History of Latin America (HIST 8)
Prof. Steve Batham
Fall 2020, CRN #21687
Office Hours Online and by appointment
Contact: bathamsteve@foothill.edu (Mon-Fri, 7:30am-5:30pm), (650) 949-7217
You can contact me by email, through the Canvas messaging tool, or by leaving a voicemail at the
phone number above. I am only available Monday through Friday 7:30am to 5:30pm, so I am not
available during weekends or holidays. When you send a message, please allow 24-48 hours to
receive a response unless it is a weekend or holiday, in which case I will get back to you during the
next regular school day (probably the Monday or Tuesday).
Course Goals and Objectives
Latin America is not an easy place to understand since it covers a vast variety of people and
places. Latin American society displays startling contrasts: rich and poor, urban and rural, learned and
illiterate, among others less obvious. Politically, the region includes more than two dozen nations,
large and small, whose recent experiences range from military dictatorship to electoral democracy to
socialist regimes. Economically, Latin America belongs to the “developing” world. Culturally, it is
the result of contributions made by Africans, indigenous, Europeans, and immigrants from all over the
globe. Latin America is a region rich in paradox that resists simple categorization.
This is an introductory course to Latin America. It is an ambitious analysis of more than 500
years of history. As such, it is largely concerned with a wide array of topics. We will weave together
the realities of indigenous peoples, slavery, the history of women, revolutions, political changes, and
economic transformations, to add depth and dimension to the Latin American story.
By looking into the history of Latin America, we will be able to understand not only what
happened but also where the region is going. This class is aimed at first-time students in the field and
no previous knowledge of Latin American history is required. Although this course is most likely
outside of your expected major, you will learn skills that you can carry into any field or occupation.
This course is not designed to have students memorize facts that they will forget in a few months, but
rather to impart a sense of why Latin America is the region it is today. By the end of this course,
students should be able to:
1. Analyze events to recognize cause and effect relationships.
2. Think critically about diverse interpretations of a single event.
3. Collect information and communicate their thoughts to support an argument in written
examinations and assignments.
4. Recognize long-term trends in Latin American history and culture that affect the region today.
In order to pass this course, all students are expected to meet the following learning outcomes:
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Analyze the impact of colonialism and imperialism on Latin America.
2. Determine and analyze the major themes and patterns in the history of Latin America
Course Materials
There is only one required textbook for this course which is available at the bookstore and can
also be found online. John Chasteen’s Born in Blood and Fire provides a brief overview of the history
of Latin America. To supplement this material, class assignments will feature primary readings and
images. You must have access to Canvas and email in order to collect all documents and assignments
on a regular basis.
Course Readings
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John Chasteen; Born in Blood & Fire 4th Edition. ISBN 978-0-393-28305-1
Various primary documents, distributed in class
Requirements and Grading
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Primary Document Reading Assignments
Quizzes
Discussion Forums
Midterm Essay Examination
Final Essay Examination
Term Paper
-380 points
- 120 points
-100 points
-100 points
-100 points
-200 points
Grading Scale
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970-1000 points (97%-100%) = A+
930-969 points (93% - 96%) = A
900-929 points (90% - 92%) = A870-899 points (87% - 89%) = B+
830-869 points (83% - 86%) = B
800-829 points (80% - 82%) = B770-799 points (77% - 79%) = C+
700-769 points (70% - 76%) = C
670-699 points (67% - 69%) = D+
630-669 points (63% - 66%) = D
600-629 points (60% - 62%) = D0-599 points (0% - 59%) = F
Primary Document Reading Assignments
Over the course of the quarter you will receive several primary documents that pertain to that
week’s readings and modules. Each of these Primary Document Assignments must be answered in
full sentences and paragraphs in a minimum of 150 words, regardless of the amount of questions, and
a grading rubric can be found in “Class Check-In & Introduction.” All primary document assignments
are due on Saturdays and late work is accepted up to one week for half credit.
Discussion Forums
Over the course of the quarter, you will be required to complete one discussion forum per
week. In order to receive full credit, you must post at least twice. You’re your first post, you must
start a new topic in forum and there is a 200 word minimum. The second post must be a response to a
classmate’s post and has a 100 word minimum. Errors in the discussion forum (such as making the
first post as a reply instead of as a new topic) will receive deductions and possibly no credit if left
uncorrected. Any post that is short of the minimum requirement will receive zero points and no partial
credit is given. No late work is accepted on discussion forums.
Chapter Quizzes
To achieve your primary goals of the class, you should keep current with the textbook and
supplementary readings as engage in the class regularly. In order to make sure that you understand the
key topics in this course, you will be given 11 chapter quizzes related to the required readings. The
quizzes could consist of multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, and/or other types of objective
testing methods. There is also a syllabus quiz that must be completed at the beginning of the quarter.
No late work is accepted on the chapter quizzes.
Midterm and Final Essay Examinations
The two essay exams will be based on the questions listed in the “Midterm/Final Review”
under the module titled “Class Check-In & Introduction.” The midterm exam will be available for 72
hours at the end of week 6 (Fri-Sun) and the final exam will available for 72 hours during finals week
(Sun-Tues). You are free to take the exam anytime during that period, but late submissions are not
accepted and there are no makeups on these exams. The prompts for the exams are all essay questions
based on key concepts of the material. You will be given two prompts and must select one and submit
as a Word attachments within the allotted period. Further details are given in the exam instructions
and on the rubric in Canvas. Please note that when you take your essay tests you will need to write
your essays in full sentences and paragraphs and that spelling, punctuation, grammar, and organization
will count when determining your essay grades.
Term Paper
You will have one paper assignment for the quarter and it will consist of a minimum of 1500
words (roughly 4-5 double-spaced pages). You will be graded on both the content of the paper as well
as readability (grammar, proper word usage, etc.). The due date for the Term Paper is the end of week
10 and late papers will be accepted with late deductions of one grade (20 points) per day for up to 5
days. The specifics of this assignment can be found in Canvas.
Class Participation and “Attendance”
Although the majority of this class consists of assignments that must be completed at your
convenience, this is not a self-paced course. Each week, new assignments, exams, etc. will become
available and old assignments can no longer be accessed or completed. For this online class, each
week begins at 12:00am Sunday morning and ends Saturday night at 11:59pm, Foothill time. The two
exceptions are the first week of class (which starts on Monday) and finals week (which begins at week
12 and ends on Tuesday).
“Attendance” is crucial in this class because if you do not access the Canvas page during the
week you will not be able to complete the assignments and will receive an “Incomplete” for all
assignments due that week. If you become non-active in the class and stop submitting class work
regularly or miss major assignments, you can be dropped from the course without notice and might
receive a W for the quarter. Failure to submit gradable assignments or check-in during the first week
of class will result in a drop.
Academic Integrity
Anyone found plagiarizing or cheating on an assignment will receive a zero for the assignment
and will be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs for investigation, where you may be subject to
further disciplinary action including suspension or expulsion.
Plagiarism is defined as “the submission of someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own,
without adequate attribution.” Information regarding Foothill Academic Integrity can be found at
http://www.foothill.edu/services/documents/Z-Card.pdf. Although it is long, please read this because
this applies to all classes at Foothill College (and every other college or university you might attend in
the future).
ADA and Accommodations
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Disability Resource
Center to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you
have already completed this process in the past and are seeking accommodations, the DRC requests
that you contact your professor about this within the first two weeks of the quarter in order to schedule
exams or discuss your needs. Delays in this process could make meeting last-minute accommodations
difficult, so please meet with your professor and file the required paperwork as soon as possible.
Dropping a Class
If you have excessive “absences” or miss a major assignment or multiple smaller assignments,
you can be dropped from the class which could result in a W for the quarter. If you decide to stop
attending this class, you are expected to file the required paperwork with admissions. The deadline to
drop the class without a “W” is October 4 and the final day for drops is November 13, after which a
letter grade will be given for the course.
As a final note, this syllabus is subject to change at any time and an amended syllabus will be provided
at the earliest opportunity.
PLEASE NOTE:
This course contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws
and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of
the information contained in this course may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the
prior written permission of the author.
Course Topics and Readings
Below you will find the schedule for the quarter with the accompanying textbook readings.
The dates of the “lectures” are on a fixed schedule and will not change, but be sure to login regularly
to make sure you are current on your readings.
Week
Topic
Readings
1
2
3
4
5
6
Introduction and Class Orientation
Encounter
Colonial Crucible
Independence
Post Colonial Blues
Progress
MIDTERM EXAM
Neocolonialism
Nationalism
Revolution
Reaction
TERM PAPER DUE
Neoliberalism
FINAL EXAM
Syllabus, Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
(Chapters 1-6)
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
7
8
9
10
11
“12”
Chapter 11
(Chapters 7-11)
Discussion #10 - Reaction
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
10
Quiz #10 - Reaction
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
10
Born to Die in Medellin
Nov 28 by 11:59 pm
20
El Mozote Massacre
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
20
Term Paper Final Draft
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
200
Discussion #11 - Neoliberalism
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
10
Quiz #11 - Neoliberalism
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
10
Chicago Boys
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
20
Daily Lives of Women in Minas Gerais
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
20
Final Essay Examination
Dec 8 by 11:59pm
a
100
Discussion #10 - Reaction
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
10
Quiz #10 - Reaction
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
10
Born to Die in Medellin
Nov 28 by 11:59 pm
20
El Mozote Massacre
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
20
Term Paper Final Draft
Nov 28 by 11:59pm
200
Discussion #11 - Neoliberalism
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
10
Quiz #11 - Neoliberalism
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
10
Chicago Boys
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
20
Daily Lives of Women in Minas Gerais
Dec 5 by 11:59pm
20
Final Essay Examination
Dec 8 by 11:59pm
a
100
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