POLI 134AA Introduction to Latin American Politics

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POLI 134AA

Introduction to Latin American Politics

Course Syllabus Summer Session I, 2021

Course Description Latin America is a world region of deep inequalities and contentious

politics. This course introduces students to broad topics in Latin American politics, including the legacy of colonialism, race and gender relations, military rule and human rights abuses, and economic policy. The course readings, discussions and assignments should help students gain basic familiarity with Latin America while reflecting about broad and diverse topics in social science.

Instructor Leo Falabella ([email protected]) Schedule your office hours appointment: https://bit.ly/3aCiN07

Learning Outcomes After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate basic knowledge of Latin American geography and society. 2. Discuss broad topics in Latin American politics (e.g., how racial and gender hierarchies

are imposed and contested across Latin American countries.) 3. Develop an argument about politics in Latin America, drawing connections between

issue areas or comparisons between countries.

Course Format The course will be taught entirely remotely, with synchronous and asynchronous options. We have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-12:30pm. You can earn your discussion credit by (1) attending class and participating in class discussions or (2) participating through the Canvas discussion board.

Lectures, Course Materials, and Assignments Course materials and assignment submissions will be posted on Canvas. All assignments will be turned in via Canvas.

https://canvas.ucsd.edu/courses/28469

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Please be sure to explore and familiarize yourself with the course Canvas page.

Classes: • Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-12:30pm (Link) • Passcode: 0705 • Classes will be recorded and posted on Canvas.

Assignments and Grading Discussion (15%): In every class starting on Thursday, July 1, we will discuss questions pertaining to the topic of the day. Every student who shows up to class and contributes to discussion at least once will earn discussion credit for that class. The discussion questions for each class will be posted on Canvas. Students who do not show up have the option of contributing to class discussion through the Canvas discussion board, up until one hour before the class starts. I will grade posts on the discussion board on a complete/incomplete basis, grading posts as “complete” so long as I see evidence that you made a reasonable effort to contribute to class discussion. I will not deduct points if you say something inaccurate. I will drop your lowest discussion score, so that you have a “pass” to miss class and not submit anything one time without hurting your course grade. Quizzes (15%): For each class starting on Thursday, July 1, you will take a quiz 5-7 with multiple-choice questions on the assigned material of the day (reading, movie, or both) and on basic Latin American geography. Anyone who reads/watches the assigned material will be able to answer all questions on the assigned material. For the geography questions, you will be able to look up a map while taking the quiz so you can easily get the right answers. The purpose of these quizzes is to make sure that everyone reads/watches the assigned material and finishes the course with basic knowledge of Latin American geography. Quizzes will be timed at 15-20 minutes, and you will have until 10 minutes before the start of each class to complete each quiz. I will drop your lowest quiz score, so that only the grades of your best eight quizzes will count towards your course grade. Office hours meetings (10%): Every student is required to schedule at least two office hours meetings. The first meeting should be in the first two weeks of the course (June 28 – July 9) and its primary goal is to allow you to introduce yourselves and tell me about your academic and professional interests and expectations for the course. The second meeting should be in the third or fourth week (July 12-23). The goal of the second meeting is to discuss your ideas for your final essay and allow me to give you recommendations of sources and approaches. You only need to attend two meetings to earn credit. You can schedule your office hours appointment by clicking here. If these time slots do not work for you, please send me an email at [email protected] and we will set up another time. Final essay (50%): The summative assessment of the course will be a 500-word essay due on Saturday, July 31. For your final essay, you will have two options:

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• Option 1: choose two topics from the course and develop an argument about how these topics are connected. Examples:

o How Latin America’s insertion in the world economy relate to democratic backsliding in the region today (Classes 6 and 10.)

o How colonial exploitation helps us understand racial inequalities in Latin America (Classes 2 and 3.)

o The overlap between gender and race in Latin American politics (Classes 3 and 7.) • Option 2: choose one topic from the course and develop an argument about how Latin

America (either the region as a whole or a specific country) compares to a country or world region of your choice, or how two Latin American countries compare to each other. Examples:

o Gender and politics in Latin America vs. China (Class 7.) o Military rule in Brazil vs. Chile (Class 5.) o Democratic backsliding in Latin America vs. the U.S. (Class 10.) o The legacy of colonialism in Latin America vs. Sub-Saharan Africa (Class 2.)

If you choose option 2, I strongly advise you to choose a country or region of the world you are already familiar with and would know in advance what sources to draw upon. Final essay outline (10%): Students must submit an outline of the final essay due Saturday, July 24 (one week before the final essay deadline). An outline is a document with bullet points with broad descriptions of what you plan to write in each paragraph of your essay. You do not have to write your final essay in strict accordance with your outline but submitting an outline in advance should help you write a better essay: it will force you to think ahead of time and allow me to give you feedback. Our second office hour meetings should happen before you turn in your outline, which should help you in the process. You will earn full credit so long as I see evidence that you made a reasonable effort to complete your outline. Opportunity for extra credit: Students who consistently go above and beyond in their contributions to class discussion will earn extra credit. Students who participate synchronously can earn extra credit by consistently answering multiple questions in class or posting on the discussion board besides participating in class. Students who participate asynchronously can earn extra credit by consistently answering multiple questions on the discussion board or commenting on other students’ posts besides answering questions directly.

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Summary of Grade Criteria Assignment Weight Due Dates

Discussion 15%

Students who attend class and contribute to class discussion at least once will automatically earn credit. Students who do not attend class will have until one hour before the start of class to contribute to class discussion on Canvas.

Quizzes 15% Ten minutes before the class starts.

Office hours meetings 10% Meeting 1: Anytime between June 28 – July 9. Meeting 2: Anytime between July 12-23.

Final essay outline 10% Saturday, July 24.

Final essay 50% Saturday, July 31.

100%

Grading Procedures and Grade Appeal Policy I will only consider regrade requests submitted within a week of you receiving your score.

• Quizzes: Quizzes will be made entirely of multiple-choice questions and they will be graded automatically. All quiz questions will be submitted into Canvas by me. I may make mistakes when submitting questions—a correct answer could be marked as incorrect, and vice-versa. If you believe that this is happening on your quiz, please take a screenshot and email it to me ([email protected]). I will review it and fix the quiz (and your grade) if needed.

• Assignments: All other assignments will be graded by me, and grading mistakes can happen. If you believe that there is a mistake in how your assignment was graded, please write me an email with a regrade request. Your regrade request must include a paragraph explaining why you think you deserve a better grade.

Late Submission Policy I will waive penalties and accept late submissions for students who present documentation (e.g., a medical note).

• Final essay outline (deadline: July 24): 15% grade penalty per day late. No submissions will be accepted after Wednesday, July 28.

• Final essay (deadline: July 31): No late submissions will be accepted. • Office hours meetings: Half credit for office hours meetings scheduled after the deadline. • Quizzes and discussion: No late submissions will be accepted.

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A Typical Week in This Course

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

10am: Post on discussion board due (for students who do not attend class) 10:50am: Quiz due 11am-12:30pm: Class 12:40-2pm: Office hours slots

3-5pm: Office hours slots

10am: Post on discussion board due (for students who do not attend class) 10:50am: Quiz due 11am-12:30pm: Class 12:40-2pm: Office hours slots

9-11am: Office hours slots

Recommended: Finish the readings/movie and take the quiz for Tuesday.

Recommended: Get started with the reading/movie for Thursday.

Recommended: Finish the reading/movie and take the quiz for Thursday.

Recommended: Get started with the readings/movie for Tuesday.

Recommended: Continue working on the readings/movie for Tuesday.

Course Timeline

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Office Hours Meeting 1 Office Hours Meeting 2 Final Essay Outline Due Final Essay Due

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Course Schedule Please note that the course schedule may be changed. All readings and movies are available on Canvas. Class 1: About the Course (Tuesday, June 29) In our first meeting, we discuss practical aspects about the course. Readings, assignments, grades, and class policy. Required reading: The course syllabus. Class 2: Historical Roots of Inequality (Thursday, July 1) Latin America has historically rooted, deep-seated inequalities that date back to the modes of labor exploitation under colonialism. In this class, we discuss how labor exploitation under colonialism continues to shape racial, gender, and income inequalities to this day. Required reading: de Ferranti, David, Guillermo E. Perry, Francisco Ferreira, and Michael Walton. 2004. Inequality

in Latin America. The World Bank. Pages 77-93 and 109-122. Link Supplemental reading: Bruhn, Miriam, and Francisco A. Gallego. 2012. “Good, Bad, and Ugly Colonial Activities: Do They

Matter for Economic Development?” Review of Economics and Statistics 94(2): 433–61. Link Class 3: Racial Inequality Then and Now (Tuesday, July 6) Many Latin American countries show a common pattern where severe racial disparities were swept under the rug in mainstream political discourse. This metaphorical “rug” is made of myths of national unity, ethnic homogeneity, and racial democracy. In this class, we discuss the politics of race in Latin America. Required reading: Yashar, Deborah J. 2015. “Does Race Matter in Latin America?” Foreign Affairs. Link Required movie: Brazil: A Racial Paradise? Directed by Ricardo Pollack. PBS, 2011. Link Supplemental reading: Wade, Peter. 2010. “Blacks and Indigenous People in Latin America.” In Race and Ethnicity in

Latin America, Pluto Press, 24–40. Link Class 4: The Cuban Revolution in Film (Thursday, July 8)

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In this class, we discuss an award-winning 1968 Cuban movie, set on the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. Memories of Underdevelopment centers on a bourgeois middle-aged man who, unlike his family and friends, refuses to flee to Florida after the Bay of Pigs invasion. Beyond the background of the early years of Castro’s regime, Memories of Underdevelopment approaches several aspects of Latin American culture and society. Required movie: Memories of Underdevelopment. Directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. The Criterion Collection, 1968. Link Supplemental reading: Jelly-Schapiro, Joshua. 2018. “Memories of Underdevelopment: Imaging History.” The Criterion

Collection. Link Class 5: Latin America in the Cold War: Military Rule (Tuesday, July 13) During the Cold War, several Latin American countries experienced US-backed military coups. Such military coups often led to long-lasting dictatorships with extensive records of human rights abuses. In this class, we discuss the causes and legacies of Latin America’s military dictatorships. Required reading: Pereira, Anthony. 2012. “Human Rights and Military Abuses.” In Routledge Handbook of Latin

American Politics, eds. Peter Kingstone and Deborah J. Yashar. London, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Group. Link

Required movie: Machuca. Directed by Andrés Wood. Menemsha Films, 2005. Link Class 6: Latin American Politics and the World Economy (Thursday, July 15) Latin American economies have been historically volatile to fluctuations in world markets. In this class, we discuss the political implications of Latin American’s insertion in the world economy. Required reading: Campello, Daniela, and Cesar Zucco. 2015. “Presidential Success and the World Economy.” The

Journal of Politics 78(2): 589–602. Link Class 7: Gender and Politics (Tuesday, July 20) How have feminist movements contested Latin America’s historical gender hierarchy, and how does the politics of gender intersect with that of race? In this class, we discuss a handbook entry with an overview of the region, as well as a manifesto by Brazil’s Black feminist scholar Lélia Gonzalez. Required reading:

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Baldez, Lisa. 2012. “Gender.” In Routledge Handbook of Latin American Politics, eds. Peter Kingstone and Deborah J. Yashar. London, United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Group. Link

Required reading: Gonzalez, Lélia. 1988. “For an Afro-Latin American Feminism.” Link Supplemental movie: The Suffragists: Political Struggles for Women in Mexico. Directed by Ana Cruz. EPF Media, Inc.,

2012. Link Class 8: The Washington Consensus and Neoliberal Reforms (Thursday, July 22) For much of the late twentieth century, economic policy in Latin America was dominated by neoliberal economic policy prescriptions that came to be defined as the Washington Consensus (WC). These policy prescriptions included fiscal discipline, privatization, and deregulation. In this class, we discuss the implementation of these policies in Latin America. Required reading: Panizza, Francisco. 2013. Contemporary Latin America: Development and Democracy beyond the

Washington Consensus. Zed Books Ltd. Chapter 1 (pages 9-30.) Class 9: The Inclusionary Turn (Tuesday, July 27) Starting in the 1990s and intensifying in the early twenty-first century, several Latin American countries implemented policies to address racial inequalities, new channels of participation, and redistributive social policies. In this class, we discuss the origins and legacies of Latin America’s inclusionary turn. Required reading: Kapiszewski, Diana, Steven Levitsky, and Deborah J. Yashar. 2021. “Inequality, Democracy, and

the Inclusionary Turn in Latin America.” In The Inclusionary Turn in Latin American Democracies, eds. Diana Kapiszewski, Steven Levitsky, and Deborah J. Yashar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Link

Supplemental reading: Panizza, Francisco. 2013. Contemporary Latin America: Development and Democracy beyond the

Washington Consensus. Zed Books Ltd. Pages 178-193 and 200-224 Class 10: Democratic Backsliding (Thursday, July 29) The world has witnessed widespread assaults on the democracy, most of which happen through actions of legitimately elected governments rather than coups. This gradual weakening of democracy is what we know as democratic backsliding, a worldwide phenomenon that includes several Latin American countries. In this class, we discuss democratic backsliding in Brazil and Venezuela.

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Required reading: Haggard, Stephan, and Robert Kaufman. 2021. Backsliding: Democratic Regress in the

Contemporary World. 1st ed. Cambridge University Press. Appendix. Choose one between Brazil (pages 43-55) and Venezuela (257-269).

Course Schedule Summary

Class Topic Required Reading(s)/Movie

1 About the Course Course syllabus

2 Historical Roots of Inequality Read de Ferranti et al. (2004), pages 77-93 and 109-122

3 Racial Inequality Then and Now Read Yashar (2015) Watch Brazil: A Racial Paradise? (2011)

4 The Cuban Revolution in Film Watch Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)

5 Latin America in the Cold War: Military Rule

Read Pereira (2012) Watch Machuca (2005)

6 Latin American Politics and the World Economy

Read Campello and Zucco (2015)

7 Gender and Politics Read Baldez (2012) Read Gonzalez (1988)

8 The Washington Consensus and Neoliberal Reforms

Read Panizza (2013), pages 9-30

9 The Inclusionary Turn Read Kapiszewski et al. (2021)

10 Democratic Backsliding Read Haggard and Kaufman (2021), pages 43-52 (Brazil) or 257-269 (Venezuela)

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Instructor

Please call me Leo! Although I am an instructor, I am neither a Doctor nor a Professor (I hopefully will be some day.) We can keep the titles and honorifics to our professors.

Leo Falabella PhD Candidate Department of Political Science I am a PhD Candidate in Political Science at UCSD. I was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and study class and religion in Brazilian politics. Before coming to UCSD, I received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of São Paulo. As a good Brazilian, I enjoy watching soccer and I still follow my team, Clube Atlético Mineiro. If I were good at soccer, I would have become a professional player. But I am not, so here I am getting my PhD. Schedule your office hours appointment: https://bit.ly/3aCiN07 If these time slots do not work for you, please email me at [email protected] to set up another time.

Teaching Philosophy Evidence from the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) shows that learning accumulates gradually and with practice, in a way that having recurring, smaller assignments throughout the course leads to better learning than a single, long assignment.1 Given this evidence, this course includes multiple quizzes with reading checks, emphasizes participation throughout the course, and incentivizes students to start working on the final project ahead of time by writing an outline. The literature also has evidence supporting the value of one-on-one teaching,2 especially for writing assignments.3 Therefore, the course dedicates time to one-on-one meetings to help students write better essays.

1 Ambrose, Susan A., Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett, Marie K. Norman, and Richard E. Mayer.

2010. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. Hoboken, UNITED STATES: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucsd/detail.action?docID=529947.

2 Grasha, Anthony F. 2002. “The Dynamics of One-on-One Teaching.” College Teaching 50(4): 139–46. 3 Brimlow, Allie, and Sarah Heiss. 2015. “Affinity Seeking in the Writing Center: An Analysis of One-on-One Tutoring

Sessions.” UVM Honors College Senior Theses. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/68.

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Course Materials and Tools Overall Course Expectations

What you can do to support your success in the course:

What the instructional team will do to support your success in the course:

Read the syllabus and stay current with course information

Be prepared and bring my enthusiasm for teaching to each session.

Keep up with readings and movies, as each one builds on the previous one.

Respond to emails within one working day, and provide timely feedback on assignments

/ submissions.

Contribute to the learning environment with fairness, cooperation, and professionalism.

Establish a learning environment with fairness, cooperation and professionalism, and will take action if these principles are

violated.

Treat your classmates and myself honestly and ethically.

Treat you honestly and ethically, and will address any concerns you might have.

Commit to excel with integrity. Have the courage to act in ways that are honest, fair,

responsible, respectful & trustworthy.

Uphold integrity standards and create an atmosphere that fosters active learning, creativity, critical thinking, and honest

collaboration.

Manage your time, so you can stay on track with the course and complete tasks on time.

Only assign work that is vital to the course, and will work to meet the standard credit

hour allotment for the course.

Communicate with me if you determine that a deadline cannot be met due to extenuating

circumstances.

Consider requests for adjustments and will make reasonable exceptions available to all

students when approved.

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Resources for Support and Learning

Learning and Academic Support

Ask a Librarian: Library Support Chat or make an appointment with a librarian to focus on your research needs Course Reserves, Connecting from Off-Campus and Research Support Find supplemental course materials First Gen Student Success Coaching Program Peer mentor program that provides students with information, resources, and support in meeting their goals Office of Academic Support & Instructional Services (OASIS) Intellectual and personal development support

Writing Hub Services in the Teaching + Learning Commons One-on-one online writing tutoring and workshops on key writing topics Supplemental Instruction Peer-assisted study sessions through the Academic Achievement Hub to improve success in historically challenging courses Tutoring – Content Drop-in and online tutoring through the Academic Achievement Hub Tutoring – Learning Strategies Address learning challenges with a metacognitive approach

Support for Well-being and Inclusion

Basic Needs at UCSD Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live is encouraged to contact: [email protected] | [email protected] | (858) 246-2632 Counseling and Psychological Services Confidential counseling and consultations for psychiatric service and mental health programming Triton Concern Line Report students of concern: (858) 246-1111 Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) Supports students with disabilities and accessibility across campus

Community and Resource Centers Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion As part of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion the campus community centers provide programs and resources for students and contribute toward the evolution of a socially just campus (858).822-.3542 | [email protected] Get Involved Student organizations, clubs, service opportunities, and many other ways to connect with others on campus Undocumented Student Services Programs and services are designed to help students overcome obstacles that arise from their immigration status and support them through personal and academic excellence