HIST4366: Latin America: Origins Through Independence, Summer 2012

On-line course: http://elearn.uta.edu

June 4, 2012
200px-ColonialLatAm.jpg

Table of Contents

How to contact Professor Garrigus:

  1. Email: garrigus@uta.edu, but please use the BlackBoard email when possible.
  2. Office: University Hall 201b; [Note that this is on the 2nd floor]
  3. Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 3 to 5; you can also make an appointment or take a chance and drop by.
  4. Office Phone: 817-272-2869
  5. BlackBoard: http://elearn.uta.edu
  6. Website: http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/garrigus

Description:

Focusing on the years from 1300 to 1825, this course charts the emergence of creole cultures in Mexico, Central America and South America in the years before political independence from Europe. We will focus on the cultural, social, and economic history of Latin America and, necessarily, on the indigenous, Iberian, and West African societies that shaped it. As we will do this we will use and discuss the intellectual tools and approaches historians use to understand the past. Our readings reflect the ongoing “revisionism” that is an essential aspect of historical thinking.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Students will be be able to accurately describe interpretations of specific aspects of the history of colonial Latin America as expressed in class readings and lectures. (assessed in on-line quizzes and country projects)
  2. Students will demonstrate critical thinking in the interpretation of images, video, and texts about the history of Latin America (assessed in weekly discussion board postings)
  3. Students will be able to research and write original essays connecting class lectures and readings with events in the colonial history of a specific Latin American country (assessed in country projects)

Requirements:

This course is designed so that you can succeed whether or not you have never studied the history of the Caribbean or Latin America before.

Expectations

This is what I expect you to do this semester:

  • I expect you to be in contact with me via the Blackboard email system about any questions or issues that you are having. The discussion boards are also a good place to raise general questions or concerns and I may put my answers there as well.
  • I expect you to keep up with the weekly pace of the class. Each week, starting on Monday, will have its own separate web page, with links to the lectures, quizzes, and discussion boards.
  • I expect you withdraw from the class if you find that you can't keep up with the course for any reason. I don't have the power to do this. The sooner you drop, the better for your finances and transcript.
  • I expect you to be able to find a solution for any technical problem that comes up during the semester. This sounds harsh, but we all need to recognize that there is very little I can do to help you with a computer crash or a prolonged lack of Internet service. If you run into problems on your end that can't be fixed over a period of, say, two weeks, I recommend that you drop the class. My goal in saying this is to get you to cut your losses and withdraw before your GPA suffers.
  • If you are one of the discussion leaders for a given week, I expect you to post your materials or link to that week’s discussion board by 8am Monday of that week.
  • I expect you to look carefully at the posted criteria [I call them "grading grids"] for the different projects before you undertake them; you will find these under "Assignment Descriptions."
  • I take plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty quite seriously, maybe more than other history instructors you have had.
  • I expect you to study the plagiarism definitions and consequences in the "Class Policies" section of the syllabus and to ask me if you have general or specific questions, at any time in the semester.
  • I expect you to label your electronic files following a specific format that uses your last name. When you submit your paper on Charles Mann's book, for example, do NOT call it "Mann.doc" or "1491.doc" – I’m going to have 25 files with that name on my computer! Instead, put your last name first, followed by a hyphen, then the abbreviation I'll give you for that assignment: for example, if your name were Jennifer Diaz you would name your file for the first country project "Diaz-CP1.doc".

This is what you can expect of me:

  1. I will answer your email within 24 hours if you send it through the BlackBoard mail system.
  2. I'll give you nine days–Monday through Wednesday–to complete the discussion work and take the weekly quiz on the lectures. For example, the assignments for a unit that starts on Monday,June 11 will be open until just before midnight Wednesday June 20. However, once the deadline is past, you’ll be locked out.
  3. I will let you take the weekly quizzes twice, counting the highest score. Individually these quizzes are not worth a lot, but they are designed to prepare you for the exams and to reinforce the material in the lecture.
  4. I will give you extensions of a few days for our essay exams and final project IF you are keeping up with the quizzes and discussion.
  5. I will give you detailed feedback on your essay exams based on the grading grids. On subsequent exams you can expect me to grade you on whether you used my feedback to improve your work.
  6. I will be glad to meet you in person! I have on-campus office hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. You are welcome to drop by but I may have another appointment. Making your own appointment with me is the best thing ! If you would like to meet in person but can’t come to office hours, send me a message and I’ll try to find a mutually convenient time we can get together on campus.

Required Books and Equipment:

  1. Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (Vintage Books, 2006) ISBN: 9781400032051
  2. Matthew Restall, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest (Oxford University Press, 2004) ISBN: 9780195176117
  3. Júnia Ferreira Furtado, Chica da Silva: A Brazilian Slave of the Eighteenth Century (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
  4. John Charles Chasteen, Americanos: Latin America's Struggle for Independence (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).
  5. Computer equipment: I highly recommend that you have broadband access and a traditional computer/laptop as opposed to a cell phone or IPad. The course lectures are delivered in various streaming video formats that change from week to week and it is possible that portable devices won't support these formats. The Blackboard on-line quizzes are NOT guaranteed to work on these portable devices either.

Learning Activities

Readings, Lectures and Quizzes

  • On a weekly basis, you’ll read one of our 4 books and watch on-line lectures in screencast format. Some of the lectures will review important or difficult elements of the reading, and others will go deeper into historical topics. The lectures are NOT substitutes for reading the books, but are designed to help you get more out of them. You’ll have about 30 minutes of screencast lectures to watch every week, with a weekly multiple-choice quiz of about 7 questions on the content. You’ll be able to take each quiz twice within a 9-day window. Your highest score will count.

Discussion Board Participation and Postings

  • Also known as "Show'N'Tell'N'Discuss". For each week of the semester we’ll have a different discussion board. Every week there will be 6 people with "Show'N'Tell'N'Discuss" assignments, based on a sign-up sheet. This means that each person will do this assignment twice during the semester. One person will describe, comment on, and launch discussion on a primary source that I will post to the site. The other four people will find "cool" materials on the Internet that are related to what we're studying, post them for the class and start discussion.
  • Here are the 4 categories: find an historical image, find a graph or map, find a current event, or find a video. This is is a fairly important assignment in terms of points as you'll see below.
  • Everyone else will join the discussion. I'm expecting you to make at least two postings a week to the discussion board. I'll provide a more detailed description of this assignment later.

Country Projects

  • You'll choose a Latin American country and will write three five-page papers about that country. These "Country Projects" will ask you to explain and illustrate how themes from the assigned books can be seen in the history and culture of your country.

Final Country Project

  • At the end of the semester you'll use a template I provide to combine your three country project assignments, plus a fourth segment written about independence, into a single larger paper about the country you picked.

Grading Policy:

At the end of the semester, students who have accumulated 900 or more points will receive a "A"; 800 to 899 is a "B"; 700 to 799 is a "C"; and 600 to 699 is "D". Less than 600 points is a failing grade.

AssignmentPoints
Syllabus quiz50
14 quizzes @ 7 pts98
13 discussions @ 8 pts104
2 discussion board postings @ 74 pts each148
Country Project 1100
Country Project 2140
Country Project 3160
Final Country Project200
TOTAL1000

Academic Integrity:

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Series 50101, Section 2.2)

It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

Garrigus Statement on Academic Integrity:

I realize that you may not clearly understand what plagiarism is depending on your previous academic experiences. Please ask me for clarification if you have any questions after reading the following paragraph.

Plagiarism occurs when you present someone else's words or ideas as your own. Avoid plagiarism in all class assignments, including on-line discussion boards as well as more traditional papers and projects. When you copy paragraphs, sentences, and phrases from someone else, from the Internet, from encyclopedias, or from other works you are committing plagiarism. What you may not realize is that paraphrasing (copying a sentence and changing a few key words) is also plagiarism. Avoid plagiarism by always explaining ideas in your own language. If you must reproduce someone else's words, use quotation marks and give that writer credit in a footnote or endnote.

Drop Policy:

Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Americans With Disabilities Act:

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at http://www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364.

Student Support Services:

The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. These programs include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource hot-line at 817-272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information.

Electronic Communication Policy:

The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University "MavMail" address as the sole official means of communication with students. MavMail is used to remind students of important deadlines, advertise events and activities, and permit the University to conduct official transactions exclusively by electronic means. For example, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation are now sent to students through the MavMail system. All students are assigned a MavMail account. Students are responsible for checking their MavMail regularly. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/email/. There is no additional charge to students for using this account and it remains active even after they graduate from UT Arlington.

Grade Grievance Policy:

Students should meet in person with the instructor to discuss any concerns about their grade.

Schedule

Week 1: 2012-06-04 Mon Mann The World, circa 1400 and The "Encounter"

  • Approx. 19 minutes of on-line lectures plus syllabus quiz; sign up for 2 show'n'tell roles
  • Read Mann, ix-xii, Chasteen, Preface; Mann, Ch1 (3-30)
  • Approx. 14 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Mann, Ch2 (33-67) and Mann, Ch3 (68-106)
  • 2 discussion postings

Week 2: 2012-06-11 Mon The Achievements of Early Americans; Early Americans and the Environment

  • Approx. 24 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Read Mann, Ch4 (107-150)and Mann, Ch 6 (194-227)
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Approx. 21 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Read Mann, Ch7 (228-270)and Mann, Ch9 (315-349)
  • 2 discussion postings

Week 3: 2012-06-18 Mon Looking More Closely at the Conquest; CP1 due

  • CP1 due at 5pm Wednesday
  • Approx. 27 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Restall, xiii-xix & Ch1 (1-27) Restall, ch2 (24-43)
  • 2 discussion postings

Week 4: 2012-06-25 Mon Africans & Indians; Stories about Destruction of Civilizations

  • Approx. 20 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Restall Ch3 (44-63) Restall Ch4 (64-76) & Ch5 (77-99)
  • Approx. 18 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Restall, ch6 (100-130), Restall Ch7 (131-145) & Epilogue (147-157)
  • 2 discussion postings

Week 5: 2012-07-02 Mon People of mixed ancestry; CP2 due

  • CP2 due Wednesday at 5pm
  • Approx. 23 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Furtado, preface (xvii-xxv) Introduction (1-19)Furtado, Ch1 (20-39)

Week 6: 2012-07-09 Mon Colonial economies; Brazil and Africa

  • Approx. 30 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • Furtado, Ch2 (40-68); Furtado, Ch3 (69-103)
  • 2 discussion postings

Week 7: 2012-07-16 Mon Reforming Two Empires

  • Approx. 33 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Furtado, Ch4 (104-129); Furtado, Ch5 (130-161)
  • Approx. 23 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Furtado, Ch6 (162-192); Furtado, Ch7 & 8 (193-238)

Week 8: 2012-07-23 Mon The American, French and Haitian Revolutions; CP3 due

  • Approx. 9 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Read Furtado, Ch9 (239-258); Furtado, Ch11 (284-304)

Week 9: 2012-07-30 Mon Spain´s Crisis; Revolutions in Mexico and Argentina

  • Approx. 26 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Read Chasteen, 6-34; Chasteen, 35-65
  • Approx. 30 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Read Chasteen, 66-105; 105-158

Week 10: 2012-08-06 Mon Bolivar and San Martín; Independence Overview

  • Approx. 20 minutes of on-line lectures plus quiz
  • 2 discussion postings
  • Chasteen, 159-181; 182-192

Week 11: 2012-08-13 Mon Final exam/project

  • Final project due on Blackboard by 11 am

All procedures and policies in this course are subject to change in the event of unforeseen circumstances.