HIST 352 (002) The History of U.S.-Latin American Relations (03) Course Syllabus. Spring Semester :30-1:45 p.m. M, W Kinard 115 COURSE GOALS:

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1 HIST 352 (002) The History of U.S.-Latin American Relations (03) Course Syllabus Spring Semester :30-1:45 p.m. M, W Kinard 115 Dr. Ginger Williams( williamsv@winthrop.edu) Department of History Bancroft 362, ph Office Hours: T,R: 2-3:15 p.m. (and by appointment) COURSE DESCRIPTION: History 352, the History of United-States-Latin American Relations is a course that examines the relations between the United States and Latin America, including their political, strategic, and economic relations, as well as the crucial historical events and contemporary issues. This course will emphasize twentieth and twenty-first century events and phenomena. Some of the main issues this course will examine are instability, revolutionary change, imperialism, anti-imperialism and nationalism, nationalistic movements, debt crises, human rights, democracy, migration, and globalization. COURSE GOALS: The goals for this course are that students learn to understand and appreciate the relationship between the hemispheric partners of the United States and Latin America over the course of the eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Students will be asked to think critically, seek different approaches, to understanding problems, and be challenged to understand why the relationship between the United States and its hemispheric neighbors has often been antagonistic. While taking this course, students should be able to identify the main leaders of the nations of study, the political party systems of those nations, the social structures of those nations, and how those nations have interacted with the United States and its policy makers over time. This course will challenge you to become a better reader and engaged university citizen through class discussions about important events in the history of U.S.-Latin American relations. An important goal of this course is that you communicate effectively core themes, ideas, and content from our class readings and assignments in both written and oral form. This will be evaluated on written exams, papers, and will be reflected in your class participation grade. We will have weekly discussions in which your knowledge of class readings will be evaluated. The study of U.S.-Latin American relations requires that students are able to both understand and critically and discuss important developments in Latin America as well as developments that are happening in the United States. History Department Mission: The mission of the Department of History at Winthrop University is to promote in students historical skills and knowledge. Our students develop the habit of critical thinking and the capacity for historical thinking. Historical thinking means developing a firm grasp of the multiplicity and intricacy of historical causes and effects, and understanding of how knowledge is a human construct, an ability to think from a global perspective, and an appreciation for the variety and approaches of historical interpretation. Students also advance their fluency in written and oral expression and argumentation. Students develop the skills to conduct independent research.

2 This course (HIST 352)fulfills five of six of the Learning Outcomes of the history department, including Student Learning Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate understanding of ethical dimensions of historical moments, processes, and developments; Student Learning Outcome 3)History majors demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research, applying basic research methods in history such as using search tools, finding primary and secondary sources, and assessing critically those sources; Student Learning Outcome 4: History majors will communicate effectively core themes, ideas, and subject matter in both written and oral form; Student Learning Outcome 5: History majors understand and critically discuss important developments of global history, especially issues and events significant to areas outside the United States; and Student Learning Outcome 6: History majors understand and critically discuss significant issues and themes of United States history. History department Student Learning Outcomes #2 and #4 are also University Level Competencies. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 1) Students are required to attend and participate in class. This is a lecture/reading and discussionbased course and it is essential that you come to class prepared with notes ready to discuss reading material. We will have many (almost weekly) class discussions. Class attendance and participation count for 15% of your course grade. I reserve the right to give reading quizzes as part of this participation grade if I detect that students are not keeping up with readings. 2) There are three essay exams in this class. You are required to bring a bluebook and pen to each exam. You are not allowed to use notes or books for exams. I give a list of essays one week prior to the exam and choose an essay from that list. You will also answer short essays or identifications on the exam. Each exam counts for 20% of your course grade. 3) You are required to write an eight- to ten-page synthesis paper that will be due on April 20. You will be given a prompt with explicit directions. You are to use all class texts and you may also use outside sources, but you must use outside texts thoroughly. This paper will count for 20% of your course grade. 4) You must possess all books for this course. Books are not optional but required. Having books and showing them to the professor will count for 5% of your grade. Also, you are required to bring the appropriate books to class for class discussions. Doing this counts as part of your class discussion grade. BOOKS: Peter H. Smith, Talons of the Eagle: Dynamics of U.S.-Latin American Relations (New York: Oxford University Press), Louis A. Perez, Jr., The War of 1898: The United States and Cuba in History and Historiography (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press), Jennifer Harbury, Truth, Torture and the American Way: The History and Consequences of U.S. Involvement in Torture (Boston: Beacon Press), Roger Peace, A Call to Conscience: The Anti-Contra War Campaign (Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Press), 2012.

3 Note on books. You must purchase all books. You may use e-books if they are available, but you must have all books for this class. I will check books on the Monday of the third week of classes for a grade. GRADES: Grades will be assigned on the following grading scale: =A, 90-91=A-, 88-89=B+, 82-87=B, 80-81=B-, 78-79=C+, 72-77=C, 70-71=C-, 68-69=D+, 62-67=D, 60-61=D-, below 60=F. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Gena Smith, Program Director, Disability Services at Once you have your official notice of accommodations, please inform me as early as possible in the semester. STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT: As noted in the Student Code of Conduct: Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult individuals. The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy in the online Student Handbook ( More policies relative to a specific discipline/department may also be posted in a syllabus. ESSAY WRITING SKILLS: A prerequisite for studying history is a competence in essay writing skills. A brief, inexpensive review of expected writing standards is Williams Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, The Elements of Style. There is also a writing lab on campus that I encourage you to use (242 Bancroft, ). CELL PHONES Please turn off all cell phones before entering this class. Having them on during class is inappropriate. There is no texting allowed in class. If you have your cell phone on, or are seen texting during class you will be asked to turn it off. If you have to be asked a second time, you will be asked to relinquish your phone for the remainder the class period. You will receive your phone upon leaving class for the day. Additionally, if you have to be asked to turn your cell phone off for the second time, you will be asked to leave the class and take an absence for the day. This policy will be strictly enforced and is backed up by the Arts and Sciences Appropriate Use of Hand-held and Wireless Technology. Please go to the College of Arts and Sciences website to see this policy. In addition, laptops may not be used to take notes in class. I will explain further my policy on the use of laptops in class. OPINIONS, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, AND CRITICISMS: Many aspects of U.S.-Latin American relations are controversial and professional historians often disagree. Moreover, debate, discussion, disagreement, and freedom of thought are essential to education and to a free society. I welcome diversity and encourage all students to express opinions, comments, and pose questions. All will be treated equally, regardless of your opinions. It is important, however, to show respect to one another, especially when we disagree. LATE PAPERS, EXAMS

4 All papers and exams are due on the given dates. Late papers will be penalized appropriately (five points for each day they are late). CHANGES TO SYLLABUS: This syllabus is subject to change. Changes to the syllabus will be posted online on the history department website. All history department syllabi are ultimately posted on the history department website. You will be notified in a timely fashion in class of any changes to the syllabus. Professor Williams will also make copies of the changed syllabus available to you upon request. IMPORTANT DATES: First Exam: Tuesday, February 7 Second Exam: Thursday, March 23 Synthesis Paper Due: April 20 (in class) Final Exam: April 27 at 11:30 a.m. COURSE SCHEDULE: Week One (January 9-13): Introduction to Course, Introductory comments, pass out syllabus and assign first readings for discussion: Smith, Talons of the Eagle, preface, introduction and chapter one, The European Game. Week Two (January 16-20): U.S.-Latin American Relations in the 19 th Century: The U.S.-Mexican War, and the War of Readings: Perez, The War of 1898, Intro, and chapters 1-3. Week Three (January 23-27): The Roosevelt Corollary, The Panama Canal, Big Stick and Dollar Diplomacy. Reading: Smith, Talons, chapter two. Week Four (January 30-February 4): U.S. Latin American Relations During the Great Depression and World War II. Reading: Smith, chapter three, Perez, chapter four. Week Five (February 6-10): From the Good Neighbor Policy to the Cold War, The C.I.A. Invasion in Guatemala, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Readings: Smith, chapter five, Perez, chapter five. First Exam, Tuesday, February 7. Bring Bluebooks and pens. Week Six (February 13-17): Dictators and Dirty Wars, Argentina, Brazil and Chile: U.S.-Latin American Relations in the 1960s and 1970s. Readings, Talons, chapter 7, Harbury, Truth, Torture, and the American Way, chapters 1 and 2. Week Seven (February 20-24): The Wars in Central America in the 1980s: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Reading: Harbury, Truth, Torture, and the American Way, chapters 3 and 4, Roger Peace, Call to Conscience, intro-chapter 2.

5 Week Eight (February 27-March 3): The Wars in Central America, cont. Reading: Harbury, chapters 5 and 6, Peace, chapter 3. Week Nine (March 6-10): Free Trade, Neoliberalism, and Globalization. Reading: Peace, chapters 7 and 8. March 13-17: No Class: Spring Break Week Ten (March20-24): The World Bank and the FTAA in Latin America. Reading: Talons, chapter 7. Second Exam, Thursday, March 23. Bring Bluebook and Pen. Week Eleven (March 27-31): The War on Drugs, The Civil War in Colombia, and the Invasion of Panama. Reading, Smith, chapter eleven. Week Twelve (April 3-7): Haiti, 1980s to the present (including the overthrow of Duvalier, the rise of the Lavalas, Aristide, and the coups of the 1990s, 2000s. Cuba s Special Period after the Fall of the Soviet Union and U.S.-Cuban Relations, Reading: Talons, chapter 8. Week Thirteen (April10-14): Vieques, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Military. Reading, Talons, chapter 10. Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Latin America s Turn to the Left in the New Millennium. Week Fourteen (April 17-21): Abu Ghraib and the Latin American Torture Issue Revisited. Reading: Finish Harbury. Week Fifteen (April 24): The Present and Future of U.S.-Latin American Relations. Reading, Talons, chapter 12. Final Exam: April 27, 11:30 a.m. Bring Bluebook and pen.