The principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for
themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask
questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future,
and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change.  The
course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples
have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and
between ethical norms and decision-making.

In general students will be expected to: 

1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically.

2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the
difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or
refute--arguments effectively.

3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that
include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising,
editing, and polishing the finished papers.

1.  Aztecs and Maya
2.  The Arrival of the Spanish 
3.  The Spiritual Conquest?
4.  Mature Colonial Society and Independence
5.  State building in the 19th century
6.  The Great Mexican Revolution--Causes and Consequences
7.  The Populist Challenge:  Lazaro Cardenas 
8.  The Mexican Miracle
9.  Neoliberalism and its Discontents

This course is designed to provide students with a broad 
overview of the history of Mexico and the major themes and 
issues that have shaped it. From the indigenous civilizations 
of the pre-Columbian era through the Spanish Conquest and 
colonization to independence and the establishment of the 
modern Mexican state---all major developments in Mexican 
history are covered.

A principal objective of the course is to teach students to 
think critically for themselves about the relationships between 
the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past 
that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, 
and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities 
of change.  The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways 
in which past societies and peoples have defined the 
relationships between community and individual needs and goals, 
and between ethical norms and decision-making.

In general students will be expected to: 

1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources 
critically.

2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to 
recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the 
ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments 
effectively.

3. write stylistically concise and mature term papers that 
illustrate the development of ideas and the use of evidence, 
the organization of that material into a readable whole, and 
the revising, editing, and polishing of the finished product.

Early Mesoamerica 
		
The Aztecs

The Spanish Heritage
			
The Conquest 
			
The Colonial Order 

The Bourbon Reforms

Independence and Anarchy

Age of Santa Ana

Juárez and the New Order

The Restored Republic

The Porfiriato
		
The Revolution Conceived

The Revolution Realized

Tlatelolco and Beyond

The Revolution Questioned

Challenges to the Old Order	

Concluding Thoughts

All academic work must meet the standards identified in UGA’s
Academic Honesty Policy and students must conform to the
University Honor Code.  Students are responsible for informing
themselves about these standards before performing any academic
work.  Plagiarism will not be tolerated.