Welcome to the Political Economy of Latin America!
Syllabus for PS 303X
Course Description: This course will explore pre-Colombian, as well as colonial and post-colonial models of political and economic development in Latin America. It will pay particular attention to socio-political developments of the Cold War period as well as recent significant initiatives such as the Santiago Commitment, MERCOSUR, and NAFTA, attempting to assesss their impact upon Latin America's transformation from developmentalism, to Third World politics, toward what has been referred to as an "Emerging Market" identity.
Instructor Biography: Thomas J. Ward is Dean of the International College of the University of Bridgeport. Fluent in Spanish and French and with a strong working knowledge of Brazilian Portuguese, Dr. Ward began his career in international banking and specialized in political and economic risk analysis of Latin America banks. Ward has also developed programs on comparative political systems for private and public educational foundations. He has conducted numerous seminars on comparative political systems for Latin American government officials, academics, and legislators in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. He has taught this course in the past at the University of Bridgeport (with very favorable student reviews) and he has also lectured on the Political Economy of Latin America in the University of Bridgeport's graduate business program.
Class Hours and Location: Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Mandeville 318 (Location may change)
Office Hours: I will be available in my office from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and and Fridays or you can arrange an alternative meeting time with me. I can always be reached by email at ward@bridgeport.edu or by phone at 576-4855 (ext. 4855).
Expected Course Outcomes:
By the end of the course, students
will be able to:
1.) Demonstrate a foundational understanding of Latin America's political and
economic evolution.
2.) Identify key Latin American-related institutions, agencies, alliances, accords,
and online resources.
3.) Identify the factors that have played and, in many cases, continue to play
a central role in Latin America's political and economic evolution.
4.) Demonstrate by the end of the course the ability to comment cogently on
current Latin American political and economic developments.
5.) Demonstrate a more developed understanding of the political and economic
evolution of at least one country or one region of Latin America. I have chosen
to subdivide Latin America into the following geographical areas:
a.) The Latin America of Mexico and
Central America
b.) The Latin America of the Caribbean
c.) The Latin America of the Northern portion of South America
d.) The Spanish-speaking Southern Cone
e.) Brazil
Readings:
· Selected Online Readings indicated in the sylalbus
· Wynia, Gary W, The Politics of Latin American Development, (New York: Cambridge University Press), 1990, pp. 344.
Why I have Chosen The Politics of Latin American Development by Gary Wynia?
I have mixed feelings in having chosen the text. Its great strength stems from the valuable insights it provides us into the workings, i.e., the "game" of Latin American political economy. My reservations are due to my sense that Wynia is at times a bit too cynical in his assessment of developments. Nevertheless, I find it overall to be an excellent introduction to Latin American political economy. Students are encouraged to share their opinions on the readings and can expect the instructor to do the same.
Internet Resources:
· Big Emerging Markets: http://www.ita.doc.gov/bems/index.html
· Carnegie Mellon University Guide to Latin American History: http://www.library.cmu.edu/bySubject/History/latinamerica.html
· CIA World Factbook: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
· The Global Emerging Markets Database (Latin America): http://www.pitt.edu/~ibcmod/gem/
· Inter-American Development Bank: http://www.iadb.org/
· Latin America Network Information Center: http://lanic.utexas.edu/
· Latin American Newspapers: http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/news/
· Latin World (Latin Search Engine): http://www.latinworld.com/
· MERCOSUR: http://www.mercosur.org/english/default.htm
· The Military in Latin America: http://www.lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/military/
· NAFTA: http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/english/index.htm
· Online Latin American Legal Database: http://www.natlaw.com/database.htm
· Organization of American States: http://www.sice.oas.org/
· Political Database of the Americas: http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/
· United Nations Economic commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC): http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=IN
· Latin American Parliament (Spanish and Portuguese only) http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=IN
· The Andean Community (formerly the Andean Pact): http://www.comunidadandina.org/english.htm
· The Central American Parliament (Spanish language only): http://www.parlacen.org.gt/
· The Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom): http://www.caricom.org/
· Group of the Three (G-3): http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.summit-americas.org/Other%2520Processes/Grupo%2520de%2520los%2520Tres-spanish.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DGrupo%2Bde%2Btres%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
· The United States Agency for International Devlopment USAID Latin American
and The Caribbean: http://www.usaid.gov/regions/lac/
· Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: http://www.oecd.org/
Explanation of Criteria for Grading
1.) Class Participation-25% Participation in class discussions and Response to the Instructor's questions on course contents and in class readings-20%
The timely completion of reading and Internet site assignments is essential for responsible participation in the course's discussions. If it becomes evident that students are not doing timely reading, the instructor may institute regular, announced quizzes . By the end of the third week of class, students will choose a country and be expected to follow developments on that country through the news. Weekly oral reports and updates will be a part of each class. Should you need it, your instructor can assist you in identifying a development in a region and in suggesting how to following up on it. Online Latin American English language newspapers which students can be accessed through the University of Texas' lanic site and a number of them have been identified for your convenience in the appendix of this syllabus.
Class discussions and presentations will explore issues raised by the instructor, by fellow students, and by the assigned readings. The quality of the students' contribution to the discussion will be determined based on students demonstrating both an understanding of the reading assignments and an ability to apply such understanding to issues raised in class. Discussion constitutes a central aspect of the course.
2.) Mid-Term Exam/Evaluation-20%
3.) Final Paper-35%
a). Prospectus (5%) Due by the fourth week of class and is a brief summary of
what the student intends to cover in the final paper. Paper should include two
footnotes from different sources.
b.) Final Paper (20%) Paper should be approximately 12-15 pages in length and
have at least five different sources and ten to twelve citations. Criteria for
grading in this course are listed in the second appendix of this syllabus.
c.) Oral Presentation (10%) An oral presentation (10 minutes) outlining the
focus of the paper, the reason it is of interest, the major findings of your
research, and your conclusions.
4.) Final Examination (20%)
Students will be provided a list of study questions. Questions will be based on the course learning outcomes. It is not necessarily the case that all or any of the Final Exam questions will come exactly from this list; however, the exam questions will be based entirely upon the content indicated in the study questions.
Course Schedule, Outline, and Themes*
*Assigned Online Readings indicated
in this section may need to be added to or changed by the instructor.
Week One:
September 5: Introduction to the Course and to Studies in Latin American Political
Economy
Week Two
September 12: The Political Economy of Pre-Colombian Latin America
Required Reading: Wynia, Gary, The Politics of Latin American Development, pp.
xi-22:
Chapter One: The Latin American Predicament (Wynia's Impressive Interpretation
of a President's View of Latin American development)
Week Three
September 19: The Political Economy of the European Discovery of Latin America
Required Reading: Wynia, pp. 24-70:
Chapter Two: The Rules of the Latin American (Political) Game
Chapter Three: The Players (in the Latin American Political Game)
Week Four
September 26: The European Conquest of Colonial Latin America and its Sociopolitical
Implications
Internet sites to review: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.html
http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/CERIO-01.ART
Internet site of interest: Historical Accounts of the Conquest:
http://muweb.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/ADORNO02.ART
Required Reading: Wynia, pp. 73-100
Chapter Four The Players (In the Latin American Political Game)
Week Five
October 3: The Political Economy of Colonial Latin America
Required Reading: Wynia, pp. 104-135
Chapter Five The Stakes in the Game
Week Six
October 10: The Political Economy of the Latin American Independence Movement
Internet required sites:
San Martin, Liberator of the Southern Cone of Latin America: http://www.pachami.com/English/ressanmE.htm
Simon Bolivar, Liberator of Northern Latin America: http://www.emory.edu/COLLEGE/CULPEPER/BAKEWELL/thinksheets/thsh-bolivar.html
(Kindly include reading the Jamaica letter by Bolivar)
Dom Pedro II (Peter II): http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.psg.com/~walter/dpii.html&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddom%2Bpedro%2Bii%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG
Week Seven
October 17:
Mid-Term Evaluation
Week Eight
October 24: Fragmentation in the Post-Independence Era and the Emergence of
the International Division of Labor
Required Reading: Wynia, pp. 139-191:
Chapter Six Whose Game is it?
Chapter Seven Chile: Democracy destroyed.
Week Nine
October 31: The Collapse of the International Division of Labor and the Strategy
of Import Substitution
Required Reading: Wynia, pp. 193-246
Chapter Eight Venezuela: Democracy preserved
Chapter Nine Brazil: Populists, Authoritarians, Democrats
Week Ten
November 7: The United States, Latin America, and the Cold War
Required Reading: Wynia, Gary, The Politics of Latin American Development, pp.
249-307
Chapter 10 Argentina: Populists, authoritarians, and democrats
Chapter 11 Cuba: A communist revolution
Week Eleven
November 14: The Cold War and Latin American Debt
Required Reading: Wynia, Gary, The Politics of Latin American Development, pp.
309-333.
Chapter Twelve: Nicaragua: Revolution the Sandinista Way
Final Exam Study Questions will be distributed
Week Twelve
November 21: Thanksgiving Recess
Week Thirteen
November 28: Post Cold War Economic Reform and the Challenge of Sustainable
Development
Required Internet Reading: http://www.iadb.org/RES/pdf/348.pdf (Inter-American
Development Bank on Reform)
Sustainable Development Case Study: http://www.oas.org/usde/publications/Unit/oea11e/begin.htm
The Pantanal: http://www.pantanal.org/
Student Oral Reports on Final Reports begin
Week Fourteen
December 5: Latin American Economic Integration
Required Internet Reading:
MERCOSUR: http://www.mercosur-comisec.gub.uy/MERCOSUR/INGLES/HTM/WMERINGL.HTM
NAFTA: http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/english/index.htm
Student Oral Reports on Final Papers
Week Fifteen
December 12: Wrap-Up Session
Student Oral Reports on Final Papers
Week Sixteen
December 19: Final Exam 6:15-8:15 p.m.
Appendix: Useful Online English Language Resources
on
Latin America
Useful Online English Language Resources on Latin America
Note: All of the newspapers and other
online English Language resources indicated below can be accessed by starting
at the Lanic Newspaper megasite: http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/news/.
Argentina
· Buenos Aires Herald English-language weekly
Bolivia
· Bolivian Times English-language weekly in La Paz
Brazil
· O Estado de Sao Paulo Daily; also in English
Chile
· Santiago Times Daily English-language
Colombia
· Bogotá Daily English language news portal
Costa Rica
· Tico Times Online Weekly newspaper in English
Cuba
· Granma Internacional Digital Edición en Español, English,
Francais, Portugues, Deutsch
Ecuador
· Quito News
El Salvador
· El Salvador News
Guadeloupe
· Le Journal de St. Barth English/French weekly
Haiti
· Agence Haïtienne de Presse English/French Presse
· Haiti Progres Weekly in French, English, Creole
Honduras
· Honduras This Week English-language weekly in Tegucigalpa
Mexico
· The News English
· Documents of Mexican Politics A large collection of articles on Mexico;
designed for academic research
· Mexico Labor and News Analysis
· Trade News Gopher menu
Peru
· Lima Post English newspaper
Puerto Rico
· The Vieques Times Bilingual newspaper
Uruguay
· Mercopress Uruguay-based weekly on Mercosur; English/Espanol
Venezuela
· Reuters Venezuela
· Venezuela Now English-language weekly economic report
· Venezuela Online News English portal
Regional Resources
· Caribbean News Agency CANA
· Central American Report Weekly news and analyses in English and Espanol
· Information Services Latin America ISLA
· LATNN Philadelphia-based Online Latino News Network; English/Espanol
· Latino Link Regular updates with a focus on Latin America
· Online Publications from and about Latin America
· The National Security Archive Georgetown University's comprehensive
links to Latin American news sources
· The New York Times:Americas Free registration
· The Washington Post:Americas
Appendix II: Criteria for Grading of
Papers
General Grading Guidelines for the Final Paper/Project
"A" work-
1.) Responds fully to the Assignment
2.) Expresses its purpose clearly and persuasively.
3.) Is directed toward and meets the needs of a defined audience.
4.) Begins and ends effectively.
5.) Provides adequate supporting arguments, evidence, examples, and details.
6.) Is well-organized and unified.
7.) Uses appropriate, direct language.
8.) Correctly acknowleges and documents sources.
9.) Is free of errors in grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and format.
10.) Maintains a level of excellence throughout, and shows originality and creativity
in realizing (1) through (7).
"B" work-
Realizes (1) through (9) fully and completely - and demonstrates overall excellence-but
shows little or no originality or creativity.
"C" work-
Realizes (1) through (9) adequately-and demonstrates overall competence-but
contains a few, relatively minor errors or flaws. A "C" paper may
show great creativity and originality, but those qualities don't make up for
poor or careless writing. A "C" paper usually looks and reads like
a next-to-final draft.
"D" work
Fails to realize some elements of (1) through (9) adequately-and contains several, relatively serious errors or flaws, or many minor ones. A "D" paper often looks and reads like a first or second draft.
"F" work
Fails to realize several elements of (1) through (9) adequately-and contains many serious errors or flaws, and usually many minor ones, as well. An "F" paper usually looks and reads like a zero draft.
T.A. Angelo-Depaul University-School for New Learning-12/98
Valuable Links
Divsion of International Programs The International College of the University of Bridgeport Thomas J. Ward