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Courses

In addition to the following courses, many special courses on Latin America are taught each year by the Edward Larocque Tinker Visiting Professors of Latin American Studies. Check the Time Schedules for current offerings.

Anthropology

Anthro 201/401. The Inca and Aztec States. PQ: Consent of instructor. This course is an intensive examination of the origins, structure, and meaning of two native states of the ancient Americas: the Inca and the Aztec. Lectures are framed around an examination of theories of state genesis, function, and transformation, with special reference to the economic, institutional, and symbolic bases of indigenous state development. The seminar is broadly comparative in perspective and considers the structural significance of institutional features that are either common to or unique expressions of these two Native American states. A. Kolata. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 212. Intensive Study of a Culture: The Brazilian Amazon.
This course deals with the Amazon and sustainable development. It focuses on international and Brazilian policies for the Amazon and on the involvement of traditional peoples in environmental issues. Special attention is given to extractive reserves. M. Carneiro da Cunha. Autumn.

Anthro 212/333. Intensive Study of a Culture: The Kayapo of Central Brazil.
The Kayapo are notorious for their successful resistance to Brazilian and internationally financed invasion and development of their territory. One of the main foci of this course is their resistance and accommodation to the shifting challenges of interethnic coexistence and the social and cultural transformations this has involved. The course examines Kayapo videos, as well as ethnographic films by non-Kayapo. The course also considers the internal dynamics of Kayapo society, including kinship, gender and generational relations, the body and personal identity, social values, political hierarchy and institutions, the organization of social production, ritual, myth, and cosmology. T. Turner. Winter.

Anthro 213.
Modern Readings in Anthropology: Shamanism. The venerable topic of shamanism is explored in its original Siberian manifestation, North American variations, and extensions into Central and South America. R. Fogelson. Spring.

Anthro 220/335. The Anthropology of Development (=EnvStd 220).
This course applies anthropological understanding to development programs in "underdeveloped" societies through case studies of food production, nutrition, and health care practices. Special attention is paid to the role and impact of indigenous and anthropological concepts in the design and implementation of development projects. Topics include development within the world system; the role of national and international development agencies, both public and private (nongovernmental); the cultural construction of well-being and deprivation; the impact of world market mechanisms and consumerism on underdevelopment; local resistance and engagement in development; the politics of underdevelopment; and future scenarios of development. J. Fernandez, R. Fernandez, A. Kolata. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 260/460. Mesoamerican Archaeology.
The prehistoric native cultures of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras are introduced utilizing a framework of environmental analysis and cultural evolutionary theory. The course traces the development of aboriginal societies from earliest settlements in the late Pleistocene until the period of Spanish conquest. Survey foci include the Olmec, the Maya, Teotihuacan, the Toltec, and the Aztec. A. Kolata. Autumn.

Anthro 263. Andean Prehistory.
This course is designed as an in-depth examination of selected pre-Hispanic Andean societies and their evolution. It is not intended as an exhaustive survey of South American prehistory. Rather, emphasis is placed on the formulation of general theoretical cultural models for Andean civilization, and their evolution through a series of empirical case studies. The central role of ethnohistorical research in understanding the dynamics and institutional bases of indigenous Andean civilization is a recurrent theme during the course. A. Kolata. Spring.

Anthro 275/375-1,-2,-3. Spoken Quiché Maya I, II, III (=LngLin 278/478).
This three-quarter sequence is an introduction to the spoken language, with tapes and transcriptions, grammatical notes and exercises, aural comprehension, and oral practice. N. A. McQuown. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 279/479-1,-2,-3. Modern Spoken Yucatec Maya I, II, III (=LngLin 279/479).
This three-quarter sequence is an introduction to the spoken language, with tapes and transcriptions, grammatical notes and exercises, aural comprehension, and oral practice. N. McQuown. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Anthro 313. The African Diaspora: Colonial Society--South Africa and the Caribbean.
This course is organized by the Committee on African and African-American Studies and is planned as part of a sequence on the African Diaspora. This quarter deals with the formation of colonial societies in the Caribbean and southern Africa, concentrating on the way in which Africans, and people of African descent, become part of complex multiracial societies with new forms of culture and social life, sometimes called "Creole." Particular attention is paid to the governmental institutions, racial hierarchies, and cultures of domination and resistance characteristic of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. J. L. Comaroff, Staff. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 313-3. Rethinking the African Diaspora (=AfAfAm 203).
The course focuses on the "African" experience in the New World, particularly Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad, and North America. Themes of acculturation, syncretism, adaptation, and resistance in the classic diaspora literature are critically reevaluated in light of current issues in cultural studies--hegemony and the politics of African identity, the symbolic construction (and deconstruction) of "origins," the rhetoric of racial and sexual difference, black nationalist ideologies, and the material conditions of imagined communities. Staff. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 437. The Problem of Emancipation.
PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. This course seeks to examine the formation of post-emancipation society in the Carribean--to look merely at what ex-slaves did but rather to enter into the cultural and moral problem of "freedom" and in this context to revisit a number of classical problems in the cultural history of slave plantation societies--as an approach to a revised understanding of "freedom," which is one of the crucial cultural-political questions of our time. D. Scott. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Anthro 475. Colonial Yucatec (=LngLin 374).
PQ: Consent of instructor. This course is an introduction to the structure of Yucatec Mayan as spoken during the colonial period and includes a practicum in the translation of documents. W. Hanks. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

Art History

ArtH 245/345. Constructing the Sixteenth-Century New World. PQ: Any 100-level ArtH or ArtDes course, or consent of instructor. This course investigates the intersection of the material construction of colonial cities and the production of painting, books, and maps. At issue is how these new urban spaces became imagined through other forms of representation. Four colonial cities are examined in depth: Mexico City, Quito, Lima, and Cuzco. T. Cummins. Winter.

Economics

Econ 296. Problems of Economic Policy in Developing Countries. The main focus of the course is on the applications of economic analysis to various classes of economic policy problems typically faced by developing countries. Topics include inflation, exchange rate policy, tariff protection for infant industry and other reasons, international investment, investment incentives, and public-sector enterprises. Recent theoretical approaches to the analysis of economic growth are also treated. L. Sjaastad. Winter.

Latin American Studies

LatAm 238. Latin America and Its Literature. R. de Costa. Spring.

LatAm 299. Preparation of the B.A. Essay.
PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Normally taken for a letter grade. Staff. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

LatAm 301-302-303. Intensive Nahuatl.
Beginners' intensive course in Nahuatl, stressing speaking, grammatical, and cultural structures. Intensively taught to reach beyond intermediate speaking skills. Instruction by a native speaker who provides instructional materials. This course is offered on a rotating basis with other less frequently taught languages such as Aymara and Quechua during the summer session. Staff. Summer.

LatAm 345-346-347. Introduction to Latin American Civilization I, II, III (=Anthro 307-1,-2,-3; Hist 161-162-162; SocSci 261-262-263).
This sequence fulfills the Common Core requirement in civilizational studies. May be taken in sequence or individually. This three-quarter course sequence introduces students to the history and cultures of Latin America, including Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean islands. The autumn quarter examines the origins of civilizations in Latin America with a focus on the political, social, and cultural features of the major pre-Columbian civilizations of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec. The quarter concludes with consideration of the Spanish and Portuguese conquest and the construction of colonial societies in Latin America. The winter quarter addresses the evolution of colonial societies, the wars of independence, and the emergence of Latin American nation-states in the changing international context of the nineteenth century. The spring quarter focuses on the twentieth century, with a special emphasis on the challenges of economic, political, and social development in the region. A. Kolata, Autumn; C. Lomnitz, Winter; F. Katz, Spring.

Political Science

PolSci 250. Comparative Politics of Latin America. This course introduces the student to theories of sociopolitical development and change in Latin America and to the political systems of three Latin American countries (to be announced). Through theoretical and substantive readings on the region, we explore concepts such as modernization, dependency, authoritarianism, and democracy. S. Stokes. Winter.

PolSci 287. Urban Informal Sector in Latin America.
PQ: Reading knowledge of Spanish. The objective of this course is to develop the main theoretical currents of the urban informal sector in Latin America from both theoretical and historical points of view. F. Cortes. Autumn.

Romance Languages and Literatures

Portuguese

Portu 101-102-103. Elementary Portuguese I, II, III.
Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Portu 111-112-113. Intensive Elementary Portuguese I, II, III.
A.-M. Lima, A. McLean, Staff. Summer.

Portu 204/304. Intermediate Portuguese.
A.-M. Lima. Autumn.

Portu 205/305. Advanced Portuguese.
A.-M. Lima. Winter.

Portu 206/306. Estilística da língua portuguesa.
A.-M. Lima. Spring.

Portu 298. Readings in Special Topics.
PQ: Portu 103 or 205, depending upon the requirements for the program for which credit is sought. Directed readings in special topics not covered by courses offered as part of the program in Portuguese. Subjects treated and work done in the course must be chosen, in part, in consultation with the instructor no later than the end of the preceding quarter. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Spanish


Span 101-102-103. Beginning Elementary Spanish I, II, III.
Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Span 121-122. Continuing Spanish I, II.
Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Span 201. Intermediate Spanish I.
PQ: Span 103, 122, or placement. This course fulfills the Common Core foreign language requirement. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Span 202. Intermediate Spanish II.
PQ: Span 201. Staff. Autumn, Winter.

Span 203. Intermediate Spanish III.
PQ: Span 202 or placement. Staff. Winter, Spring.

Span 208. Literatura hispánica: textos contemporáneos.
M. Santana. Spring.

Span 209. Literatura hispánica: textos hispanoaméricanos.
This course examines Latin American literature from 1890 to 1990. Authors studied include Quiroga, Darío, Borges, Cortázar, García Márquez, Paz, Neruda, Pacheco, Ferré Sábato, and Skármeta. Staff. Autumn.

Span 215. Orientación crítico-bibliográfica.
PQ: Consent of B.A. adviser. This is a study of problems and methods of research, concentrating on a literary topic of the student's choice, as preparation for the B.A. paper. Individual tutorial sessions are arranged. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Span 220/320. El pensamiento posmoderno en América Latina.
H. Achugar. Autumn.

Span 225/325. B.A./M.A. Seminar.
PQ: Span 203 or consent of instructor. Required of Spanish concentrators. This course introduces the principles of textual analysis through close readings of selected Hispanic works. Staff. Autumn.

Span 261/361. El teatro en la vuelta del siglo.
PQ: Span 203 or consent of instructor. A reading/discussion course in Spanish aiming toward an in-depth examination of the changes in thematics and technique in a representative selection of major plays from the theater repertories of Spain and Spanish America, from Naturalism to psychological (Pirandellian) drama (1880-1920). R. de Costa. Autumn.

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