Citizenship and Social Movements in Latin America and the Caribbean
HIST(LACS) 4240/6240
3 hours
Citizenship and Social Movements in Latin America and the Caribbean
Course Description
Examination of struggles surrounding assertions of citizenship
rights in Latin America and the Caribbean since the eighteenth
century. The readings trace moments in which women, migrants,
and indigenous and colonized peoples transformed dominant
understandings of the nation-state and political agency.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students will complete a historiographical essay (25
pages) on a specific area of debate within the field. In
addition, graduate students will deliver a lecture on their
research aimed at an undergraduate audience.
Athena Title
Citizenship in Latin America
Prerequisite
Any HIST course or ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1101E or ENGL 1101S or ENGL 1102 or ENGL 1102E or ENGL 1102S or POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of citizenship and social movements in Latin America and the Caribbean by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of citizenship in Latin America has shaped social and cultural identities and attitudes toward politics and revolution, colonialism and independence, and identity and belonging, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
By the end of this course, students will be able to generate their own research question or topic, locate suitable primary and secondary sources, and synthesize their ideas in novel ways.
By the end of this course, students will be able to initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate their independent research projects in stages and to give and receive constructive feedback through the peer review process.
Topical Outline
The course deals with four distinct themes, tracing the evolution of modern citizenship from its origins in liberal thought to its current transnational manifestations.
Section I concerns revolutionary movements in the French Caribbean and France in the 1790s and early 1800s.
Section II deals with independence in Spanish America; the focus is on efforts by criollos, Indians, and women to secure political spaces in Latin America's republics.
Section III turns explores twentieth-century efforts to “transcend” race to create inclusive citizenries.
Section IV explores the impact of transnational migrants on the nation state and traditional definitions of citizenship.
