Sylabus
Course: Geopolitic of Latin America (1/1; 6 credits)
Course Code: JPM422
Academic Year 2022/2023
Summer Semester
Course time: Thursday 12:30 - 13:50
Lecturer: PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D.
Office: hybrid, Thursday from 11:00 - 12:00
E-mail: hladka@fsv.cuni.cz
COURSE GOALS
This course focuses on international and global perspectives of Latin American Geopolitics. It is designed to promote critical thinking skills through emphasis on the enduring problems and emerging challenges that produce international relations and economic globalization. The course surveys some important aspects of the sub-discipline of Political Geography and conventional topics in International Affairs. The course does not engage in a systematic inventory of regional issues and local conflicts. Instead, contemporary developments in the world’s region of South America is used to illustrate concepts from lectures and readings.
The class considers geopolitics using conventional and critical perspectives. Historically, the course surveys the 19th century ‘grand chessboard’ and ‘classical’ geopolitics before considering newer forms of power. In the second part, current thinking on topics including ethno-nationalism, uneven development, civil war, resource conflict, state failure, food security, trans-boundary disputes, world-systems analyses, and neoliberal urbanization will be the focus. Overall, readings, lectures, and recitations are designed to introduce, conceptualize, and criticize key ideas, practices, and processes affecting global affairs and linking them to uneven geographic outcomes
LECTURES and SEMINARS
Lectures and seminars: in block teaching. A list of lecture topics is attached below. Seminars should focus in detail on issues arising from lectures. Seminars require preparation in advance. All students are expected to have completed allocated readings and/or assignments before the seminar.
Any changes (time, dates, topics, presentations, room) will be announced at the course or info would be sent to their email stated in SIS. Students are required to check the e-mail prior to each lecture/seminar.
Do not delete any e-mails from the course e-mail address!
ASSESSMENT
Assessment will be based on: presence and activity (including one oral group presentation) and a 60-minute final exam.
The final grade is a combination of the following items:
Presentation: 30%
Final exam: 70%
REQUIREMENTS
S e m i n a r s
Advise and feedback will take place in seminars and in the lecturer’s office hours (see above).
All students, whether or not they are giving a presentation, are expected to prepare so that they can participate fully in the subsequent discussion of the topic.
Criteria of Presentation:
Each student/group of max 2 students will give one formal presentation, which should last about 20 minutes. The topic of the presentation could be either one of those stated below (brief course overview) OR could be different - students are allowed to think of their topics related to a subject but needs to be approved by lecturer! Prepare your ideas and everything will be settled on the first lecture.
Students are required to choose their topic (and find colleagues in their group!) no later than by February, 21(the first lecture).
Students are asked to accompany their oral presentation by its PowerPoint version. All PowerPoint versions are expected to be sent to the course common e-mail address (see above). Do not delete any e-mails from the course e-mail address!
Please, make sure that you come to the lecture/seminar the day when your presentation is due. Any student who cannot come the day of his/her presentation must inform the lecturer at least 48 hours in advance (see the lecturer´s private e-mail address above). You should provide the lecturer with a substantial reason (illness etc.) for your absence.
Final Exam:
The final exam accounts for 70% of the total grade.
First term: A 1-hour final exam will take place on TBD......The time, date and room will be confirmed by the lecturer; any changes would be discussed in advance and they would appear on course common e-mail address. There will be 2 more terms later on April/May, will be defined later.
All exam topics and questions will be carefully chosen from the lectures, required reading, presentations and seminar discussions. The examination will then be marked as following: A-F in accordance with Faculty rules.
Please, note:
Your grade will be put into the SIS electronic system within next days. Please, CHECK THE E-SYSTEM FOR YOUR GRADE. Come to consult your work in case of any problems or possible failures.
Second term of the Final Exam: tbc /will be held in May/
Third Term of the Final Exam: tbc /will be held in June/
A BRIEF COURSE OVERVIEW
Lectures (seminars) - defined in 6 bigger blocs 1) Geopolitics of Latin America - Introduction
Readings:
CROW, John A.: The Epic of Latin America (4th edition) -
BLAUFARB, R.(2007) : The Western Question: The Geopolitics of Latin American Independence, The American Historic revue, vol. 112, No. 3. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a478/1fafbdc5e82d8491ef29f8f0c30c6a68a9cb.pdf
Presentation:
Environmentalism in Latin America 2) USA and Latin America 1850-1945. The Monroe Doctrine and Its Consequences
Latin America and the world in the first half of the 20th century.
Presentation: Migration and demographic issues in LA 3) Role of the USSR/Russia in Latin America. Case study: Cuba.
Presentation: Current international relations of USA and Cuba. Wider perspective of Cuban influence in the world. 4) LA in the second half of the 20th century. Regionalism in Latin America. Old and New Regionalism in Practice.
Presentation: Brazil as a regional power
China as a rising power in Latin America?
Readings:
Isbell, Paul. 2007. "The New Energy Scenario and its Geopolitical Implications." Real Instituto Elcano, WP 21/2007. 5) USA-LA relations 1990-2011. Case study: war on drugs.
National security of Latin American countries
Presentation:
War on Drugs/ USA-Mexican Foreign Policy 6) Cuba - geostrategic country? A case study
Presentation: Human Rights and Political Rights in Latin America
COURSE READING
Core course reading
Kozloff, N. (2009): Revolution!South America and the rise of the new left. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Carpenter, T.G. (2003): Bad neighbor policy : Washington's futile war on drugs in Latin America 1st ed.. -- New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Crow, J.A.: The Epic of Latin America. University of California Press, LA, London.
Crandall, Russell (2008): The United States and Latin America after the Cold War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Goodwin, P. (2004): Latin America / Paul Goodwin. -- 11th ed.. -- Boston: WCB/McGraw-Hill ; Maidenhead : McGraw-Hill Education.
CHAPMAN, Peter (2007): Bananas. How the United Fruit company Shaped the World. Edinburg -N.Y. - Melbourne: Canongate.
Reid, M. (2007): Forgotten continent : the battle for Latin America's soul. New Haven: Yale University Press. edited by Richard S. Hillman (2005): Understanding contemporary Latin America / -- 3rd ed.. -- Boulder : L. Rienner Publishers, 2005.
Recommended reading
Wucker,M. (2000): Why the cocks fight. Hill and Wang, New York.
Publications by Carnegie Endowment; section Latin America: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/regions/?fa=list&id=116
Foreign Affairs, International Affairs, International Security, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Europe-Asia Studies, The Economist, European Voice, etc. Articles are also available via Proquest, Jstor, EBSC