LACS 5000 W: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Latin American and Caribbean Studies
HIST 5713 W (Crosslisted): Latin America and Caribbean History Special Topics
MGDS 5002 C (Crosslisted): Key Issues in Migration and Diaspora Studies
Winter 2023
Instructor: Professor Audra Diptée
Course Description
This interdisciplinary graduate seminar introduces students to Latin American and Caribbean social and political thought. Its goal is to explore the ways in which peoples from the region have perceived, articulated, and responded to the challenges they faced from the eighteenth century to the current day.
This seminar is also designed to support students as they advance their intended Masters level research projects. It does this through both its content coverage content as well as by providing students with specific strategies for research and project development.
The seminar is organized around the following three elements:
- It introduces students to Latin American and Caribbean social and political thought. Readings will explore the ways in which people from the region have perceived, articulated, and responded to the challenges they faced when confronted by the realities of colonialism and imperialism.
- It explores the ways in which colonialism and imperialism have shaped the trajectory of Latin America and the Caribbean through an analysis of various case studies. In so doing, students will be better prepared to apply theoretical and methodological approaches that will enable critical and sophisticated analyses of discourses produced in various public arenas that are relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean.
- It guides students through the early stages of the Masters level research project development. The course will cover specific techniques for developing a research project and writing a Masters level research proposal on a topic addressing Latin America and the Caribbean. The course assignments give students an opportunity to begin the preliminary work of defining the research projects they intend to pursue during the Masters program. Please note: Students taking this course out of general interest (i.e., not specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean) will be given other options for the written assignments.
Class Format
We will meet once a week in a three-hour block.
Course Evaluation
Students will be evaluated based on written assignments and their participation in the weekly seminar. For students pursuing Masters projects with topics directly related to Latin America and the Caribbean, the assignments will be designed to help them advance and refine their thinking on their intended research topics. Students taking this course out of general interest (i.e., not specializing in Latin America and the Caribbean) will be given other options for the written assignments.
Further instructions, strategies, and expectations for the course will be made available on Brightspace.