LACS 101: Course Schedule


LACS 101:  Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Fall, 2013
MWF, 11:15-12:10

Course Schedule

**PLEASE NOTE:  SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.  CONSULT THE WEB FREQUENTLY!

DATE  WHAT IS DUE / DAILY LESSON

*All readings are in course texts, unless otherwise noted.

WEEK ONE INTRODUCTION
Friday, Sept. 6 Course Introduction

Broad introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean

Monday, Sept. 9 Winn, Ch. 1: “A View from the South”

Rosenberg, Ch.1

*Post blog entries by 5:00 on Tuesday; comment on two blog posts by 11:15am on Wednesday.

Wednesday, Sept. 11 Submit (Word document, in pocket folder) and discuss blog entries

Winn, Ch. 1, continued

Friday, Sept. 13 Legacies of Empire:  Winn, Ch. 2 + Rosenberg, Ch. 2:  2.1 Bartolomé de las Casas, 2.2  The Aztec Dirge, 2.3  African Slave Migration, 2.5  The Hacienda, 2.7  LA’s First Revolution (Haiti), 2.8  A Revolutionary’s Look at Independent Spanish America (Bolívar), 2.9  A Caudillo in Action (Sarmiento)

Group A Presentation

WEEK TWO
Monday, Sept. 16 Discussion:  “Los diarios de motocicleta” (Film; “Motorcycle Diaries”); {Optional viewing:  PBS Series, “Latino Americans,” starts Tuesday, Sept. 17, 8pm:  http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en/}
Wednesday, Sept. 18 Ancient Writings:  Winn, Ch. 2 (cont.), Popul Vuh (PDF; Rosenberg, 8.1), and Aztec Poetry (Rosenberg, 2.2)
Friday, Sept. 20 Group B Presentation

 The Perils of Progress:  Winn, Ch. 3

WEEK THREE
Monday, Sept. 23 “Garden of Forking Paths”:  Rosenberg, Ch. 3 (intro); Vargas (Rosenberg, 3.4)

*Post blog entries by 5:00 on Tuesday; comment on two blog posts by 11:15am on Wednesday. {You may watch “City of God” and summarize/comment upon it for journal entry, or you can submit a normal current events entry.}

Wednesday, Sept. 25 Submit (Word document, in pocket folder) and discuss blog entries

A Second Independence, Winn, Ch. 4

Friday, Sept. 27 Capital Sins:  Authoritarianism and Democratization:  Winn, Ch. 5

Group C Presentation

WEEK FOUR
Monday, Sept. 30 Rosenberg, Ch. 4 (intro); Kennedy (Rosenberg, 4.1); Lula (Rosenberg, 4.5); {Americas Film, “Capital Sins”}
Wednesday, Oct. 2 Catch-up day {or Class Visit}
Friday, Oct. 4 RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS DUE IN CLASS (11:15 AM)

Continent on the Move:  Winn, Ch. 6

WEEK FIVE
Monday, Oct. 7 Discovering Columbus: Victoria Lena Manyarrows (PDF on Sakai); Rosenberg, Ch. 5 (intro); Maquiladora Worker (Rosenberg, 5.6); {Americas Film, “Continent on the Move”}
Wednesday, Oct. 9 Midterm Exam (due today at 4:00 pm)
Friday, Oct. 11 Reading Day (no class)
 WEEK SIX
Monday, Oct. 14 Children of the Sun:  Winn, Ch. 7
Wednesday, Oct. 16 A Question of Color:  Winn, Ch. 8; {PBS Series, “Black in Latin America”}
Friday, Oct. 18 Group D Presentation 

Rosenberg, Ch. 6 (intro); Vargas Llosa (Rosenberg, 6.4), Césaire (Rosenberg, 6.6); “The Merengue” (Rosenberg, 6.8);{Americas Film, “Mirrors of the Heart”}

*Post blog entries by 5:00 on Sunday; comment on two blog posts by 11:15am on Monday.

WEEK SEVEN
Monday, Oct. 21 Submit (Word document, in pocket folder) and discuss blog entries
Wednesday, Oct. 23 Gender in Latin America:  Winn, Ch. 9
Friday, Oct. 25 Rosenberg, Ch. 7 (intro); {Americas Film, “The Changing Roles of Women”}; Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Rosenberg, 7.1); Menchu (Rosenberg, 7.3)

Discussion:  “I, the Worst of All” (Film)

WEEK EIGHT
Monday, Oct. 28 No formal class, but responsible for:  The Power and the Glory:  Winn, Ch. 10
Wednesday, Oct. 30 Group E Presentation

Rosenberg, Ch. 8 (intro); {Americas Film, “Miracles are not enough:  Continuity and Change in Religion”}; Liberation Theology (Rosenberg, 8.5)

Friday, Nov. 1 RESEARCH PAPER BONUS DEADLINE (DUE IN CLASS, 11:15 AM)

Endangered States:  Winn, Ch. 12

WEEK NINE
Monday, Nov. 4 Rosenberg, Ch. 9 (intro); Darío (Rosenberg, 9.1), Martí (Rosenberg, 9.2), Walcott (Rosenberg, 9.5), Mistral (Rosenberg, 9.6)

*Post blog entries by 5:00 on Tuesday; comment on two blog posts by 11:15am on Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 6 Rosenberg, Ch. 10 (intro); {Americas Film, “The Problem of Sovereignty”}; Monroe Doctrine (Rosenberg, 10.1)

Submit (Word document, in pocket folder) and discuss blog entries

Group F Presentation

Friday, Nov. 8 Making Revolution:  Winn, Ch. 13; Work on research papers, due this coming Wednesday!
WEEK TEN
Monday, Nov. 11 Winn, Ch. 13 (cont.)

Rosenberg, Ch. 11 (intro); Castro (Rosenberg, 11.4); Nicaragua, A Call to Revolution (Rosenberg, 11.6); {Americas Film, “Fire in the Mind:  Revolution and Revolutionaries”}

Wednesday, Nov. 13 RESEARCH PAPERS DUE BY 11:15 A.M. (IN CLASS)

Discuss research papers and findings in class

Friday, Nov. 15 Perceptions of Reality:  The Latin American Artist; García Márquez, “The Solitude of LA” (Rosenberg, 9.8); Julia Álvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies (excerpts; PDF)

**By next Friday at 5:00 p.m., submit to our blog one item/concept/person/event/place related to LA/C that you’d like to know more about, research it *briefly*, and write a paragraph about it on the blog.

WEEK ELEVEN
Monday, Nov. 18 The Latin American Artist (cont.):  Music of LA/C:  Caetono Veloso, Mercedes Sosa, Juan Luis Guerra; Art of LA/C:  Muralists, Frida Kahlo

North of the Border:  Winn, Ch. 14

Wednesday, Nov. 20 Rosenberg, Ch. 12 (intro); U.S. Latin@ demographics, issues, and arts; {Americas Film, “The Americans”}
Friday, Nov. 22 Winn: The Epilogue

Discussion:  “Quinceañera” (film)

**By today at 5:00, submit to our blog one item/concept/person/event/place related to LA/C that you’d like to know more about, research it *briefly*, and write a paragraph about it on the blog.

WEEK TWELVE
Monday, December 2 Course evaluation

Class discussion based on students’ blog entries

Wednesday, December 4 Discussion:  “También la lluvia” (film)
Friday, December 6 Review for final exam
FINAL EXAM DURING REGULAR FINAL EXAM PERIOD (Saturday, December 7 – Friday, December 13)