History 392E - S- The U.S. in Latin America

This class explores the long and contentious relationships between the United States and the Latin American nations. It focuses on the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, analyzing the Spanish-American war, upheaval in Central America in the 1920s, the place of Cuba within the growing informal U.S. empire, trade relations with the South American nations, the impact of the Cold War on the hemisphere, the role of the CIA in destabilizing and overthrowing popularly elected government, and the U.S. as both a supporter and opponent of Human Rights and democracy under various late twentieth-century presidents. We analyze these events through the lenses of political, economic, social, and cultural history.

Open to Seniors, Juniors & Sophomores only. The histories of the United States and Latin America are closely intertwined. This course examines U.S. intervention and motives in Latin America, assessing the role of the U.S. government and military but also that of corporations, international financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations. While these foreign actors have wielded tremendous power and influence in the region, they have always operated within contexts partially defined by Latin Americans themselves an incredibly diverse population including presidents, dictators, militaries, landlords, clergy, industrialists, middle-class professionals, wage workers, slaves, peasant farmers, women community leaders, slum dwellers, migrants, and hundreds of ethnic groups. In turn, U.S. experiences with Latin America have often shaped its interactions with the rest of the world, making this history of vital importance for understanding global history. The course places a special focus on close readings of primary source documents, including declassified government memos, speeches, newspaper reports, political cartoons, and the voices of people who have opposed U.S. policies.