Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-4; Thursdays 12-1:30; Or by Appt

Latin America I 516-211 / Fall 2009 Tues.-Thurs. 11-12:20 212 Armitage Hall

Prof. Lorrin Thomas 317 Armitage Hall 856-225-2656 [email protected] office hours: Tuesdays 3-4; Thursdays 12-1:30; or by appt.

In this course we will trace the history of the vast region of Latin America – consisting of more than twenty separate nations today – over the course of almost 400 years, beginning around the time of Columbus’s first voyage and ending with the era of the “wars of independence” in the early 1800s. We will explore how “Latin America” was born during the violent and confusing period of discovery and conquest; how contact among European settlers, native peoples, and enslaved Africans shaped social and political life in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies; how systems of labor as well as church and political institutions structured the lives of peoples in the region; and how political change and the “revolutionary moment” in the late 1700s resulted in the birth of more than twenty independent nations throughout the region by 1830. We will also explore, at the end of the course, how the colonial legacy continues to haunt Latin America even into the 21st century. By the end of the course, you will have gained an understanding not only of what happened in Latin America, but also an understanding of why that history developed the way it did.

The course is structured around a combination of lectures and discussion of the readings. Attendance is mandatory. You should have the reading for the week done by Tuesday, since it will help you to understand the lectures better. To encourage people to keep up with the reading and to do it on time, I will give a short quiz at the beginning of class each Tuesday. The writing requirements include one document analysis essay and two take-home essay exams.

Required books:

The following books are required, and are available for purchase from the University District Bookstore:

Keen and Haynes, History of Latin America, volume I Boyer and Spurling, Colonial Lives Andrien, ed., The Human Tradition in Latin America

OTHER REQUIRED READINGS: There are several additional required readings that you must download from the online course reserves through the Robeson Library homepage (click on “find reserves,” then follow prompts). These readings are marked with a “[Res]” notation on the syllabus. Assignments and Grades Preparation for class: quizzes on readings. 20% All readings are mandatory. There will be a short, 10-point quiz either Tuesday or Thursday at the beginning of class, to ensure that people are reading carefully enough to contribute to discussions of the readings. There are no make-ups for quizzes. I will drop the lowest of 11 quiz grades.

Preparation for class: discussions of the readings (and, of course, attendance ). 20% We will regularly discuss the assigned documents and essays and the films we view in class. I will post a “reading and discussion guide” on the course website to help you determine what to focus on as you read. The quality and frequency of your engagement in discussions will determine this part of your final grade. Students will be penalized for each absence, with 2 points per absence deducted from the final grade. Lateness will be counted as absence at the instructor’s discretion.

Document analysis. 15% You will write a 3 page essay analyzing a historical document. I will hand out the document and instructions on Thurs. Sept. 10. Due in my history dept. mailbox on Friday, Sept. 18.

Midterm essay. 20% For this take-home midterm exam, I will distribute a set of 3 questions, from which you will choose one to answer in five pages. You will be required to cite readings in your response. I will distribute the questions and instructions on Tues. Oct. 13. Due in my history dept. mailbox on Monday, Oct. 19.

Take-home final Exam. 25% On Monday, Dec. 14, I will distribute a list of essay questions from which you must select two to answer, 4-5 pages each. Due in my history dept. mailbox on Thursday, Dec. 17.

Course Policies Phones and computers: Use of a laptop for note-taking must be cleared with me first. Your phone must remain silent and out of sight during class time. This includes texting under your desk, of course. If I see you using a phone during class more than one time, you will receive a failing grade (F) for class participation. It is also unacceptable to leave the classroom to use your phone. Plan to use the bathroom before class so that you do not disrupt class by leaving in the middle. Absences and lateness: Attendance is required at every class meeting; lateness will be counted as absence at my discretion. Each absence will result in a 2-point deduction in the final average for the course. Plagiarism: You are required to familiarize yourself with the university’s policies on proper use and citation of sources, and on academic integrity in general. Any use of another person’s work in your own writing must be properly cited. Failure to conform to academic integrity guidelines will result in referral of the case to the Dean’s office; the usual penalties in such instances range from a failing grade in the course to suspension (or even expulsion) from the university. http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/RUCAM/info/Academic-Integrity-Policy.html SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND READINGS

Week 1: Sept. 1 Course Introduction: Latin America in the World

UNIT I: OLD WORLDS

Sept. 3 Old Worlds: The Americas Before “The Encounter” READING: Keen and Haynes, 1-27

Week 2: Sept. 10 Old Worlds: The Americas Before “The Encounter” NOTE: THERE IS NO CLASS ON TUESDAY SEPT. 8 (Monday classes only) READING: Keen and Haynes, 27-33 Mann, 1491, “A View From Above” [Res]

Week 3: Sept. 15 & 17 Old Worlds: Europe in the 15th-16th Century READING: Keen and Haynes, 35-50 Werner, “Limpieza de Sangre,” from the Encyclopedia of Mexico [Res] A Pope Rewards “So Salutary and Laudable A Work” (1455) [Res]

UNIT II: ENCOUNTERS AND CONQUESTS

Week 4: Sept. 22 & 24 First Contacts READING: Keen and Haynes, 51-60 Olivia Harris, “The Coming of the White People” [Res] Christopher Columbus, “Letter on the New World” (1493) [Res]

Week 5: Sept. 29 & Oct. 1 Conquests READING: Keen and Haynes, 60-74 Mann, 1491, “In the Land of Four Quarters” [Res]

Week 6: Oct. 6 & 8 The “Columbian Exchange” READING: Alchon, chapters 2, 3, 5 [Res]

UNIT III: INSTITUTIONS OF COLONIAL ORDER

Week 7: Oct. 13 & 15 Governance and Labor Systems (Colonial Institutions I) READING: Keen and Haynes, 75-94, 118-130 Boyer and Spurling, Introduction; ch. 1; ch. 2 The Requirement, 1513 [Res] The New Laws of the Indies, 1542 [Res] Week 8: Oct. 20 & 22 The Catholic Church and Conversion (Colonial Institutions II) READING: Keen and Haynes, 95-106 Andrien, Diego de Ocaña, Holy Wanderer, 121-139 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 3 and ch. 4 Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala’s Appeal Concerning the Priests, Peru (c. 1615) [Res]

Week 9: Oct. 27 & 29 Indian Intermediaries: Accommodation and Resistance READING: Andrien, 1-34, 51-63, 140-163

UNIT IV: COLONIAL SOCIETIES

Week 10: Nov. 3 & 5 Race and Color, Class and Honor READING: Keen and Haynes, 106-113 Andrien, 64-103 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 12 Boyer, “Honor Among Plebians” [Res]

Week 11: Nov. 10 & 12 Gender, Honor, and Church READING: Andrien, 35-50; 229-240 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 15 and ch. 17 Spurling, “Honor, Sexuality, and the Colonial Church” [Res] Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s Letter to Sor Filotea [Res]

Week 12: Nov. 17 Inquisition and Conflict in the Mid-colonial Period NO CLASS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 – Thanksgiving holiday READING: Keen and Haynes, 131-149 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 13 and ch. 14

UNIT V: REBELLION AND REVOLUTION

Week 13: Nov. 24 & 26 Reforming the Empire and Resisting the Colonial Order READING: Keen and Haynes, 131-156 Andrien, 189-228 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 16

Week 14: Dec. 1 & 3 Resisting the Colonial Order, continued: The Haitian Revolution and Movements of Independence READING: Andrien, 241-258, 259-277 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 20 and ch. 22 Week 15: Dec. 8 & 10 Toward Independence in Spanish America READING: Keen and Haynes, 157-175 Andrien, 278-307 Boyer and Spurling, ch. 23

TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAM due on Thursday, December 17 in my history department mailbox, 369 Armitage Hall.