Overview

Welcome to History 8A. This course is an introduction to the history of the region that became Latin

America from the period before the European invasion to the final decades of the 18th century. The course offers an overview of the most relevant issues shaping the history of the region and its peoples. It surveys the trajectories of the Amerindian, African, and Iberian societies that encountered one another in the New World at the end of the fifteenth century, the establishment of colonial regimes by Spain and Portugal,

and the emergence and development of complex new societies drawing from pre-Hispanic, European,

and African legacies. It reflects on the multifaceted character of colonialism, the central role of religion,

the pervasiveness and impact of ideas and practices of race and racism, the complex workings of colonial economies of extraction and their broad social implications, the emergence of new identities, and different efforts to reform,  reshape, and contest colonial rule.

At the same time, this course will also provide you with an introduction to the methods and

practice of History. First and foremost, it will introduce you to how we historians make sense of the past by analysing sources. It will provide hands-on experience with reading a variety of different primary sources — from maps and poetry to government records, through diaries, letters, and much more besides — drawn from a very diverse range of contexts, periods, and places, and how we interpret them to obtain all sorts of information about the issues that we study.

No historian really works alone, but rather reads and engages with the work of others and shares the fruits of their own research in turn. For this reason, this course will introduce you to a second central aspect of our discipline: communication and discussion. We build on each other's conclusions and ideas, draw connections, make meaningful comparisons, and collectively further our knowledge of the past.

This course aims to introduce you to this by creating a dialogue between all of us, in which we can all bring our perspectives, interests, and experience to the table, build on them, and make better sense of these seven centuries together. This is all the more important in our current moment.

Finally, the culmination of the work of a historian, and the principal way in which we contribute  to the advancement of our understanding of the past is the writing of history. In this course, building on all that you learn and your interactions with your peers, your TAs, and me, you will have the opportunity to engage with key questions in Latin American history in writing. For this the course will help you express yourself more clearly, construct more compelling arguments, and deploy evidence effectively.

Course learning objectives

1.    Learn about the history of Latin America  in the period c. 1400-1780, and the changing ways in which historians have approached it.

2.    Acquire and develop skills for reading and interpreting primary sources.

3.    Improve your communication and discussion skills.

4.    Improve your writing skills.

How this course will work

This course is divided into three chronological modules, each focusing on an important period. Each

week follows the same predictable pattern, outlined in detail below. Because of its emphasis on

discussion, the core of the course will be the weekly section meetings, which take place after the week’s lectures, on either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on which group you are in.

In order to prepare for these meetings, you must attend the week’s lectures (on Monday and

Wednesday afternoons), read the chapter of the textbook and any other required readings (and answer a short quiz about what you read), and read a selection of primary sources that you will discuss in the

section (following instructions from your TA). In addition, each week you must post on your group’s discussion forum before the section and engage with at least one other person’s post by the end of the week (as instructed by your TA).

There will be a final exam at the end of this course. To help you prepare and develop critical skills in writing and analysis, we will also do two in-class writing assignments, at the end of the first two

modules, each with a different focus. We will also devote lecture time, section activities and forum discussions to improving writing and argumentation.

Weekly pattern

Each week, you will:

1.   Do the reading for the week (usually a chapter from the textbook)

2.   Answer a short quiz on the reading (by Wednesday at 2:00 pm).

3.   Attend both lectures (on Monday and Wednesday afternoons).

4.   Read the primary sources for discussion.

5.   Write a short response to the sources on the forum.

6.   Participate in your section meeting.

7.   Engage in discussion with your peers in the forum, as instructed by your TA.

You must complete tasks 1-5 before your section meeting, and 7 before the beginning of the following week. Precise details for each task will be indicated on Canvas.

In addition, your TA may assign additional section work designed to encourage you to do the reading, help you improve your different skills, and to interact with your peers in different ways.

Assignments and assessment

This course is assessed using a system of points. You can accumulate up to 100 points, distributed as follows:

1.    Reading and preparation:

●    Weekly reading quizzes: 15 points.

●    Lecture attendance: 10 points.

2.    Communication and discussion:

●    Participation in section activities and discussion (including the forum): 25 points.

3.    Writing and reflection:

●    In-class writing assignments:

■    First assignment (week 4): 10 points

■    Second assignment (week 7): 15 points

●    Final exam: 25 points.

Reading

●    All reading is detailed in the schedule below and in each week’s page on Canvas.

●    The textbook for this course is Mark Burkholder and Lyman Johnson, Colonial Latin America, 10th edition (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Paper and e-book copies are

available through the UCen bookstore. You will need to have a copy by the end of week 3. Several copies are available on reserve in the library, which you can read there.

●    All other readings, including the readings for weeks 1, 2, and 3  are posted on Canvas under the relevant week.