The major objective of this course is to critically examine a number of key issues, themes, and developments relevant for understanding contemporary Latin America from a multidisciplinary perspective. Themes or topics are urbanization and megacities, dictatorship and authoritarian rule, revolution and guerrilla, hemispheric relations (from the historically formed Black Atlantic until geopolitics), political culture, indigenous people and movements, nationalism and national identities, (international) migration, drug trafficking and violence, gender relations, media and consumer cultures, and democratization. The course approaches these defining themes and processes of contemporary Latin America by the critical interpretation and understanding of a cultural product (novel, movie and/or other cultural representations) concerning a specific theme, as well as the study and analysis of readings from disciplines such as history, political science, geography, sociology and anthropology.

 

Format
The course is taught in English, but will include ample opportunities to consult sources for assignments in Spanish.
The course is in essence a ‘Big Questions’ course about Latin America. The basic format of the course is that each theme or key question will be examined in three class meetings each: one will be a lecture on the social science examination of the theme/question in place, one on cultural production and/or representation of the same theme/question, while the third meeting will assume the form of a (student-led) seminar that brings both perspectives together. The course will consist of 27 class meetings in total, thereby making space for the study of 9 thematic capsules in total. The different themes are subdivided in three thematic clusters: historical and political themes (e.g. populism, dictatorship, guerrilla etc.), social problems (e.g. megacities, violence, indigenous movements etc.), and cultural phenomena (e.g. religion, gender etc.).