GG36520 - LATIN AMERICA: LANDSCAPE AND GEOGRAPHICAL IMAGINATIONS

Module Identifier

GG36520

Module Title

LATIN AMERICA: LANDSCAPE AND GEOGRAPHICAL IMAGINATIONS

Academic Year

2006/2007

Co-ordinator

Dr Heidi V Scott

Semester

Semester 2

Course delivery

Lecture

20 Hours. 10 x 2 hour lectures, which will may involve group work and discussion.

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Exam	2 Hours ONE TWO-HOUR UNSEEN WRITTEN EXAMINATION.	50%
Semester Assessment	ONE COURSEWORK ESSAY OF UP TO 3,000 WORDS.	50%
Supplementary Exam	2 Hours Please see below for supplementary rules	50%
Supplementary Assessment	Resit on condoned (medical) grounds arising from non-completion of examination or coursework involves the completion of the missing component(s) for the full range of marks on dates set in the Supplementary Examination period. Resit due to aggregate failure or non-completion of part of the assessment requires re-examination of each of the main components if marks of <40% in both were obtained, or re-examination or re-submission of the failed component (examination or assignment) to obtain a maximum mark of 40% for the module. A new exam paper and/or ressay assignment will be set as appropriate.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the connections between landscape and geographical imaginations and the development of power relations and identity in colonial and post-colonial Latin America.

Discuss and evaluate a range of theoretical approaches to landscape in geography and other related disciplines, and how these may be applied to the empirical study of Latin America.

Discuss and evaluate theoretical approaches to and debates over colonialism and post-colonialism in Latin America.

Demonstrate skills in reading, writing, the analysis and use of texts, and independent study.

Content

PROPOSED LECTURE OUTLINE

Landscape and geographical imaginations: an introduction
Landscape, vision and embodiment
Cabeza de Vaca's New World landscapes
Colonial landscapes on the move
Landscape, text and image in the colonial world
Geography, climate and Creole patriotism
Landscapes of the frontier
Latin American landscapes in the era of independence I
Latin American landscapes in the era of independence II
Latin America, landscape and (post)colonialism

Brief description

The module offers students an exploration of the historical and cultural geographies of Latin America, from the conquest to the era of independence. In particular, it focuses on the interrelated themes of landscape and geographical imaginations, and considers what their study can reveal about the development of (post)colonial identities and power relations in Latin America. Drawing on a range of empirical examples and case studies, the module introduces students to a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to landscape, and highlights the ways in which landscapes and geographical imaginations in Latin America have been continuously shaped and contested by means of both discursive and material/embodied practices. Although the module draws on material from across Latin America, the predominant focus is on Spanish-speaking South America. The module also provides students with an opportunity to analyse, discuss and write about primary sources from the colonial and post-colonial eras that are written in English or available in English translation.

Module Skills

Problem_solving	Problem solving will be indirectly addressed through some lecture content, essay assignments and class-based discussions but will not be explicitly developed in the module.
Research skills	Students will be encouraged to develop independent research skills through collating material from library and internet sources, and through the analysis of primary sources. The opportunity that the module offers for practicing these skills will be especially useful for students wishing to conduct research or study at postgraduate level. Research skills will be assessed by means of the coursework essay.
Communication	Written communication skills will be developed and assessed through the examination as well as through the assessed essay. Oral communication skills will also be developed through group discussion in lectures.
Improving own Learning and Performance	Students should implicitly develop their skills in this area through the organisation of free-time reading and exam and essay preparation. Not explicitly developed through the module.
Team work	Students will have the opportunity to develop team-work skills through group-based exercises and discussion in lectures.
Information Technology	Students will be directed to material from the internet that is relevant to lecture topics. They will also have the opportunity to develop IT skills by using the internet as a source for primary and secondary materials in preparation for the assessed essay
Application of Number	Not developed through this module
Personal Development and Career planning	Not explicitly developed through the module. The content of lectures and reading may indirectly encourage students to reflect on their own beliefs and views and may identify potential career paths for some.
Subject Specific Skills	The module will enable students to practice subject-specific skills which they have developed in years one and two, including techniques for analyzing historical and cultural texts. Students will develop their analytical skills through class-based discussions and in their assessed essay and examination.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Beardsell, P. (2000) Europe and Latin America: Returning the Gaze Manchester University Press: Manchester
Brading, D.A. (1991) The First America: The Spanish Monarchy, Creole Patriots, and the Liberal State 1492-1867 Cambridge University Press
Cabeza de Vaca, A.N. (2003) The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca University of Nebraska Press
Elliott, J.H. (1970) The Old World and the New, 1492-1650 Cambridge University Press
Gordillo, G.R. (2005) Landscapes of Devils: Tensions of Place and Memory in the Argentinean Chaco Duke University Press
Gruzinski, S. (2001) Images at War: Mexico from Columbus to Blade Runner Durham and London: Duke University Press
Pérez-Mejía, A. (2004) A Geography of Hard Times: Narratives about Travel to South America Albany: State University of New York Press
Pastor-Bodmer, B. (1995) The Armature of Conquest: Spanish Accounts of the Discovery of America, 1492-1589 Stanford University Press
Poole, D. (1997) Vision, Race and Modernity: A Visual Economy of the Andean Image World Princeton University Press
Pratt, M.L. (1992) Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation Routledge, London
Restall, M. (2003) Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest Oxford: Oxford University Press
Robinson, D.J. (ed.) (1990 or 2006) Migration in Colonial Spanish America Cambridge University Press
Sluyter, A. (2002) Colonialism and Landscape: Postcolonial Theory and Applications Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
Weber, D. (Eds) (1994) Where Cultures Meet: Frontiers in Latin America History Scholarly Resources Inc.
Williamson, E. (1992) The Penguin History of Latin America Penguin Books

Journals
Cañizares Esguerra, J. (1999) American Historical Review New World, New Stars: Patriotic Astrology and the Invention of Indian and Creole Bodies in Colonial Spanish America, 1600-1650 104 (1) pp33-68.
Canizares Esguerra, J. (1999) American Historical Review New World, New Stars: Patriotic Astrology and the Invention of Indian and Creole Bodies in Colonial Spanish America, 1600-1650 104 (1) 33-68.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6