COLONIAL
LATIN AMERICA NORFOLK STATE
Dr.
Charles Ford
Office
Hours: MWF, 10-11 a.m.; MWF, 2-3:30 p.m.; TR, 11-12 noon.
Office:
C-154, BMH
Electronic
Mail Address: kgcf1214@gateway.net
Facsimile:
823-2512
Office
Phone #s: 823-8865, 823-8828
COURSE
DESCRIPTION: This course traces the
development of colonial Latin America from its Native American, European, and
African origins through the independence movements of the early nineteenth
century. (3 semester hours.)
Prerequisite:
Junior or Senior classification.
REQUIRED READINGS (TEXTS TO BUY): The following books are required and are on sale in the university bookstore:
Boyer, Richard and Geoffrey Spurling, eds. Colonial
Lives: Documents on Latin American
History, 1550-1850. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2000.
Burkholder, Mark A. and Lyman L. Johnson. Colonial
Latin America. Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Leon-Portilla, Miguel, ed. The Broken Spears: The
Aztec Account of the Conquest of
Mexico. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.
REQUIRED
READINGS (HANDOUTS IN CLASS): In
addition to the required texts, students will read excerpts from recent
articles and books passed out in class (free of charge). Most important of these mandatory readings
include excerpts from:
Behar, Ruth.
“Sexual Witchcraft, Colonialism, and Women’s Powers: Views from the
Mexican Inquisition.” In Sexuality and
Marriage in Colonial Latin America,
edited by Asuncion Lavrin, 178-206.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1989.
Clendinnen, Inga.
Ambivalent Conquests: Maya and
Spaniard in the Yucatan, 1517-1570. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Schwartz, Stuart B.
Sugar Plantations in the Formation
of Brazilian Society: Bahia,
1550-1835. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1985.
Stern, Steve J.
Women, Men, and Power in Late
Colonial Mexico. Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press, 1995.
COURSE
OBJECTIVES:
1.
To
improve analytical and writing skills through formal critiques of secondary
sources which will improve style, grammar, and general linguistic competence.
2.
To
become familiar with the various methods and approaches of history, especially
as it relates to colonial Latin America.
3.
To
develop proficiency in the use of the library (and in the use of electronic
sources) and to develop basic skills in collecting, organizing, and
interpreting evidence.
4.
To
learn what is involved in the preparation and writing of a professional
research paper based upon both primary and secondary sources.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS-
1.
CLASS
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Since
class attendance and participation are important in the learning process,
excessive (excused and/or unexcused) absences may result, at the instructor’s
discretion, in grade reduction or even a failing grade. Determination of absences will be based on
regular class meetings as scheduled by the Registrar and the Vice President for
Academic Affairs. Also, attendance for
the entire class period is expected unless prior arrangements have been made
with the instructor. (Students are
responsible for becoming familiar with the rules of attendance and the
standards of academic and personal conduct as set forth in the University
Catalog and the Student Handbook.) On
the other hand, informed participation in class (asking good questions,
answering the lecturer’s questions) will enhance your final grade.
2.
ASSIGNMENTS: Topics, weekly reading assignments, and
paper deadlines are listed on the last two pages of your syllabus. Follow that schedule. A weekly reading assignment (including
handouts of excerpts) should be completed before the first lecture in which the
class will discuss that reading assignment.
In addition, two short papers are assigned. The first short paper (typed, double-spaced, 3-5 pages) will
answer assigned questions about The
Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of
the Conquest of Mexico. The second short paper (typed, double-spaced, 3-5
pages) will analyze at least five related documents in Boyer and Spurling’s Colonial Lives. Specific instructions for writing these
papers will be given out in class at least two weeks before these assignments
are due.
3.
RESEARCH
PAPER: Finally, a research paper on
some aspect of colonial Latin America is required. This paper, 15-20 typed pages in length, is designed as an
exercise in historical research, not a review of textbooks and secondary
monographs. In preparing it, students
should draw upon information obtained from their assigned readings and class
notes, and from at least seven outside secondary sources and at least four
outside primary sources. This research
project will include the following:
a.)
Topic for Research. This is a one-paged, typed statement
which discusses the topic selected, along with an introduction and thesis. It will be due on Monday, 18 September.
b.)
Prospectus and Working Bibliography. This
is a 3-4 paged, typed prospectus, which includes a description of the project’s
progress, a discussion of potential arguments, and an explanation of the
available sources. It also includes a
working outline of the paper and a tentative, annotated bibliography listing
the primary and secondary sources. It
will be due on Monday, 23 October.
c.)
First Draft and Final Draft of Paper. Care
should be taken by students to complete the first and final drafts. The first draft is due on Monday, 20
November. The final draft is due on
Monday, 4 December.
d.)
Oral Presentation. Each student must deliver a
twenty minute oral presentation on their research. The presentation will be followed by a brief question and answer
period during which others in the class may comment on the research paper. These presentations will be given during the
last week of classes.
RESEARCH
PAPER EXPECTATIONS: A successful
research paper will require organization, careful thought, and a command of
English grammar and composition. Use
reference works such as E. B. White’s The
Elements of Style if there are any questions about grammar, punctuation,
and/or spelling. Use Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
for the formatting of footnotes used by professional historians. Above all, remember that this is a research
paper, not an array of book reports or Internet data. Search for a thesis and present it as clearly as possible.
TESTS: This course offers five essay
examinations. See the schedule on the
last two pages of the syllabus for specific testing days. Both the midterm and the final will consist
of essay questions and will emphasize material covered since the last
examination.
MAKEUP
EXAMS: Makeup exams will be given only
at the instructor’s discretion. Any
situation clearly beyond a student’s control which causes or will cause him/her
to miss an exam (or other assignment) should be reported to the instructor at
the earliest possible time.
INCOMPLETE
GRADES: Incomplete grades are not
automatic! They will be given only at
the instructor’s discretion and because of critical circumstances. It is expected that all work should be
completed as assigned.
GRADING: I grade according to the following formula:
2 SHORT PAPERS 10% EACH
3 REGULAR EXAMS 10%
MIDTERM 10%
FINAL EXAM 15%
RESEARCH PAPER
30%
CLASS PARTICIPATION 5%
ACADEMIC
HONESTY: The History and Geography
faculty adhere to the University Catalog guidelines regarding plagiarism,
cheating, and other academically related misconduct. Violations of these standards will result in grade reduction
and/or a failing final grade plus a recommendation for University discipline.
DISRUPTIONS: Noise and other disruptions are unacceptable
and may result in a student’s removal from class.
CHILDREN
AND BABIES: Underaged and unregistered
individuals are permitted to attend if they do not distract from the learning
process and if there are enough seats for registered students. In general, however, underaged and
unregistered individuals should not be present during regularly scheduled exams
(and during makeup exams, too).
SYLLABUS
COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA
I.
AMERICA
AND IBERIA BEFORE THE CONQUEST
23
August Amerindian Civilizations on the Eve of Conquest
Burkholder, 1-22; Film, The Incas
28
August The Iberian World in the Fifteenth Century
Burkholder, 23-32
6
September Iberian Exploration and the Caribbean Experiment
Burkholder, 32-41
EXAMINATION – 11 September
II. THE AGE OF CONQUEST
13
September The Conquest of Mexico
Burkholder, 42-50
Leon-Portilla, The
Broken Spears, all
18
September The Conquest of Peru
Burkholder, 50-78
SHORT PAPER #1 ASSIGNED – 18 September
TOPIC FOR RESEARCH DUE – 18 September
EXAMINATION – 22 September
III.
RULING
NEW WORLD EMPIRES
25 September Imperial Organization and
Administration
Burkholder, 79-106
SHORT PAPER #1 DUE – 2 October
2 October Labor and Slavery in Colonial Latin
America
Burkholder, 107-133; Film, Quilombo
9 October Production, Exchange, and Defense
Burkholder, 133-170
MIDTERM EXAM – 16 & 18 October
IV.
LIVING
IN AN EMPIRE
20 October Making a Living in Both Town
and Country; Santeria and Other Afro-Latin Religions
Burkholder, 171-194; 218-247
23 October Colonial Society: Race, Culture, and
Class
Julio Cesar Pino, “Teaching
the History of Race in Latin America,” Perspectives
35(7), October 1997, 1, 22-25.
PROSPECTUS &
BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE – 23 October
30 October Women and the Family; Intellectual
History
Burkholder, 218-247
EXAMINATION – 6 November
V.
IMPERIAL
EXPANSION
8 November The Spanish Colonies and Brazil in
the Eighteenth Century
Burkholder, 248-271
SHORT PAPER #2 DUE – 10 November
13 November New Spain, Peru, and the Reforms of
Charles III
Burkholder, 271-303
20 November First Draft of Research Paper Due;
Individual Tutorials
VI.
IMPERIAL
CRISIS AND COLLAPSE
27
November & The Fall of the
Iberian Empires
4
December Burkholder, 304-349
FINAL DRAFT OF
PAPER DUE – 4 December
ORAL
PRESENTATIONS – the week of 4 December
13
DECEMBER AT 1:00 P.M. *****FINAL EXAMINATION*****
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