HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA

-Provide students with a clear theoretical and empirical framework to understand History of Latin America, especially during the contemporary period (1945-1991)
-Analyze History of Latin America in a multidisciplinary perspective able to encompass political, economic and cultural factors
-Analyze History of Latin in global perspective, namely considering the networks of cultural, economic and political relations, especially with North America and the Third World
The above-mentioned three specific objectives aim to give students the instruments necessary to develop a critical view of the topics discussed and to develop an independent and multidisciplinary methodology for the analysis of historical phenomena to better understand the present.

1. Knowledge and understanding
- Understand the general framework of the historical analysis of Latin America
- Understand the specificity of the contemporary period and its heritage
- Understand the multidisciplinary character of the historical analysis
2. Ability of applying knowledge and understanding
- Understand the general framework of the historical analysis of History of Latin America > Ability of discussing subjects related to the field (History of Latin America) in a specialized language and according to an historical methodology
- Understand the specificity of the contemporart period and its heritage > Ability of pinpointing the characters of the early modern period, recognizing how they shaped contemporary Latin America, and confronting them with the following ages
- Understand the multidisciplinary global character of the historical analysis > Ability of applying the historical methodology acquired also to other fields of study (e.g. other courses, final dissertation)
3. Judgement abilities
- Ability of connecting the facts and data learnt during lessons
- Ability of organizing the course materials (lessons and readings) in a coherent interpretation
4. Communicative abilities
- Ability of presenting the issues related to the field of study using specialized language
- Ability of presenting the knowledge acquired from lessons and readings in a coherent discourse
5. Learning abilities
- Ability of taking notes during lessons
- Ability of critically reading the assigned bibliography
- Ability of connected the knowledge acquired to nowadays issues

A good knowledge of 20th century general history and International History.

Class 1 Introduction to the course

Class 2 What do we mean by “Latin America’s Cold War”? Definitions and chronology

Readings:

Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America’s Cold War, Chapter 1


Class 3 Latin America after WWII: democracy and development

Readings:

Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America’s Cold War, Chapter 2


Class 4 Guatemala, 1954, between anticommunism and US neo-interventionism

Readings:

Piero Gleijeses, Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution and the United States, 1944-1954, Chapter 7; Chapters 12; 13; 14.


Class 5 The Cuban Revolution, Latin America and the Global South

Readings:

Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America’s Cold War, Chapter 3



Class 6 Cuba and the Global Cold War

Readings:

Piero Gleijeses, Conflicting Missions. Havana, Washington, and Africa 1959-1976, Chapters 10-15.


Class 7 The Alliance for Progress

Readings:

Thomas C. Field Jr., From Dictatorship to Development. Bolivia and the Alliance for Progress in the Kennedy Era, Chapter 1 and 2.


Class 8 The Cultural Cold War

Readings:

1. Patrick Iber, Neither Peace nor Freedom. The Cultural Cold War in Latin America, Chapters 3, 4.


Class 9 Latin America the Third World: between revolution and economic development

Suggested readings:

Vijay Prashad, The Darker Nations. A People’s History of The Third World, Part 1, Buenos Aires


Class 10 Transnational revolution and repression in the Southern Cone

Readings:

Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America’s Cold War, Chapter 4/ Francesca Lessa, The Condor Trial, Transnational Repression and Human Rights in South America, Chapter 4


Class 11 Guest Lecture by Professor Ana Sofía Rodriguez Everaert: Latin America and Human Rights from the 1970s to the present

Readings: TBD



Class 12 Proyección del documental: Andrés Di Tella, Montoneros, una historia, 1998
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZDvasr5iSE



Class 13 Gender and Revolution in Salvador Allende’s Chile

Readings:

Tanya Harmer, Beatriz Allende. A Revolutionary Life in Cold War Latin America, Chapters 3, 7, 9.


Class 14 Guest speaker: Gerardo Sáncehez Nateras: Central America and the energy crisis of the 1970s

Readings: TBD


Class 15 Post-Cold War Latin America: democracy, neoliberalism and resistance

Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America's Cold War (UNC, 2021) plus those assigned for each class (see box above)

Students should prepare the exam on:
1. their class's notes and the slides (available on moodle)
2. textbook: Vanni Pettinà, A Compact History of Latin America's Cold War (UNC, 2021)

Final oral exam.
The exam aims to assess the critical understanding of the contents discussed during the course and the individual reflection on the assigned bibliography. It will therefore consist of three questions. The approximate duration is 25-30 minutes.
The first question will ask the student to present a chosen subject (taken from lessons or bibliography), so that he/she can show his/her ability of organizing information in a coherent discourse and in a historical perspective (expected learning results 1.Knowledge and understanding and 4. Communicative abilities).
The second and third questions will be on an issue explored during lessons or in the texts assigned so that the student can show his/her ability of personal re-elaboration, critical reading and understanding of scholarly literature (expected learning results 2.Ability of applying knowledge, 3.Judgement abilities and 5.Learning abilities).

orale

Il/la docente ha il dovere di vigilare affinché siano rispettate le regole di autenticità e originalità delle prove d'esame. Di conseguenza, nei casi in cui vi sia il sospetto di un comportamento irregolare, l'esame può prevedere un ulteriore approfondimento, contestuale alla prova d'esame, che potrà essere realizzato anche in modalità differente rispetto alle modalità sopra riportate.

I voti verranno assegnati tenendo in conto la partecipazione a lezione ed il risultato dell'esame finale. Grades range from 18 to 30, with 18 being the minimum passing mark and 30 the highest. In cases of outstanding performance, the cum laude distinction may be awarded.

Lectures
Case study analysis
Ppt presentations
Written, figurative and audiovisual sources
Digital Humanities

The professor is always available for questions concerning the course at his office hours (Tuesday, 14-16) and by email at vanni.pettina@unive.it.

Students with disabilities can contact the Disability and Accessibility Office (disabilita@unive.it) to take advantage of the services available (e.g. alternative examination methods, readers, etc.).