthropological perspective on people of African descent in the United States, Caribbean, Latin America, and South Africa. Begin by looking at the three sides of Atlantic slavery: Western Europe, West and Southern Africa, and slave societies of the New World and South Africa. Examine "maroon" societies founded by fugitive slaves, the threat of slave revolution in the age of American revolutions, and politics of racial categorization and stratification in the aftermath of slavery. Finally, we take a comparative approach to language, the family, sexuality, conflict and class, religion, arts and ideologies among these cultures.
3154 Brazilian Culture (3)
Meets with ANTH 6154. An introduction to the culture of Brazil. Consideration of Brazil as a multicultural society, comparing it to other major settler societies of the New World, including the U.S. and the rest of Latin America. We will consider Indian societies before and after contact, and we will compare slavery in the U.S. and Brazil. Why have race relations and definitions of race have developed differently in the two countries? We will look at authority, class, and violence. We will examine the culture of religion, sexuality, Carnival, music, and the media.
3211 Biology of Native Americans (3)
Meets with ANTH 5211. Origin, population history, child growth, health, anthropometry, demography, and genetics of North and South American Indians. Biological variation and adaptation of Native American groups in pre-contact era, biological effects of European contact, and subsequent biological responses to modernization.
3321 The Classic Maya (3)
Meets with ANTH 5321. Explores the rise and fall of Classic Maya society through archaeology, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and ethnohistoric documents. Examines Maya economy, social organization, religion, warfare, and explanations as to why this society was so dramatically transformed after the 9th century A.D.
3322 Mesoamerican Archaeology (3)
Meets with ANTH 5322. Surveys the rise of complex societies in Mesoamerica, focusing on the Olmecs, the Maya, Teotihuacan and the Aztecs. Explores differences between societies in tropical rainforest environments and the arid highlands. Considers the impact of the Spanish conquests on the societies of Mesoamerica.
4124 Religion In Latin America (3)
Prerequisite: Junior or Senior Standing.
Meets with ANTH 6124. A comparative anthropological look at the complex religious traditions and changes of Latin America, including Native American religions, African American religions, Catholicism, Protestantism, Pentecostalism, Para-Christian Movements (Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses), popular religion, and a range of new religious movements, as well as thinking about the religious and missionaries as social agents.
Art History
3510 Latin American Art and Visual Culture (3)
Prerequisite: ARTH 2500.
Topics in Latin American art and visual culture from pre-Columbian times through the 20th century.
4510 Special Topics in Latin American Art and Visual Culture (3)
Prerequisite: ARTH 2500.
Meets with ARTH 6510. Special Topics in Latin American art and visual culture.
4520 Topics in Brazilian Art
This class will investigate Brazilian artistic production from the 1600s to the present. The course is oriented around the role of different institutions such as the church, slavery, the art academy, the state, and museums in the construction of a national identity within Brazilian Art. We will begin with the Portuguese encounter of the New World and investigate the role of the church in Brazilian colonial art not only as the impetus behind a lavish and prolific Baroque art movement, but also as a lens into the state of race relations. We will then look at the role of foreign artists such as Eckhout and Post and later Deberet in representing Afro-Brazilians and slavery to European audiences. We will address the question of gender in the institution of the art academy during the 19th century, and the role of nationalism in inaugurating Brazilian modernism. Finally, we will look at the institution of the museum and the São Paulo Bienal and their role in the rise of the internationalist aesthetic of geometric abstraction.
4590 Senior Seminar in Latin American Art and Visual Culture
Prerequisite: Instructor's consent.
Meets with ARTH 6880. Senior seminar in Latin American art and visual culture.
Biology
3450 Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation (3)
Recommended Prerequiste: BIOL 1210 or equivalent. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
Introductin to tropical rain forests, biodiversity, and conservation issues.
Comparative Literary & Cultural Studies
4975 Comparative Approaches to Latin America (3)
This course critically examines Latin American cultural production from comparative and cultural studies perspectives. Interdisciplinary and transnational or transoceanic approaches to aesthetic, political and philosophical issues will be addressed. May be taken more than once when topic varies.
This is a special topics course, and the title and description will change each time it's offered
Economics
5460 Latin American Economic History and Development (3)
Prerequisite: ECON 2010 and 2020 or ECON 1010 and instructor's consent. Recommended Prerequisite: ECON 5530. Fulfills Upper Division Communication/Writing.
Meets with ECON 6460. Graduate students should register for ECON 6460 and will be held to higher standards and/or additional work. Historic and contemporary economic problems in Latin America from the conquest to the present dependency, independence, and integration into world economy. Emphasis on new forms of dependency in the macro economy and on contemporary domestic social problems.
5461 Topics in Latin American Economic History and Development (3)
Pre-requisite: ECON 5460 or permission of instructor.
Meets with ECON 6461. Graduate Students should register for 6461 and will be held to higher standards and/or additional work. This course builds on the broad background on Latin American economics established in ECON 5460, selecting a particular topic on Latin American economics to investigate in depth. Topics will vary from year to year. Examples of topics that will be offered include the brazilian economy, Latin American Financial Issues, Free Trade Agreements, and Alternatives to Neoliberalism (Venezuela and Cuba).
Geography
3670 Geography of Latin America (3)
Fulfills International Requirement.
An exploration of modern Latin America's development, problems, and issues in a physical, human, historic, economic, and political context. The place of Latin America in today's global economic and geopolitical system is also examined; that is to say, Latin America's relationships with North America and Europe as well as its association with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other economic organizations
History
3300 History of Mexico (3)
Examines Mexican history from pre-conquest societies through the present, paying special attention to the following topics: colonial legacies, economic development, the Mexican Revolution (1910), U.S.-Mexican relations, the construction of racial and ethnic identities, and cultural traditions.
4290 Americas after Columbus (3)
Meets with HIST 6290. Examines patterns of cross-cultural influence among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in a variety of colonial settings throughout the early Americas.
4300 Topics in Latin American History (3)
Concerns a specific topic in Latin American history. Content will vary each semester.
4310 Gender and Power in Latin America (3)
Cross listed as GNDR 5755.
Explores the question of the interplay between gender, power, and the creation of identities in Latin America. Examines how gender relations are socially constructed, maintained, and challenged. Examines the economic and cultural phenomenon which define women's roles in the region. Also considers the relationship between the status of women and their means of fighting for social justice, including instigating change in the status of women.
Management
4900 International Management (3)
General introduction to international management: international economic/financial, sociocultural. politica/legal environments. Fulfills International Requirement.
Portuguese
3050 Topics in Literature and Culture (3)
This course focuses on a specific topic in Portuguese-language literature and culture. It introduces students to Portuguese-language literature. Topics may include themes such as contemporary life, cinema and literature, or genres such as the novel or short story. Students will be given opportunities to use and expand their speaking, reading and writing skills.
3580 Contemporary Issues (3)
Prerequisite: Portuguese 2020 or equivalent.
Introduction to historical, political, social, economic and cultural issues affecting Brazil. The goal of the course is to use and expand the students' Portuguese language skills (speaking, comprehension, reading and writing) while discussing current affairs in Brazil. Course taught in Portuguese.
Spanish
4510 Business Spanish (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 3040 or 3060.
A course devoted to learning basic terminology and vocabulary related to commerce with Spain and Latin America. Intensive practice in commercial letter writing.
4520 Business Spanish (3)
This course provides a broad overview of globalization and its impact on international business in Latin America and Spain today. This lecture and discussion format course focuses on the trend of cross-over businesses and markets that have emerged in response to the demographic, social, cultural, political and economic shifts occurring around the globe. Students learn about the determinants of culture and the role culture plays in international business settings.
4630 Survey of Spanish American Literature (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 3040 or 3060.
Readings in literature from 15th-century to present, covering varied genres from all of Latin America.
4750 Spanish American Novel (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 3040 or 3060.
Repeatable for credit when topic varies.
4790 Masterpieces of Mexican Literature (3)
Prerequisite: SPAN 3040 or 3060.
Major authors of the Mexican 20th-century literary canon. Taught in Spanish, although some texts are available in English translation.
5240 Linguistic Structure of Spanish (3)
Cross listed as LING 5240. Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
Meets with LING 6240. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required. A course in the linguistic description of Standard American and Iberian varieties. A linguistic approach is contrasted with traditional grammar.
5241 Topics in Spanish Linguistics (3)
Cross listed as LING 5241. Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
Meets with LING 6241. Course may be repeated when topic varies. Information on current topics available in Linguistics Office.
5242 Spanish Pronunciation and Phonetics (3)
Introduction to Spanish Phonetics and Phonology for advanced speakers of Spanish. Analyzes the Spanish sound system pointing out the areas of contrast with that of American English and focuses on helping students improve their pronunciation in Spanish.
Linguistics
5240 Linguistic Structure of Spanish (3)
Cross listed as SPAN 5240. Prerequisite: ENGL/LING 1200 or SPAN 3040 or SPAN 3060.
Meets with LING 6240. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required. A course in the linguistic description of Standard American and Iberian varieties. A linguistic approach is contrasted with traditional grammar.
5240 Topics in Spanish Linguistics (3)
Cross listed as SPAN 5241. Prerequisite: ENGL/LING 1200 or SPAN 3040 or SPAN 3060.
Meets with LING 6241. Course may be repeated when topic varies. Information on current topics available in Linguistics Office.
Political Science
3430 Politics of Revolution in Latin America (3)
Case studies of political revolution in Latin America, up through contemporary events. Examples include Mexico, Castro Cuba, Allende Chile, Sandinista Nicaragua.
3500 Democracy in Latin America (3)
An examination of the new cases of democracy in Latin America in terms of their causes and their consequences.
3520 Government and Politics of Mexico (3)
This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth introduction to current political, economic, and social issues affecting Mexico and its citizens. Topics considered include economic and political development, social movements and popular politics, parties and elections, state-society relations, migration, poverty and politics, U.S.-Mexico relations.
3550 Comparative Politics of Latin America (3)
This course is designed to be a survey of the government and politics of Latin America countries, highlighting important issues common to countries in the region such as transition from authoritarianism, economic reforms and change, environmental politics, human rights, quality of democracy, revolts and revolutions, poverty and protest, etc.
5350 Politics of Poverty in Latin America (3)
An examination of the causes of poverty found in selected Latin America countries and of different public policies intended to relieve such poverty.
5490 International Relations of Latin America (3)
Recommended Prerequisite: POLS 2100 or 3800.
Meets with POL S 6490. Graduate students should register for POL S 6490 and will be held to higher standards and/or additional work. Relationship between traditional forms of contact between United States and Latin America. Recent forms of nationalism in Latin America, their effects on resulting economic development, and economic integration.