Effective: 2021-08-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

HIS 231 surveys the general history of Mesoamerica, South America, and the Caribbean from prehistoric times to the present. Students will learn about select political, economic, social, intellectual, cultural, and religious developments in Latin America during three major periods: the Pre-Columbian Era (prior to 1492); the Colonial Era (1492-1820); and the Modern Age (1820-present).

Course Objectives

• Communication & Information Literacy
• Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate complex historical information, including primary and secondary sources
• Critical Thinking & Scientific Reasoning
• Generate arguments and derive conclusions by interpreting historical evidence.
• Cultural and Social Understanding
• Assess the impact of colonial and pre-colonial developments on individuals and cultures in modern Latin America.
• Evaluate the contributions of Amerindian, African, Asian, and European peoples and those of mixed ethno-racial heritage to the history and culture of Latin America.
• Recognize and explain the economic, cultural, religious, social, political, and ecological interdependence of Latin America and the rest of the world.
• Pre-Columbian Civilizations
• Identify and describe major Amerindian polities and their distinguishing characteristics.
• Conquest and Christianization
• Assess the demographic, environmental, religious, social, and cultural consequences of Spanish and Portuguese colonization of the Americas.
• Colonial Society & Economy
• Explain the effects of slavery and other exploitative labor systems on the colonial and global economies.
• Explain how Amerindian and African peoples resisted and adapted to colonial rule.
• Enlightenment & Reform in the 18th Century
• Identify and analyze major political and economic changes that took place in the Spanish and Portuguese empires in the 18th century and evaluate how these changes impacted different social groups in Latin America.
• Revolution & Independence
• Identify and explain the causes of the wars of independence in Spanish America and the relocation of the Portuguese monarchy to Brazil.
• Assess the impact of the wars of independence on distinct social groups in Latin America.
• New Nations
• Identify the main characteristics of constitutional regimes in Latin America, and explain their outcomes.
• Reform and Rebellion in the 19th Century
• Identify the main liberal reforms in various Latin American countries and explain their outcomes.
• Neocolonialism
• Assess the impact of foreign investment in and immigration to Latin America as well as the contribution of Latin American exports to the Industrial Revolution and the global economy.
• Analyze the motives and consequences of U.S. interventions in Latin America.
• Upheaval in the Age of World Wars
• Identify and explain the reasons why populist leaders and movements arose in several Latin American countries.
• Analyze the social and economic effects of their policies.
• The Cold War
• Assess the impact of the Cold War on Latin America and its relationship with the United States.
• Latin America Today
• Identify and explain major issues and challenges in contemporary Latin America and relate them to developments in colonial and post-colonial history.

Major Topics to be Included

• Pre-Columbian Civilizations: Native American origins; sedentary, non-sedentary, complex societies; Maya City-States; Aztec and Inca empires.
• Conquest and Christianization: Late medieval Spain; Portugal in the Atlantic and Africa; exploration and colonization of the Indies; invasion of Mexico and Peru; the Catholic Church, evangelization, missions, religious syncretism.
• Colonial Society & Economy: Indigenous communities under colonial rule; forced labor and tribute systems; slavery and the Atlantic slave trade; African communities under colonial rule; women and families; silver, gold, and sugar production; piracy and trade.
• Enlightenment & Reform in the 18th Century: Bourbon & Pombaline Reforms; Jesuits; racial hierarchies; conspiracies and rebellions.
• Revolution & Independence: Haiti's independence; post-Napoleonic wars of independence in Spanish America; Brazil's monarchy.
• New Nations: Building modern global nations; liberalism; conservatism; caudillismo and cacicazgo; Mexican-American War.
• Reform and Rebellion in the 19th Century: Reform, civil war, and French occupation of Mexico; liberal thought and modernization in Argentina; slavery, abolition, and republicanism in Brazil; regional wars.
• Neocolonialism: Consumerism; immigration; the Porfiriato; British investment; U.S. interventions; the Panama Canal; the Spanish-American War; Cuban independence.
• Upheaval in the Age of World Wars: Mexican Revolution; Socialism; Indigenism Populism in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico; nationalizations and confiscations.
• The Cold War: Cuban Revolution (1959); Brazil's military dictatorship; "Dirty War" in Argentina; Allende and Pinochet in Chile; Central American insurrections and counter-revolutions; Marxism; Liberation Theology; U.S. and Soviet interventions; violence in Colombia; drug and arms trafficking.
• Latin America Today: Neoliberalism; the New Left; Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and economic crisis; recent waves of immigration to the United States; Latin American communities in the USA; contemporary issues in Latin America.