Spring 2008 Advance Course Information

This information effective for spring 2008. Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.

Latin American and Latino Studies

[ LALS-142A ]

Note: This syllabus is from 2007 and is subject to change.

142A Central America: Revolution, Intervention and Social Change

Instructor: Susanne Jonas
Office: Merrill 110, Wednesday 1-3 p.m., Th, 10-11 a.m., or by appointment
Phone: 9-3232 (office), 9-2855 (message)
E-mail: sjonas@ucsc.edu
Reader: Joe Preciado (jpreciad@ucsc.edu)

Course Description

This course (Gen Ed code E) aims to give students the broadest possible understanding of the situation in Central America during the last half century and today, with a particular focus on Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. It also covers Honduras and Costa Rica as a contrast (in part, to prepare students planning to go to Costa Rica for EAP). This course is designed to examine the region from the perspectives of the principal Central American actors and to explain the historical and socio-economic roots of the popular and revolutionary movements in Central America during the 1960s-80s. It also aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of U.S. policies in response to these insurgencies in the region—and to evaluate the results of the peace processes ending the civil wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as the challenges to the Left(s) to democratize their efforts to provide leadership.

Looking at post-war Central America (the late 1990s/early 2000s), the course will focus on the neoliberal free-trade strategies promoted by U.S. and the Central American elites—in particular, the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will be an ongoing news topic throughout the course—and sustainable development alternatives being proposed by social movements. In addition to contemporary issues of social violence, we shall focus on new social actors—highlighting the millions of Central American immigrants living in California and elsewhere in the US, their transnational links to their home countries and communities, and their contributions both to the countries of origin and to the US economy and society. Finally, U.S. policy in Central America during the 1980s will be related to currently unfolding U.S. actions world-wide (2003-05).

Course Materials and Resources

The required readings for the course are:

a course Reader

John Booth & Thomas Walker, Understanding Central America (3rd edition).

The Reader will be sold in class; the book is available for purchase at Bay Tree Bookstore.

Optional readings and other resources: Additional course materials and resources will include films, videos, tapes, and guest speakers (in person or on tape) from varying points of view – as well as a more complete list of recommended readings and films/videos.

Course Requirements and Evaluations

Required work, which forms the basis for evaluations, includes:

a take-home midterm examination;

a take-home final exam;

two other written assignments;

100 percent class attendance and active participation in class discussions/debates.

Students are expected to keep up with course readings, and to come well prepared to contribute to lively discussion and debate in the class, showing evidence of critical thinking.

NOTE: Class attendance is mandatory; all absences must be excused.

Topics/Sessions

NOTE: For readings included in each section of the Reader, see Reader Table of Contents.

I.    Overview of the Region; Historical Background and Roots of the Crises in Central America (April 5, 10)

Readings:

Th 4/5              B/W Chapters 1, 2, 3 *NOTE: Ch. 2, pp. 13-25 only
Tu 4/10            Reader, Sec. I

Readings:

Th 4/12          Reader, Sec. II, Jonas, and B/W/W Chapter 7
Tu 4/17          Reader, Sec. II thru Fauriol
Th 4/19          finish Reader, Sec. II

Film: Discovering Dominga

**NOTE: Special Guest Speaker, Prof. Karen Musalo, on “Femicide in Guatemala,” on Weds., May 9, 5-6:30, in Baobab Lounge – 142A students strongly encouraged to attend

III.    El Salvador: Origins of the Civil War, U.S. Involvement, the Peace Accords, and Post-War Situation (April 24, 26, May 1, 3)

         Readings:

Tu 4/24          Reader, Sec. III thru Arms Control Caucus
Th 4/26          B/W Chapters 4 (on El Salvador) and Chapter 7
Tu 5/1           finish Reader, Sec. III
Th 5/3           no new readings (midterm time)

         Th 4/28: FILM: Romero

**NOTE: My presentation on Guatemalan/Salvadoran Transregional Migrant Rights Organizing, on Tu, May 1, 5-6:30, in Baobab Lounge – 142A students invited to attend

Receive Midterm: Tuesday, May 1

Midterm Due: Tuesday, May 8, at beginning of class

IV.    Nicaragua: The Sandinista Revolution, the U.S.-sponsored Counterrevolution, the Post-Sandinista Era (May 8, 10, 15)

         Readings:

Tu 5/8            B/W Chapter 4 (on Nicaragua) and Chapter 6
Th 5/10          Reader, Sec. IV, through Abrams
Tu 5/15          finish Reader, Sec. IV

V.     Costa Rica and Honduras: Non-Revolutionary Countries (May 17, 22)

         Readings:

Th 5/17          B/W Chapters 4 (on Costa Rica and Honduras)
                     and Chapter 9

Th, 5/17: STUDENT EXTRA-CREDIT PRESENTATIONS ON COSTA RICA, HONDURAS

Tu, 5/22: GUEST SPEAKER: Prof. Mark Anderson (UCSC), on Garifuna in Honduras

VI.    United States Policy and Alternatives: The “New Cold War” and the Reagan Doctrine, the Central American Peace Process, and the Panama Invasion (May 22, 24, 29)

         Readings:

Tu 5/22          Reader, Sec. VI through Ikle (priority reading:                                Kirkpatrick)
Th 5/24          B/W, Chapter 10
Tu 5/29          finish Reader, Sec. VI

         Tu 5/17             Student Debate on U.S. Policy

         Tu 5/24             FILM: The Panama Deception

VII.   Post-War Central America in the Late 1990s and Early 21st Century: Neoliberal “Development” (CAFTA), Central American Migrants in the U.S., Contemporary Mayan Literature, and U.S. Policy Redux, 2003-05 (May 31, June 5, 7)

         Readings:

Th 5/31          begin Reader, Sec. VII
Tu 6/5            Reader, Sec. VII, Jonas through DeCesare
Th 6/7            finish Reader, Sec. VII 

Th, 5/26: Guest Speaker: Gloria Chacón: Contemporary Mayan Literature

Receive Final: June 7

Final Due: Wednesday, June 13, by 11:00 a.m., latest – NO EXTENSIONS

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