LAS 100
3 credits
Images of Latin America
Prerequisite(s): None
Using Latin America as a case study, LAS 100 offers students the opportunity to examine the images of the "underdeveloped" world that we encounter in the mass media on a daily basis. We will concentrate on the images found in the media of television, radio and print journalism, but will also pay attention to those images that have come to us through film. Thus, students will "experience" Latin America through its images, but will be encouraged to analyze what exactly it is that is being "experienced." In doing this, we will be following current events in Latin America, and be making a critical, on-going assessment of coverage of those events in the mass media. The result is an effective introduction to the human condition and culture of our Latin American neighbours, and a critical glimpse at the limitations inherent in our view of that part of the world.
LAS 102
3 credits
Latin American Study Tour
Prerequisite(s): None
This course offers students an introduction to a specific Latin American nation by means of a study tour. It is a one-semester course of independent study with a 3-4 week study tour experience. The field experience will be augmented by lecture and discussion. Independent study prior to leaving and upon return to B.C. will help to create an exciting learning experience for all involved.
LAS 110
3 credits
Pre-Columbian, Hispanic and African Heritage of Latin America
Prerequisite(s): None
This course examines the cultural heritage of Latin America, forged from the complex interaction of New World, European, and African peoples. We begin with an analysis of the Aztec and Inca states, two powerful empires that ruled large populations and extensive territories at the time of European contact in the 16th century. We then study the cultural and historical contact of Iberian expansion, Columbus' voyage of discovery, and the Spanish invasion of the Americas. After discussing the profound impact of Spanish colonial rule on the indigenous people of the New World, we analyze the origins and development of the African slave trade and the formation of Afro-American cultures. We conclude with a discussion of the socio-cultural and political legacy of colonialism.
LAS 161
3 credits
Aztecs, Mayas, and Spaniards
Prerequisite(s): None.
This course examines the complex societies and cultures of the Maya and the Aztecs, the forging of the Aztec Triple Alliance Empire, the unification of Spanish monarchies following centuries of Muslim and Christian rule, the origins of European imperial expansion, and the confrontation of Aztecs, Mayas, and Spaniards in the invasion of Mexico. In analyzing the Indigenous and European past, and the ‘conquest’ as history and myth, the course places particular emphasis on the distinct—and compelling—accounts found in Aztec, Maya, and Spanish sources.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 161 and LAS 161. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 162
3 credits
Soccer and Song in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): None
This course explores the history of modern Latin America through the study of soccer and music. Using these themes students examine national and local identities; class, ethnicity, and gender; politics and military rule; resistance and exile; the drug trade; and globalization.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 162 and LAS 162. Students may take only one of these for credit. Students with credit for HIST 262/LAS 262 cannot take this course for further credit.
LAS 200
3 credits
Social Issues in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): None
Latin America is a diverse region of considerable importance to Canadians for political, commercial, and social reasons. In this course we explore key facets of social life in this volatile region. We look at the forces that have shaped Latin American society, at the situation Latin America finds itself in now, and at the region’s prospects for the future. In the process we examine class, race, gender, socio-economic development, and other social issues.
Note: This course is offered as both LAS 200 and SOC 200. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 206
3 credits
The Politics of Art in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): None
In this course, we examine Latin American artistic culture from the perspectives of the social sciences. Focuses may include art, architecture, literature, film, music, dance, folk art, and popular culture. The intent will be to relate these to the social context in which they are located. In particular, we will be interested in the ways in which artistic expression helps to legitimize or to challenge particular social orders.
Note: This course is offered as LAS 206, ANTH 206, MACS 206, and SOC 206. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 310
4 credits
Special Topics: Regional Studies in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least 6 credits of anthropology, sociology and/or LAS. (One or more of SOC 250, ANTH 220, or LAS 102, 110, 200 or 206 recommended.)
Using sociological and anthropological approaches, this course is designed to provide insights into the society and culture of a specific nation or region within Latin America.
Note: This course is offered as ANTH 310, LAS 310, and SOC 310. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 312
4 credits
Special Topics: Latin American Cultural Topics
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least three credits LAS.
A cross-disciplinary focus on specific elements of contemporary Latin American and Iberian culture. Topics such as indigenism, Afro-Latin culture, religion, literature, and folklore will be studied.
LAS 357
4 credits
From the Big Stick to the CIA: The Troubled History of Inter-American Relations
Prerequisite(s): 9 credits of lower-level HIST/LAS or 45 university-level credits.
This course examines the complex, often contentious, relationship between Latin America, the United States, and Canada, from the 19th century to the present. Topics may include political and military intervention; human rights; trade, investment, and globalization; drug policy; cultural influences; and Latin American communites north of the Mexican border.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 357 and LAS 357. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 358
4 credits
African Slavery in the Americas
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level HIST/LAS or 45 university-level credits.
Familiarity with the basic skills of historical inquiry is expected.
This course explores the development of the Atlantic slave trade and the history of African slavery in the Americas. It takes a broad view, examining the institution of slavery over four centuries, while considering the diverse experiences of slaves in the hemisphere’s distinct colonies and early nation–states. Topics may include the impact of slavery on African polities; the formation of Afro-American societies and cultures; the perspectives of both slaves and slave owners; the genesis of new identities and ideologies regarding race, class, and gender; the mechanisms used to keep slaves under control and the forms of resistance they practiced; and the struggle to achieve personal freedom and abolition.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 358 and LAS 358. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 359
4 credits
Problems in Latin American Regional History
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level HIST/LAS or 45 university-level credits.
Familiarity with the basic skills of historical inquiry is expected.
This course examines selected problems in Latin American history. Topics will have a regional or national focus, and may also be restricted to a specific period. Examples include Brazil from empire to republic, Mexico since the revolution of 1910, or military dictatorship in the Southern Cone during the late 20th century.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 359 and LAS 359. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 363
4 credits
Processes of Development and Underdevelopment: Latin America
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least 6 credits of Sociology, Anthropology, LAS, or GDS. (SOC 250, ANTH 220, LAS 200 and GDS 100 are recommended.)
This course is an examination of theories and strategies of socioeconomic development and underdevelopment as applied to the Global South from 1945 until the present. Special attention will be paid to Latin America as the source of several development theories and the best example of the application of related development strategies.
Note: This course is offered as SOC 363, ANTH 363, LAS 363 and GDS 363. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 388
4 credits
Minority Indigenous Peoples of the World
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include ANTH 102 and at least three additional credits of Anthropology and/or Sociology
This course will examine the social and cultural experiences of indigenous peoples within various modern industrial nation-states and relations of these peoples with majority societies and other indigenous groups throughout the world. Case studies will be drawn from Latin America and other areas.
Note: This course is offered as ANTH 388, LAS 388, and SOC 388. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 442
4 credits
Religion in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least 9 credits of Sociology, LAS, and/or Religious Studies. (HIST 261, 262, 459 can be considered LAS courses.) (ANTH 130 can be considered Religious Studies)
Most people know of Latin America as the crucible for recent developments in Catholicism like liberation theology. However, religion has long played a central role in shaping Latin American societies just as it has been shaped by them. This course will explore the connections between religion and society in the Latin American context. The emphasis of the course will shift from term to term, but it will normally focus on some combination of the following: pre-Columbian religions, Catholicism and conquest, syncretism, liberation theology, religion and revolution, evangelism, the survival of indigenous religions, and other related topics.
Note: This course is offered as LAS 442 and SOC 442. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 457
4 credits
Sexuality and Gender in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level HIST/LAS and one 300-level HIST or LAS course.
This course examines the history of sexuality and gender in Latin America from the colonial era to the present. Topics may include the historical and sociocultural construction of sexuality and gender, as well as the complex relationship between sex, gender, and power; patriarchy, honour, and authority; contested gender relations and the family; machismo and notions of masculinity and femininity; the nation–state’s concern with gender, moral order, and the control of sexual behaviour; sexual identities and politics; and the intersection of gender, sexuality, class, and ethnicity.
Notes: This course is offered as HIST 457 and LAS 457. Students may take only one of these for credit.
Students may not take HIST 459C for further credit.
LAS 458
4 credits
History of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level HIST/LAS and one 300-level HIST or LAS course.
This course explores the history of Indigenous peoples in Latin America through the in-depth study of a particular region (the Maya area, central Mexico, the Andes, or the Amazon), typically from the pre-European period to the present. Topics may include the political, economic, and sociocultural transformation of Indigenous societies under colonial rule; the shifting, complex relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state, considering questions of citizenship, ethnicity, class, and gender; national ideology and indigenismo; struggles over land, labour, and other resources; religious change; repression and rebellion; the impact of state-directed development policies; and the emergence of new identities.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 458 and LAS 458. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 459
4 credits
Topics in Political and Social History of Latin America
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level History/LAS and one 300-level History or LAS course.
This course provides an in-depth study of specific topics in Latin American social or political history. Topics will have a thematic or comparative focus, and may include colonial identity; independence and nationalism; elite structures; populism; revolution; race, class, and ethnicity; the military and society; and the struggle for human rights.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 459 and LAS 459. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 460
4 credits
State Terror, Human Rights, and the Politics of Memory in Latin America
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level HIST/LAS and one 300-level history or HIST or LAS course.
This course examines the state terror policies of the Argentine and Chilean military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s, the struggle for human rights in both countries, the transition to civilian government and the legacies of repression, and the ensuing—and ongoing—debates over impunity, justice, and historical memory.
Note: This course is offered as HIST 460 and LAS 460.
Students make take only one of these for credit. Students with credit for HIST 459D may not take this course for further credit.
LAS 463
4 credits
Special Topics in Development Studies
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least 9 credits of Sociology and/or Anthropology. (ANTH 220, SCMS 363, and SOC 250 recommended.)
This course is an examination of processes of social and cultural change in selected Third World societies. Topics will change from semester to semester, but may include liberation movements and colonialism; the comparative study of post-revolutionary societies; the persistence, transformation, and disappearance of contemporary peasantries; and directed change programs.
Note: This course is offered as SOC 463, ANTH 463, and LAS 463. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 472
4 credits
Latin America: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least 9 credits of Sociology, Anthropology and/or LAS. (LAS 110 and/or HIST 261 recommended)
Concepts of race and ethnicity have been crucial elements in the formation of Latin American society, culture, and identity. Migration has further shaped identity and society among Latin Americans inside and outside Latin America. This course explores various aspects of Latin American concepts of race, ethnicity, and immigration from several perspectives. It also examines patterns of migration from Latin America to Canada and the effects of Canadian concepts of identity, race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism on the integration of Latin Americans into Canadian society. Topics covered may include: the push/pull factors causing immigration, immigration policy, the development of immigrant identities, the meaning of exile, and the formation of immigrant communities and their relationship to the dominant culture of Canadian society.
Note: This course is offered as ANTH 472, LAS 472 and SOC 472. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 492
2 credits
Directed Studies in Social, Cultural, and Media Studies
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include 6 credits of area of specialization (ANTH, SOC, LAS, MACS). Permission to enter requires written consent of both the faculty member supervising the student and the department head.
This course is designed for upper-level students who wish to examine in greater depth a particular problem/issue in Anthropology, Sociology, Latin American Studies, or Media and Communication Studies.
Note: This course is offered as SOC 492, ANTH 492, LAS 492, and MACS 492. Students may take only one of these for credit.
LAS 498
4 credits
Directed Readings in Latin American Studies
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least 9 credits of LAS or SCMS with Latin American content, plus permission from supervising faculty member and department head.
Directed reading in a selected field of study under the direction of a faculty member. A major paper will be required.
