History 4375
Latin American History
Spring 2009

Instructor:

Dr. Robert F. Pace

Office:

205 OM

Office telephone :

793-3865

E-mail :

rpace@mcm.edu

Required Texts :

Cheryl Martin and Mark Wasserman, Latin America and Its People, Second Edition, Pearson Longman (ISBN-10: 0-205-52053-7; ISBN-13: 978-0-205-52053-4)


Course Objectives:

The goal of this course is for students to develop the following:
1. Knowledge and understanding of the major people, events, and ideas that have shaped the history of Latin America from its pre-Columbian roots to the Modern era.

2. An ability to think critically, analytically, and systematically and to express these thoughts in written formats.
Course Schedule:

UNIT ONE (WEEKS 1-5)

Week One – Jan. 12-16:
INTRODUCTION/ANCIENT AMERICA

       Read Chapter 1

Week Two –Jan. 19-23:
ANCIENT AMERICA/SPANISH BACKGROUND

       Read Chapter 2

Week Three – Jan. 26-29:
CONQUEST OF AMERICA/COLONIAL LIFE

       Read Chapters 3 & 4

 

Week Four – Feb. 2-6:
THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY

       Read Chapter 5 & 6

Week Five – Feb 9-13:
BOURBON REFORMS

       Read Chapters 7

       Friday (2/13): Essay 1 Due; First Online exam due by 11:30 PM

UNIT TWO (WEEKS 6-10)

Week Six –Feb. 16-20:
INDEPENDENCE OF LATIN AMERICA

       Read Chapter 8

Week Seven – Feb. 23-27:
BRAZIL IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 9

Week Eight – Mar. 2-6:
ARGENTINA IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 10

SPRING BREAK (MARCH 9-13)

Week Nine – Mar. 16-20:
CHILE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 11

Week Ten – Mar. 23-27:
MEXICO IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

UNIT THREE (WEEKS 11-15)

Week Eleven – Mar. 30-April 3:
MEXICO IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 12

       Monday (3/27): Essay 2 Due, Second online Exam due by 11:30 PM

 

Week Twelve – April 6-10:
ARGENTINA IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 13

Week Thirteen – April 13-17:
CHILE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 14

Week Fourteen – April 20-24:
BRAZIL IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

       Read Chapter 15

Week Fifteen – April 27-May 1:
US AND LATIN AMERICA

       Friday (5/1): Essay 3 Due, Third online Exam due by 11:30 PM

Course Requirements :
Three Online Examinations
Participation in weekly online reading discussions
Creation of one lecture discussion question per week
Posting an answer to a classmates’ lecture discussion question each week
Three Essays
****Note that these assignments are required as part of your passing this class. Failure to complete any of these assignments will result in automatic failure, regardless of your overall average.

Grading :
Your final grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Reading Discussion Board Posts Average

200 points

Weekly Lecture Question Creation Average

100 points

Weekly Lecture Discussion Average

100 points

Essay 1

100 points

Exam 1

100 points

Essay 2

100 points

Exam 2

100 points

Essay 3

100 points

Exam 3

100 points

TOTAL GRADE FOR SEMESTER

1000 points

 

Your final grade in this course will be given according to the +/- grade system. Grades are calculated according to the following totals:

925-1000 = A; 895-924 = A-; 875-894 = B+; 825-874 = B; 795-824 = B-; 775-794 = C+; 725-774 = C; 695-724 = C-; 675-694 = D+; 625-674 = D; 595-624 = D-; <595 = F

Weekly Lecture Discussions

Each week, you will need to post a question over the lectures presented that week. Since the class meets MWF, you will need to post your question by 11:30 PM on Saturday of the week of the lecture. All students must post an ANSWER to one of their classmate's questions by 11:30 PM on the WEDNESDAY following the week of the lecture.

GRADE FOR THE CREATION OF THE QUESTION BASED ON THE LECTURE WILL BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS:

· Question directly addresses a topic or piece of information presented in the lecture.

· Question is designed to elicit both analysis and opinion from classmates.

· Question should not be closed-ended (questions that require “yes or no” responses, etc.)

· Question may connect information in lecture to other readings or lectures.

If the question you create meets all of the above criteria and is posted by the deadline, you will receive 100 points for the week’s question creation grade. If your question meets some of the above criteria, and is posted by the deadline, you will receive 70 points. The grades for the fifteen questions you create in the class (fifteen weeks) will be averaged for the final question creation grade.

Reading Discussions:

After you have read a chapter assigned for each week, click on the discussion forum link in Moodle for that chapter and answer any two (2) of the questions in this forum with one to two solid paragraphs. Make sure that your answers are well-written, conforming to grammatical and punctuation standards. Also, make sure you cite the page numbers from which you got your information. Finally, if you answer a question that has already been answered by another student, YOUR answer must include NEW insights or details not included in the previous answer See the grading rubric in the syllabus for more information on expectations for these forums. DISCUSSION ANSWERS ARE DUE BY 11:00 PM ON THE MONDAY FOLLOWING THE WEEK THE CHAPTER IS ASSIGNED IN THE SYLLABUS. You may answer additional questions over these readings for extra credit.

 

READING/LECTURE DISCUSSION GRADING RUBRIC:

“A” Reading Discussion

(90-100): Distinguished/ Outstanding

“B” Reading Discussion (80-89): Proficient

“C” Reading Discussion (70-79): Basic

“D-F” Reading Discussion (10-69): Below Expectations

Students earning an “A” for discussion activities have responded directly to the question posted about one of the readings, and the response posted contains outstanding information.

Students earning a “B” for discussion activities have responded directly to the question posted about one of the readings, and the response posted contains proficient information.

Students earning a “C” for discussion activities have responded directly to the question posted about one of the readings, and the response posted contains basic information.

Students earning a “D-F” for discussion activities have responded directly to the question posted about one of the readings, and the response posted was below expectations.

“A” discussion postings:

•are made in time for others to read and respond

•deliver information that is full of thought, insight, and analysis

•make connections to previous or current content, to the lectures, or to the textbook

•contain rich and fully developed new ideas, connections, or applications

“B” discussion postings:

•are made in time for others to read and respond

•deliver information that shows that thought, insight, and analysis have taken place

•make connections to previous or current content or to the lectures or to the textbook, but the connections are not really clear or are too obvious

•contain new ideas, connections, or applications, but they may lack depth and/or detail

“C” discussion postings:

•may not be made in time for others to read and respond

•are generally competent, but the actual information they deliver seems thin and

commonplace

•make limited, if any, connections to previous or current content or to the lectures or to the textbook, and those are often cast in the form of vague generalities

•contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other

comments

“D-F” discussion postings:

•may not all be made in time for others to read and respond

•are rudimentary and superficial; there is no evidence of insight or analysis

•contribute no new ideas or connections to previous or current content or to the lectures or to the textbook

•may be completely off topic

Lecture Discussion: The grades for the fifteen questions you answer in the class (fifteen weeks) will be averaged for the final Lecture Discussion Average.

Reading Discussion: The grades for the fifteen questions you answer in the class (fifteen weeks) will be averaged, then doubled, for the final Reading Discussion Average.

 

 

Attendance: Attendance in the class is required. If you have more than three unexcused absences, the instructor reserves the right to drop you from the class (you will either receive a W or a WF, depending on your average at the time of the withdrawal). It is the student’s responsibility to present the instructor evidence of excused absences (in advance if possible). Also, attendance is based on the beginning of the class session. If a student arrives after roll is taken, it is his or her responsibility to make sure the instructor notes his or her presence AT THE END OF THAT CLASS.

Accommodations :

McMurry University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no otherwise qualified student shall be denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap". If you have a documented disability that may impact your performance in this class and for which you may require accommodations, you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office, located in Old Main, Room 102. Their phone number is 793-4880. Feel free to contact the instructor with any questions related to disabilities..

Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes

and their Linkage to

Program and University Goals and Outcomes.

 

Course Number and Title

History 4375</span>
Latin America<span style='font-size:18.0pt'>Leadership and Virtue in American HistoryLeaMexicoM
<span style='font-size:18.0pt'> Spring 2009</span>

 

Desired Student Learning Outcomes for this course

Linked to which departmental program goal(s)

Linked to which institutional goal(s)?

Types of evidence that might be used to demonstrate student achievement of objectives & goals

Knowledge and understanding of the major people, events, and ideas that have shaped the history of Latin America from its pre-Columbian roots to the Modern era.

Possess general knowledge of American and World History, with emphasis on skills for historical research and interpretation.

Possess requisite knowledge and skills to teach history at the elementary and secondary levels, or possess requisite knowledge and skills to begin work in post-secondary levels education or related fields.

2, 3, 6

Students will demonstrate this knowledge through responses to questions over each chapter of the book, through creation of questions over the lectures, through responses to questions over the lectures, through online exams, and through three take-home essays related to the material of the class.

An ability to think critically, analytically, and systematically and to express these thoughts in written formats.

Possess general knowledge of American and World History, with emphasis on skills for historical research and interpretation.

Possess requisite knowledge and skills to teach history at the elementary and secondary levels, or possess requisite knowledge and skills to begin work in post-secondary levels education or related fields.

2, 3, 6

Students will demonstrate this knowledge through responses to questions over each chapter of the book, through creation of questions over the lectures, through responses to questions over the lectures, and through three take-home essays related to the material of the class.

 


Education (aligned with Core Values 1 & 3)

2. Students are equipped for successful careers and post-graduate education.

3. Students acquire an enthusiasm for lifelong learning through expanded intellectual and cultural experiences.

Development (aligned with Core Values 1, 2, 3, & 5)

6. In a community where spiritual, emotional, moral, intellectual, and physical qualities are nurtured, students will grow as whole persons. 

 

 McMurry University's Core Values (as referenced above)

  1. Christian Faith as the foundation of life,
  2. Personal Relationships as the catalyst for life,
  3. Learning as the journey of life,
  4. Excellence as the goal of life, and
  5. Service as the measure of life.