Examine the conditions that contribute to conflict and the factors driving structural change and conflict resolution in selected Latin American countries.
This program explores the political, social, and economic dynamics shaping Latin America's revolutionary movements from the ground up. Students will examine the broad tilt to the left of regional governments; the ways conflicts in the region seem to emerge and be resolved; and the social demands that revolutionary movements champion.
Topics of study include:
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The legacy of the Cuban and Nicaraguan revolutions
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The influence of Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution in the region
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Political and social transformation in Ecuador
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Revolutionary movements in Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil including the Chapare coca-growers, Argentina's piqueteros, and champions of land reform in Brazil.
Students will learn from scholars, policy analysts, government officials, union activists, and community leaders. Learning will combine in-class lectures, workshops, site visits, and discussions in the field.
Lecturers will be drawn from institutions such as:
Intensive Spanish language study and homestays with host families in La Paz and San Julián (near Santa Cruz) will immerse students more deeply in Bolivian culture and facilitate cross-cultural communication and field study.
From the program base in the city of La Paz, students will undertake multiple field excursions, including trips to Cochabamba, the subtropical Chapare lowlands, Santa Cruz in the eastern plains, and El Alto, the largest indigenous city in Latin America. Excursions outside Bolivia include trips to Jujuy (Argentina) and Campo Grande (Brazil).
