Course Description
An overview of contemporary social movements of the region, its historical roots, and the economic/political causes that motivate the protests of the powerless. Special attention will be given to the relationship between social movements, political parties, and the state in different historical moments and countries.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to complete additional readings, beyond those assigned to the undergraduates. In addition to class time, they will meet periodically with the professor to discuss the additional readings. The mode of assessment will also be distinct and may include writing an original research paper and/or writing "comprehensive exam" style essays on the assigned readings. Through these tasks, graduate students will be required to demonstrate their ability to synthesize, analyze, and apply course materials beyond the cases discussed in class.
Athena Title
Citi Soc Move Lat Am and Carib
Prerequisite
LACS 1000 or LACS 1000E or LACS 1000H or SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101E or SOCI 1101H or INTL 1100 or INTL 1100E or INTL 1100H
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
• To explain the economic and political causes motivating the rise and decline of contemporary social movements in Latin America. • To familiarize students with social movement concepts and the main paradigms of social movement theory. • To present an overview of contemporary social movements in Latin America, focusing on peasant, indigenous, unemployed, and popular movements. • To offer students the opportunity to write a paper applying the concepts learned throughout the course by doing research on: a) social movement concepts in the Latin American context; b) a type of social movement; c) media representations of social movements.
Topical Outline
• “Third Wave” Democratization in Latin America • Economic Globalization in Latin America • The Study of Social Movements from a Latin American Perspective • Repertoires of Contention in Argentina • Alternatives “From Below”: Take-over factories in Argentina • Brazil’s Landless Movement: Repression, Political Opportunities, and State-Social Movement Interfaces • Struggles for Natural Resources in Bolivia • Peasant-Indigenous Movements and Counter-movements in Contemporary Bolivia • The Zapatista Movement: NAFTA, Indigenous Movements, and Mexico’s Political System • Social Movements, Political Parties and Clientelism in Mexico: Autonomy and Cooptation