Module Information

Module Identifier
IP38720
Module Title
Contemporary Latin America
Academic Year
2014/2015
Co-ordinator
Dr Lucy Frances Annie Taylor
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Lecture 16 x 1 hour lectures
Seminars / Tutorials 8 x 1 hour seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Seminar performance  10%
Semester Assessment 1 x 2,500 word essay  45%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   (1 x 2 hour pre-seen examination)  45%
Supplementary Assessment 1 x 2,500 word essay  45%
Supplementary Assessment 1 x 1,000 word essay in lieu of seminar performance  10%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   (1 x 2 hour pre-seen examination)  45%

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to.
1. Critically evaluate the political issues most salient across the Latin American region today
2. Discuss the political, social and economic situation in a range of Latin American countries
3. Analyze the impact of detrimental phenomena (e.g. poverty, corruption) on political wellbeing
4. Assess the impact of new political actors in the region
5. Evaluate the role and significance of transnational phenomena (e.g. drugs, the environment)
6. Discuss the prospects for future political development in the region

Brief description

The module begins by introducing Latin American politics, economics and society, and then goes on to explore a number of major contemporary issues relating to poverty, human rights, corruption, the political left, indigenous movements, drugs and the environment.

Content

1. Introduction

2. Understanding Latin America - politics, economics, society
Seminar: Country comparisons - contemporary data and key personalities

3. Poverty and neo-liberalism

4. Poverty and the Argentine crisis of 2000
Seminar: Why is prosperity so elusive?

5. Human Rights

6. The Pinochet Case in Chile
Seminar: Trial and error in the search for justice

7. Corruption

8. Clientelism and corruption in Mexico
Seminar: How corruption undermines democratic society

9. Leftist options

10. Chavez in Venezuela, Lula in Brazil
Seminar: Is Latin America leading the global left?
11. Indigenous Movements

12. Evo Morales in Bolivia
Seminar: 'Indians' transform politics and the state

13. Drugs

14. Narco-politics in Colombia
Seminar: Whose drugs problem?

15. Environmental degradation

16. Amazonia, NGOs and big businessSeminar: The future of Latin America is the future of the planet


Aims

This module will introduce some of the key 'hot topics' in Latin American politics over the last ten years. It will engage with the contemporary issues in the news media and locate those trends in a regional and recent historical context.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number N/A
Communication Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to how to present their arguments most effectively. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. This module will particularly test aural and oral communication skills as it involves an assessed presentation and assessed seminar performance.
Improving own Learning and Performance The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from both the convenor and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and exercising their own initiative, including searching for sources and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their coursework and presentation topics. The need to conduct a seminar presentation and to meet coursework deadlines will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well. Students will be obliged to reflect on their own performance in the seminars (key strengths and weaknesses measured against the published criteria) in a form which will be appended to the written version of their seminar presentation.
Information Technology Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources (such as Web of Science and OCLC). Students will also be expected to make use of the resources that will be available on the Blackboard VLE.
Personal Development and Career planning This module is designed to hone and test skills of use to students in their working lives, particularly giving presentations, listening, thinking and responding to spoken presentations. Moreover, the written work includes writing a presentation which is a common task in the workplace. Students will be encouraged throughout to reflect on their performance and to consider lessons for future application.
Problem solving Independent project work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of a report and preparation of a seminar presentation will require that students develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. A final examination will ensure that an assessment of students' ability to work alone can be undertaken.
Research skills Students will be required to undertake independent research for all elements of the assessed work. This will involve utilizing media and web sources, as well as more conventional academic texts. Students will in part be assessed on their ability to gather appropriate and interesting resources materials. A final examination will ensure that an assessment of the student's ability to work alone can be undertaken.
Subject Specific Skills Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: - Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module - Ability to evaluate competing perspectives - Demonstrate subject specific research techniques - Apply a range of methodologies to complex historical and political problems
Team work Students will undertake team exercises in the seminars and the convenor will encourage students to work in teams outside of them. Blackboard facilities such as the discussion board will also be used.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6