NS3510 Government and Politics in Latin America

This introductory course is designed to familiarize students with the politics of contemporary Latin America. The course will cover such topics as the various types of political systems found in Latin America, the political economy of development and the issue of regime transition. PREREQUISITE: None.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

In this course, students engage with course material, class discussions, and assignments to demonstrate competency in:

• Describing key concepts in the study of Latin American politics.
• Identifying and explaining key junctures in recent Latin American history, along with their consequences for the region.
• Describing regional trends on key issues shaping regional affairs, including corruption, exclusion, democratic backsliding, populism, and ideological polarization.
• Explaining the origins, content, and consequences of the dominant economic models implemented across Latin America, with attention to within-region variation.
• Explaining why Latin American democracies have been durable but continue to be, for most countries in the region, low quality democracies.
• Comparing and critically analyzing theoretical arguments about a range of topics such as development models, democracy, populism, and political institutions, among others.
• Applying a theoretical lens to case studies of relevant topics impacting Latin American societies.