Dirty War," and Democracy in Latin America Spring 2018
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History 350L/ LAS 366 Dictatorship, "Dirty War," and Democracy in Latin America Spring 2018 Instructor: Seth Garfield [email protected] Parlin 302 T/Th 3:30-5:00 Unique #39035/ 40095 Office Hours: Thursday, 1:00-3:00, Garrison 2.120, or by appointment Course Description: This course explores the breakdown of democratic governments in South America in the 1960s and 1970s and the emergence of bureaucratic authoritarian regimes committed to economic restructuring, political demobilization, and the abrogation of civil liberties. It examines the use of torture, disappearances, and other counterinsurgency methods by Latin American military officials, as well as various forms of resistance, including guerrilla warfare. Finally, it looks at the transition to democratic rule, efforts to reconstruct civil society and forge political reconciliation, and the struggle for justice among the victims and families of victims of human rights abuses. The course focuses on the histories of the nations of the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay) and seeks to address a number of questions. Why did some of the most "developed" nations in Latin America succumb to such repressive governments? How did authoritarian regimes legitimize their rule? How do historians make sense of the atrocities committed? In what ways did citizens resist or acquiesce in the policies of military governments? What role did the United States play in offering economic, political, and military assistance to military dictatorships? Which factors spurred the military to relinquish power and what has been the nature of the transition to democratic rule? How can social justice be best achieved in societies that experienced such trauma? How is this period of Latin American history remembered? Course Objectives *Students will expand their knowledge of the Cold War history of Latin America and the United States; the nature of authoritarian regimes; the history of human rights; and the challenges of transitional justice *Students will hone their analytical skills *Students will improve their research, writing, and organizational skills Flags: Global Cultures: This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should 1 therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present. Writing: This course carries the Writing flag. Writing flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you will write regularly during the semester, and a substantial portion of your grade is based on your written work. Independent Inquiry Bearing the Independent Inquiry Flag, this course challenges students to integrate skills and knowledge they have acquired over the semester in writing an independent research paper. Course Requirements: Class Participation (12%) Students are expected to participate regularly in class discussions and to act respectfully towards one another. Did you come across a challenging concept, interesting fact, troubling historical incident, or even a new vocabulary word in your readings that you’d like to tell us about? Good! I will be calling on several students (unannounced) at the beginning of each class to share one or two such impressions with the rest of us. Not so much a “pop quiz” as an opportunity for you to expand your intellectual horizons and engage with your peers. Attendance Students are allowed no more than two unexcused absences over the course of the semester. Students with more than two unexcused absences will suffer a significant reduction in their grade for class participation. Aside from failure to attend class, the following will also count as an unexcused absence: arriving at class more than fifteen minutes late or leaving prior to the termination of class (without the permission of the instructor). Gadgets The use of laptops, phones, and other personal electronic equipment is not permitted in this class. 2 Written Assignments (5) and Due Dates 1. The first paper (3 pp., double-spaced) will use at least three assigned sources to discuss three factors that contributed to the downfall of the Allende government. (15%) (January 30) 2. The second paper (3 pp., double-spaced) will place the life of one of the victims or perpetrators of the Argentine Dirty War within larger historical context. Aside from the biographical information provided in the report Nunca Más, students will need to consult secondary literature to contextualize Argentine military ideology and objectives. The goal of this assignment is to explore the intersection between an individual life story and the larger social context in which s/he operates. Nunca Más has been placed on 2-hr reserve at the Benson Latin American Library Students will present their findings in class. (15%) (February 27) 3. The third paper (3 pp., double-spaced) will use three assigned readings to discuss the relationship(s) between gender and politics under military rule. (15%) (March 29) 4. Two short response papers (each 2 pp., double-spaced). Students will be divided into 5 groups (G1-G5) for the duration of the semester. Students in each group must respond to their two assigned questions in the syllabus. (10%) (Dates vary according to group) Students must revise and resubmit one of these 2-page papers, responding to critical feedback. The resubmission is due no more than week after the return of the orginal paper. The final grade for that assignment will be based on the average of the original and revised papers. 5. Final research paper (8 pp.). Students will conduct independent research on any topic related to the broader themes of the course, such as the advent of military rule; public policies under military dictatorships; human rights; redemocratization; and transitional justice. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the instructor in advance to discuss their proposed paper topic. Students must use a minimum of four sources in their research, but only one can be an assigned reading from the course. (33%) (May 8) Late submissions of any of the assignments will be penalized with the deduction of half a grade per day. Extra Credit: Students will have the opportunity to earn up to five points of extra credit (points are applicable to any one of the three-page paper assignments). To earn extra credit, students must connect or compare historical materials from the course with 3 contemporary news events. Connection or comparison is understood as either a news reference (or follow-up) to specific material from the course that is related to the Southern Cone; or a historical comparison drawn by the student from any country to the themes explored in this course. To qualify, students must first confirm eligibiilty with the instructor; if the project is approved, the student will be assigned a date on which to present the research. Students will present their findings (5 minutes) at the beginning of class and submit their work as well in writing in the form of a two-page paper. Evaluation Rubric Students’ papers will be graded according to the following criteria: analysis, substantiation, organization, and writing style. In addition, to ensure evidence-based writing, the final essay will also be evaluated according to adherence to the proper citation format for footnotes and bibliography as outlined in The Chicago Manual of Style. Abridged guidelines from the CMS have been uploaded to Canvas. University Policies Academic Integrity Students are expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code: “As a student of The University of Texas at Austin, I shall abide by the core values of the University and uphold academic integrity.” Plagiarism is taken very seriously at UT. Therefore, if you use words or ideas that are not your own (or that you have used in previous class), you must cite your sources. Otherwise you will be guilty of plagiarism and subject to academic disciplinary action, including failure of the course. You are responsible for understanding UT’s Academic Honesty and the University Honor Code which can be found at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php Services for Students with Disabilities This class respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. If there are circumstances that make our learning environment and activities difficult, if you have medical information that you need to share with me, or if you need specific arrangements in case the building needs to be evacuated, please let me know. I will maintain the confidentiality of these discussions. If appropriate, also contact Services for Students with Disabilities, 512-471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329- 3986 (video phone). http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/about/ Counseling and Mental Health Center If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/individualcounseling.html The Sanger Learning Center Did you know that more than one-third of UT undergraduate students use the Sanger 4 Learning Center each year to improve their academic performance? All students are welcome to take advantage of Sanger Center’s classes and workshops, private learning specialist appointments, peer academic coaching, and tutoring for more than 70 courses in 15 different subject areas. For more information, please visit http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc or call 512-471-3614 (JES A332). 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