Latin American Government And Politics

Government 147 Professor: N. Lapp

Spring 2002 Office: Tahoe 3116

Tues/Thurs 9-10:15 a.m. Hours: Tues & Thurs 1:20-2:20

Amador 252 Wed 4:00-5:00 & by appointment

GE D1b Phone: (916) 278-6380

E-mail: nlapp@csus.edu

Web page:

www.csus.edu/indiv/l/lappn

Introduction:

This course focuses on democracy and authoritarianism in Latin America. The course examines the failures of democratic governments and the causes of military interventions, and ultimately considers the progress of and prospects for successful consolidation of democracy throughout the region. In the process, we will consider what democracy is, the possible relationship between democracy and capitalism, the cause and effect of economic crisis and reform, and the relationship between economic reforms and authoritarian and democratic governments.

Catalog Description:

A two-part examination of government, politics, political change and political groups in Latin America. Part one examines the development of government, politics, political change and political groups. Part two presents national case studies. 3 units.

Goals:

Students will:

-define democracy while recognizing the difficulties of creating such a definition

-consider possible prerequisites for democracy, particularly in "developing" countries

-understand the historical context of current Latin American politics

-appreciate the diversity of Latin America and the contribution of various groups to Latin American government and politics

-practice finding current information on events in Latin America

-evaluate competing reasons for authoritarian rule and the breakdown of democracy

-explain and evaluate competing reasons for democratic consolidation and stability

-recognize constraints on Latin American political and economic development

-evaluate the efficacy of authoritarian and democratic governments in implementing reform

-understand the context of economic and political reform in the region

-apply their knowledge in assessing the prospects for democratic regimes in Latin America

Texts:

The following are required and available for purchase at the Hornet bookstore.

Harry E. Vanden and Gary Prevost, Politics of Latin America: the Power Game, Oxford University Press, 2002.

Judith Adler Hellman, Mexican Lives, The New Press, 1999.

Paul B. Goodwin, Jr., editor, Global Studies: Latin America, 9th ed. Dushkin Group, 2000.

Current History. February 2001.

Recommended book:

Diana Hacker. A Pocket Style Manual. Third Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000.

The Reader:

Rather than having students purchase a photocopied reader, extra readings will be on reserve at the library. Many of these readings will also be available on-line through saclink.

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation:

Since this is a lecture and discussion class, students are expected to attend class regularly and to participate thoughtfully in class discussions. This is an important part of the class.

Quizzes:

It is critical that students prepare for each class by reading and thinking about the assigned materials. To encourage reading before class, we will have short in-class and take-home quizzes.

Exams:

There will be one in-class midterm and a take-home final exam. The dates are noted below in the class schedule. A midterm study guide will be given out about one week before the midterm exam. Bring a large, blank, blue book to the exam (do not even write your name on the blue book before being instructed to do so). The midterm will consist of short-answer and essay questions. The final exam will be a take-home final. Again, a study guide will be provided beforehand. The final exam will be distributed the last day of class and will be due no later than 5 p.m. on the day of the final exam as found in the schedule of classes. Specific dates for the exams are given in the class schedule at the end of this syllabus.

Country Research Papers:

Each student will each write two three-to-five page research papers on two different Latin American countries. Students will discuss their papers in class. The research paper assignments will be explained more thoroughly in a separate handout. This will include guidelines on how to write the papers, with specific questions to answer about the countries and hints on sources of information. One quick source of information is the Global Studies text. See p. vii for Internet sources and pp. 209-210 for histories and periodicals. Students will also prepare a one-page "abstract" to share the results of their research with the rest of the class during the class discussion.

Please note that the Global Studies book also has a companion website with lots of helpful information, including links to sources. It can be found at www.dushkin.com/online/.

Important note: One of the most disagreeable and yet preventable problems that can arise when students work on research papers is plagiarism. Be very careful! Plagiarism is the "act of stealing and using as one's own the ideas or the expression of the ideas of another," according to The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary. The ideas and words of others as well as facts which are not common knowledge must be properly attributed to the source. Plagiarism could result in your expulsion from the college; for this class, you will receive an "F" on any work that is plagiarized. The paper handout will cover the basics of proper citation for your paper, but you are responsible for knowing the rules. See me in advance if you have any questions regarding the use of materials in order to avoid even the appearance of plagiarism. Keep all notes and any drafts of your work until you receive your final grade in the course.

Incompletes:

Another important note: Only under the most unusual circumstances will incompletes be given in this class. Under no circumstances will incompletes be granted for students who are not earning at least a "C-" in the class at the time the incomplete request is made. If you suspect you are having problems or are falling behind in class, see me as soon as possible so that you can avoid unpleasant consequences at the end of the semester!

Grades:

Attendance and Participation- 5%

Quizzes - 10%

Midterm - 20%

Final - 25%

Country Research Papers - 20% each (40% total)

CLASS SCHEDULE:

The following lists course topics, reading assignments, exam dates, and deadlines. Keep in mind that although unlikely, the following schedule can change.

Items marked with an arrow (Þ) are available at the Library Reserve Reading Room under GOVT 147 (Reader). Relevant addresses are given when available online.

Week 1: Jan. 29 and 31

Introduction to the class and Background on Latin America (Colonization +)

Readings for Thursday:

·Global Studies, pp. 3-6.

·Vanden and Prevost, Introduction, "Notes on Studying Politics in Latin America," pp. xi-xvii and chapter 1, "An Introduction to Latin America (As It Is)," pp. 1-16.

Week 2: Feb. 5 and 7

Colonization and Independence, Socioeconomic and Demographic Background

Readings: ·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 2, "Early History," pp. 17-40

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 3, "Republics and the Struggle..." pp. 41-73

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 4, "The Other Americans," pp. 74-87

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 5, "Society, Gender, and Political Culture," pp. 98-116

Week 3: Feb. 12 and 14

Independent Latin America: Government, Politics, and Economy

(Including: What is authoritarian government? What is democracy? Are there prerequisites necessary for the development of stable democracy?)

Readings: ·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 5, "Society, Gender, and Political Culture," pp. 116-126

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 8, "Politics, Power, Institutions, and Actors," pp. 177-228.

ÞOn Reserve at the Library: Terry Lynn Karl, "Dilemmas of Democratization," Comparative Politics 24 (October 1990): 1-21.

ÞOn Reserve: Samuel P. Huntington, "After Twenty Years: The Future of the Third Wave," Journal of Democracy 8.4 (1997) 3-12. (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

Authoritarian Latin America: Three Examples (Chile, Argentina, and Brazil)

(What factors, including economic crisis, might have contributed to the breakdown of democratic governments in Latin America? Why have Latin American countries experienced economic problems, anyway? What might be the effect of different kinds of democratic institutions?)

Week 4: Feb. 19 and 21

Democracy, Repression in Chile

(How democratic was Chile before the military coup? Why did the coup of 1973 occur? What was the resulting dictatorship?)

Readings: ·Global Studies, pp. 70-73

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 15, "Chile," by Eduardo Silva, pp. 437-481.

ÞOn Reserve: J. Patrice McSherry. "Operation Condor: Clandestine Inter-American System." Social Justice, Winter 1999 v26 i4 p144. (available through InfoTrac)

ÞRecommended: Selections from Isabel Allende, House of the Spirits, on reserve at the library. (chapter 12 "The Conspiracy" and chapter 13 "The Terror")

Week 5: Feb. 26 and 28

Instability and the Breakdown of Democracy in Argentina

(Why were Argentine politics unstable? Why did the military coups occur? What were the Argentine military dictatorships like?)

Movie, "La Historia Oficial"

Readings: ·Global Studies, pp. 56-59

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 14, "Argentina," by Aldo C. Vacs, pp. 399-435

Week 6: March 5 and 7

Tuesday: Argentina continued

Readings: ÞOn Reserve: George Philip, The Military in South American Politics, pp. 246-273.

Thursday: The Breakdown of Democracy and Military Rule in Brazil

(What kind of democracy did Brazil have before the coup? What led to the coup of 1964? What was the nature of Brazil's military government?)

Readings: ·Global Studies, pp. 63-69

·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 16, "Brazil," by Wilber Albert Chaffee, pp. 483-511.

First paper due: Thursday, March 7

Week 7: March 12 and 14

Brazil, continued

Readings: ·Global Studies, Article 11, “The Two Brazils”

Week 8: March 19 and 21

Tuesday, Review; Thursday, Midterm (March 21)

Spring Break: March 25-29

(CSUS will be observing César Chávez's birthday on Monday, April 1 -- campus closed)

Week 9: April 2 and 4

Redemocratization and Democracy throughout Latin America

Readings: ÞOn Reserve: Ruth Bradley. "Chilean Elections: Future Promise and Past Pain." The Washington Quarterly, Autumn 1999 v22 i4 p181. (available through InfoTrac Expanded Academic)

ÞOn Reserve: Wendy Hunter, "Continuity or Change? Civil-Military Relations in Democratic Argentina, Chile, and Peru," Political Science Quarterly, vol. 112, no. 3, Fall 1997, p. 453+. (full text available through Infotrac)

ÞOn Reserve: Manuel Antonio Garretón, "Chile's Elections: Change and Continuity," Journal of Democracy 11.2 (2000) 78-84. (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

ÞOn Reserve: Margot Olavarria, "New Evidence Links Pinochet to Human Rights Abuses." NACLA Report on the Americas, May 2000 v33 i6 p1. (available through InfoTrac Expanded Academic)

Week 10: April 9 and 11

Authoritarian Mexico

Readings: ·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 11, "Mexico" by Nora Hamilton

·Hellman, Mexican Lives, Introduction through Chapter 3 (pp. 1-86).

Week 11: April 16 and 18

Democratizing Mexico?

Readings: ·Hellman, Mexican Lives, chapters 7-9 and Postscript (pp. 152-232).

·Global Studies, "Mexico," (pp. 7-16); Article 7, "What’s Next for Mexico: Potential Surprises from a U.S. Neighbor" (pp. 160-164).

ÞOn Reserve: "Mexico's Triumph.(National Action Party wins election)" The Nation, July 24, 2000 v271 i4 p3.

ÞOn Reserve: Tim McGirk and Elaine Shannon. "Stand and Deliver: Mexico's new President won a historic mandate to topple an old order. Now for the hard part." Time International, July 17, 2000 v156 i2 p35.

Week 12: April 23 and 25

Effects of Reform: Economic Aspects

Readings: ·Vanden and Prevost, chapter 7, "The Political Economy of Latin America," pp. 146-176.

·Hellman, Mexican Lives, chapters 5 and 6 and Afterword (pp. 113-151; 233-244)

ÞOn Reserve: Terry Lynn Karl, "Economic Inequality and Democratic Instability," The Journal of Democracy, vol. 11 issue 1, 2000, pp. 149-156 (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

ÞOn Reserve: Manuel Pastor, Jr. and Carol Wise, "The Politics of Second-Generation Reform," Journal of Democracy, vol. 10, no. 3, July 1999, pp. 34-48. (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

·Global Studies: Article 2, Forrest D. Colburn, "Inequality in Latin America," pp. 141-143; Article 3, James E. Mahon, Jr., "Economic Crisis in Latin America: Global Contagion, Local Pain," pp. 144-148;

Week 13: April 30 and May 2

Effects of Reform: Social Aspects

Readings: ·Global Studies: Article 4, Mala Htun, "Women in Latin America: Unequal Progress toward Equality"; Article 5, Forrest D. Colburn, "Crime in Latin America"

Second paper due: Thursday, May 2

Week 14: May 7 and 9

Democratization Revisited

Readings: ÞOn Reserve: Scott Mainwaring, "The Surprising Resilience of Elected Governments," Journal of Democracy, vol. 10, no. 3, July 1999, pp. 101-114. (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

ÞOn Reserve: Andrew Reding, "Civil Society's Ascent in Latin America is no coincidence," The Houston Chronicle, August 8, 1999, Sunday Outlook section, p. 5. (full text available through Lexis-Nexis)

ÞOn Reserve: David G. Becker, "Latin America: Beyond 'Democratic Consolidation,'" Journal of Democracy 10.2 (1999) 138-151. (available at http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy)

Week 15: May 14 and 16

Future Prospects; Discussion, and Review

The take-home final will be distributed the last day of class.

Final Exam: Take-home final due by Thursday, 5p.m.

Exam may be turned in to me personally (the best option), in my box in the Government Dept., or under my office door (the least attractive option)