Course Syllabus
History 3398, Section 001
M/W 2:30-3:45, Fall 2019
Colonial Latin America
JO 4.102
Professor Contact Information
Monica Rankin
JO 4.916 or JO 4.602 (CUSLAI office)
(972) 883-2005
Mobile: (972) 822-5375
Office Hours: M/W 4:00-5:00 or by appointment
Course Description
This course is designed to give students an overview of the political, economic, social, and cultural history of Latin America from the pre-Conquest era to the end of Independence (roughly 1821). Broadly speaking, each week’s material will be presented in a chronological fashion, but within those broad chronological divisions, we will be examining material thematically. We will specifically focus on the different themes that affected the way life and society were organized during the colonial period, and how these themes were interrelated.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Required Textbooks and Materials
Textbook: Mark Burkholder and Lyman Johnson, Colonial Latin America, Oxford University Press
Essay Reader: Kenneth Andrien, ed. The Human Tradition in Colonial Latin America, 2nd edition. SR Books, 2013. ISBN: 978-1442212992
Essay Reader: Lyman Johnson, et. al., eds. The Faces of Honor: Sex, Shame, and Violence in Colonial Latin America, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1998. ISBN: 0-8263-1906-8.
Primary Document Reader: Richard Boyer, et. al., eds. Colonial Lives: Documents on Latin America History, 1550-1850, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-19-512512-6.
E-Reserve
1. “The Origin of the Aztecs,” in Gilbert Joseph, et. al. The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics Duke University Press. pp 57-60
2. “Popol Vuh,” in Gilbert Joseph, et. al. The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics Duke University Press. pp 79-85
3. “The Huarochiri Manuscript,” in Orin Starn, et. al. The Peru Reader: History, Culture, Politics Duke University Press. pp 29-34
4. Alonso de Zorita, “Why the Indians are Dying,” in Gilbert Joseph, et. al. The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics Duke University Press. pp 122-130.
5. Noble David Cook, Born to Die: Disease and New World Conquest, 1492-1650. (selection)
Assignments
Class Participation: All students are expected to participate in class discussions by incorporating information from assigned readings and class lectures. Students’ participation should be constructive and contribute to the overall discussion. Please consider quality as well as quantity in class discussions. Formal class discussions and/or other participatory activities will take place following scheduled quizzes and they will be based on reading assignments out of the Andrien, Johnson, and Boyer books and from E-Reserve assignments. Generally those assignments will correspond to the previous day’s lecture, so you will hear a lecture over a given topic and then read one or more chapters related to that topic after hearing the basic narrative. Students should take thorough notes on the reading assignments and use those notes, comments, etc. as the basis for class discussion. ***I cannot stress enough that you should take GOOD notes on the readings assigned for weekly quizzes/discussions. You will need those notes for the weekly quizzes and also for exams.
Weekly Quizzes: At the beginning of days designated for formal class discussions/participatory activities, we will start with a brief open note quiz. All students are strongly encouraged to take thorough notes on the assigned readings as these notes may be consulted during the weekly quizzes. You may use the questions listed on the discussion link to our course website as a general note-taking guide. Oftentimes quiz questions will be modified versions of the questions listed on that site.
NOTE: The quiz will begin promptly at the start of class time and will last for no more than 10 minutes. Students arriving late to class will not be allotted additional time to complete the weekly quiz. No make-ups will be allowed on weekly quizzes, but I will drop your lowest quiz score at the end of the semester.
See www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin for quiz study questions.
Map Quiz: A map quiz will be administered shortly after the first exam. This quiz will test your knowledge of colonial administrative divisions in Latin America, major cities, and bodies of water. An exam guide will be posted on the course website. Quiz date is listed on the course schedule.
Exams: The exams in this class will be take-home exams. They will be made up of various ID terms that must be defined and tied to specific examples from the assigned readings. I will provide students with exam questions and thorough instructions in advance. Those instructions MUST be followed or a failing grade on the exam may result. Exams will be due on the days listed in the course schedule. They must be typed and uploaded to turnitin.com. Your answers on the take-home exams should follow a specific template that is designed to help you practice the art of analytical writing. We will discuss this template prior to each exam and I encourage you to follow it.
NOTE: You must use only the readings that have been assigned as part of your weekly quiz assignments to answer the exam questions. You may not use outside sources of any kind on the take-home exams and ABSOLUTELY NO direct quotes are allowed from any sources. Any use of outside sources and any direct quotations will be considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade on the exam. Any and all cases of academic dishonesty will be reported immediately to the Judicial Affairs Office.
Grading Policy
The grading in this course is based on two exams, a map quiz, weekly quizzes, and class participation. The breakdown of the grading is as follows:
Midterm Exam 100 points
Final Exam 100 points
Map Quiz 50 points
Weekly Quizzes 100 points
Class Participation 100 points
Course & Instructor Policies
There is no formal attendance policy in this class, but I will distribute a sign-in sheet each day to help track class participation. Please keep in mind that it is not possible to “make-up” class participation. If you are not physically (and mentally) present in the classroom, it will affect your participation grade. Furthermore, past experience has proven that students who attend class regularly tend to earn higher grades. I frequently include information in my lectures that is not necessarily covered in your reading. It behooves you to be present to listen to lectures and participate in class. Finally, please refrain from disruptive behavior such as arriving late, departing early, talking, sleeping, texting, facebooking, reading the newspaper, etc. (I reserve the right to add to this list as needed).
· No late assignments will be accepted and there is no make-up policy for in-class work. I will drop the lowest quiz score at the end of the semester. If you have missed a quiz, that score will be dropped. There will be no exceptions to this rule. If there is an emergency in your life, please contact me as soon as possible.
· All exams must be uploaded to turnitin.com by 11:59 pm on the due date. Class will not meet on the days that exams are due.
· I realize that urgent situations may arise during the semester that may affect with class attendance. If this is the case, please contact me immediately so we can discuss.
All assignments for this class are mandatory. Materials used in this course have been carefully selected for their scholarly value, but some audiences may take offense at topics of a sensitive nature. There will be no substitutions of readings, films, documents, presentations, and/or other course requirements to suit personal preferences and/or sensitivities.
UTD Syllabi Policies: For University Syllabi Policies, please see: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies
Academic Calendar:
The following schedule outlines the topics and reading assignments for each class. This schedule is subject to change. Any changes made to the schedule and/or any other course requirements will be announced in class and will be posted on the course website: www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin
August 21 Lecture 1: Pre-Conquest Spain
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 1
August 26 Lecture 2: The Americas on the Eve of Conquest
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 1
August 28 Quiz #1
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #1 Reading Assignment:
Johnson, Introduction and Chapter 1
Andrien, Introduction
E-Reserve Documents 1-3
September 4 Lecture 4: Conquest of Mexico
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 2, pp. 52-59
September 9 Quiz #2
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #2 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 1
Boyer, Chapter 3
September 11 Lecture 5: Conquest of South America
Textbook Reading: Burkholder Chapter 2 to end
September 16 Quiz #3
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #3 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 2 & 4
Boyer, Chapter 2
September 18 Lecture 6: Consolidation of Conquest
Textbook Reading: None
September 23 Quiz #4 & Smallpox Infestation (in-class activity)
Quiz #4 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 5
Boyer, Chapter 5
E-Reserve Documents 4&5
September 25 MAP QUIZ
Discussion of Quiz 4 readings and disease
September 30 Lecture 7: Colonial Administration: Church and Crown
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 3
October 2 Mid-term exam due to TURNITIN.com by 11:59 pm
October 7 Quiz #5
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #5 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 6
Johnson, Chapter 2
Boyer, Chapter 7
October 9 Lecture 8: Colonial Society
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapters 6-8
October 14 Quiz #6
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #6 Reading Assignment:
Johnson, Chapters 3 and 4
Boyer, Chapter 6
October 16 Lecture 9: Indigenous People in Colonial Latin America
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 4, pp. 123-143
October 21 Quiz #7
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #7 Reading:
Andrien, Chapter 10
Johnson, Chapter 6
Boyer, Chapter 12
October 23 Lecture 10: Slavery in Colonial Latin America
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 4 to end
October 28 Quiz #8
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #8 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 7
Johnson, Chapter 8
Boyer, Chapter 20
October 30 Lecture 11: Economic Development in the Colonies
Textbook Reading: Burkholder Chapter 5
November 4 Lecture 12: The Age of Reform
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 9
November 6 Film Day
November 11 End of Film
Quiz #9
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #9 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 11
Johnson, Chapter 7
Boyer, Chapter 21
November 13 Lecture 13: Preludes to Independence
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 9
November 25 Quiz #10
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #10 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapter 15
Johnson, Chapter 5
Boyer, Chapter 16
November 27 Lecture 13: Brazil and Haiti
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 10
December 2 Lecture 15: Wars of Independence
Textbook Reading: Burkholder, Chapter 11
December 4 Quiz #11
Discussion of Reading Assignment
Quiz #11 Reading Assignment:
Andrien, Chapters 16 & 17
Boyer, Chapter 23
TBA FINAL EXAM DUE on the date determined by UT Dallas
Upload to turnitin.com by 11:59 pm