Latin American Studies

This course discusses memory and human rights from the perspective of Chilean literary and cultural production of the dictatorial and post-dictatorial period. It reviews some of the most important works published and performed within the last four decades. Selections include three main literary genres each week: the novel, poetry, and theater/film. The discussion of these materials also includes theoretical studies about the period in question and the importance and difficulties of human rights and memory as social practices.

This course has been designed to introduce English-speaking students to social health, public health, and primary health care emphasizing particular characteristics of the Caribbean region, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The course follows an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to individual and community health by means of social and medical science concepts that allow for critical and logical analysis of health determinants and their impact on people's health, health system's organization and functions, and the health-illness scheme that contextualizes health based on cultural characteristics.

This course provides a study of the process of formation and development of social thought in Latin America, from the establishment of nation states to the present day. It analyzes prevailing conceptual frameworks that examine the problems of greatest cultural, economic, political and social significance of Latin America. It looks at the process of evolution in its historical context, analyzing the most representative examples of each stage of its development and discussing their degree of reliability or uncertainty for the diagnosis of political, social, and economic problems of Latin America.

This course examines the main historical events of the region from the beginning of the 19th century. It covers the various controversies surrounding the population of the sub-continent and analyzes the formation of large pre-Columbian civilizations. This part of the course explores the population that preceded the Tawantinsuyu in the Andres and the Empire of the Triple Alliance in Mexico, often dismissed in the analysis. It examines the consequences of the arrival of the Spanish and the Portuguese by considering the large events of the "Conquest" and colonization.

This seminar course invites guest lecturers to present on a variety of interdisciplinary topics pertinent to contemporary Brazil including: Brazilian culture, history, and music; BRICS and International Relations; democracy; migration; race relations; environmental issues; urban planning; education. Excursions to relevant locations throughout Rio de Janeiro are included to build on topics discussed in class.

Using a variety of texts and genres as case studies (including the short story, novel, theater, and poetry), this course explores the way in which 20th-century writers in the Hispanic world have reflected upon their social and cultural realities. Through an examination of new aesthetic trends and new treatments of stock themes such as religion, politics, and love, it appraises the very characteristics of modern Latin American and Peninsular Spanish cultures.

This course provides a first approximation to the study of Latin American politics, encompassing a wide range of topics in international relations and comparative politics. Although intended as a survey of main political science debates, the course also imparts basic knowledge about the culture, geography, and history of the region. It therefore follows a chronological ordering of topics to answer questions such as (1) How did colonial history shape politics in the region? (2) How did current national states form and consolidate? (3) How did political regimes and political parties evolve in two centuries of independent history? (4) Why is Latin America, simultaneously the most peaceful region considering international violence, and the most violent at the domestic level? (5) Which are the main challenges to political stability, economic growth, and development? The spirit of the course is  to identify how Latin America can contribute to broader theories as well.