LAS 280 - Special Topics in Latin American Studies

One-time course offerings with themes related to the interdisciplinary study of Latin America. Typically taught at an introductory or intermediate level but with no prerequisites unless otherwise stated.

Fall 2021

Latin American Nations and Nationalisms
Instructor: Sturtevant

This course will address political projects that strive to construct national identities and legitimize government authority throughout Latin America in the present day. We will explore how the privileges and obligations associated with citizenship within a national community are unequally distributed; how elite groups and marginalized communities deploy conceptions of national identity to achieve their political goals; and how racial and ethnic diversity transform and is transformed by these national identity projects. At the heart of this exploration is the difficult relationship between a people and a political authority: the “untenable hyphen” between nation and state.

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement
Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement