| Unit name | Contemporary Latin American History |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISP30069 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Brown |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Latin America is at the forefront of many of the world’s major challenges at the beginning of the twenty-first century, including climate change, social inequality, drug trafficking and the development of democracy. This unit explores the ways in which Latin American states are affected and how citizens have responded to them. It adopts a comparative framework in all cases. We will employ a range of primary sources to assist our analysis of the four main themes: from newspapers and online media, novels and films, through to the speeches of politicians, institutional documents, political manifestos and economic statistics.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit is the perfect way to bring your knowledge and understanding of Latin America up to date. It builds on foundational and conceptual work on Latin American history in previous years, as well as on broader historical units elsewhere. It will give you the skills and knowledge to understand election results, social movements, economic change and environmental challenges.
An overview of content
You will study human interventions in the environment from climate change to mining, and explore how these have changed in the last quarter-century through the development of neo-extractivism. You will explore recent political changes and election results, from the victories of populists like Jair Bolsonaro and Javier Milei to movements towards participatory democracy. You will consider the historical causes of social inequality and the contemporary failures to redress it. You will study and come to understand the development and consequences of illegal drug production and trafficking. Taken together you will perceive long- and medium-term trends in the contemporary Latin American history, and you will be aware of the attempts that are being made to change them.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
By studying the contemporary history of Latin America you will try to put yourself in the shoes of people who are affected by these changes, and to explain the causes and consequences of political and economic decision-makers. Would legal regulation of illegal narcotics reduce violence in Mexico and Colombia? Would curbs on mining activity in the Andes protect the livelihoods and wellbeing of indigenous peoples? Is populism ever the solution to social inequality or corruption? By considering these questions through the cases studies offered by contemporary Latin American history you may come to reconsider your own answers to the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including group seminar-style discussion and self-directed exercises.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The unit director will provide informal feedback on attendance and participation in seminars, knowledge of sources set for discussion in class, and engagement with the themes of the unit. In seminars we will do 3 exercises that will be similar to the work required in summative assessment questions, and feedback will be provided.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Policy report, 3000 words (50%) [ILOs 1-3]
Written exam, 2 hours (50%) analysing and contextualising some unseen primary sources from contemporary Latin America [ILOs 1-3]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HISP30069).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
