Prerequisiti
Basic knowledge of contemporary history
Risultati di apprendimento attesi
This course aims to provide students with the historical, analytical, and methodological tools necessary to develop an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of inter-American relations from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present day. The course provides students with a solid foundation in the historical evolution of continental international and regional politics. The methodology is designed to encourage active, critical and informed engagement, with the ultimate goal of fostering the ability to evaluate and examine issues independently and critically, and to present and communicate them from an academic perspective. By the end of the course, students should be able to engage independently and critically with major current political, economic and social issues in a continental context.
Contenuti Del Corso
The course will devote particular attention to relations between the United States and Latin American countries, highlighting continuity and change from the 'Monroe Doctrine' to the present day. The course also seeks to provide students with the conceptual framework to understand and interpret Latin America's global role over the past three decades. Starting from the historical watershed of the end of the Cold War, the course will address the different dimensions of Latin America’s engagement with world politics. In particular, it will examine the main trends in the foreign policies of Latin American countries, regional and transregional integration processes, and the power projection of great powers (the United States, the European Union, China, and Russia) to the region, as well as the role of international organizations in regional dynamics. This background will enable students to critically analyze current developments and potential future trajectories in Latin America's regional and global politics.
Testi Di Riferimento
Mandatory basic texts: - Gregory B. Weeks, Charlotte, Michael E. Allison, U.S. and Latin American Relations, third edition, Cambridge University Press, 2022. - Gian Luca Gardini, External Powers in Latin America. Geopolitics between Neo-extractivism and South-South Cooperation, Routledge, 2021 (Only Introduction, Conclusion and chapters 2, 3 and 4). Texts recommended for further study: - Francisco Rodríguez-Jiménez, Lorenzo Delgado Gómez-Escalonilla, Benedetta Calandra (Eds), US Public Diplomacy Strategies in Latin America During the Sixties Time for Persuasion, Routledge, 2024 A full and more detailed list of readings (including books, articles, documentaries, films, and other sources) will be distributed in class
Metodologie Didattiche
The course will be conducted through lectures and classroom discussions based on readings provided to students on specific topics. Students will have to demonstrate that they have understood and critically re-elaborate the main features and developments of Inter-American Relations, as well as the recurring elements and “irregularities” of the foreign policy of the main state actors on the continent.
Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
Students are required, in addition to attendance, to actively participate during the course. Attending students are involved in a continuous assessment that corresponds to one-third (1/3) of the overall evaluation. During the continuous assessment, students are subjected to various assessment activities, designed to monitor progressive learning and the acquisition of skills. These activities will include classroom discussions based on readings provided by the lecturer and a midterm test that will take place around the seventh week. In examination sessions, attending students take an individual final examination that corresponds to two-thirds (2/3) of the overall grade. The final examination is aimed at verifying the knowledge and skills acquired and will consist of an oral test covering a part of the overall program. Non-attending students will be required to bring to the oral examination all texts indicated on the lecturer's page. The combination of continuous assessment (one-third) and final exam (two-thirds) is valid only in the examination dates scheduled at the end of the semester in which the course is taught. In subsequent examination sessions (retake sessions), students are evaluated exclusively through a single final examination (100%), thus losing the continuous assessment grade.
Criteri per l’assegnazione dell’elaborato finale
Active participation in class discussion The topic must be original.
Settimana 1
Introduction to the History of Latin America: from the birth of Latin American countries to the early twentieth century.
Settimana 2
U.S.-Latin American relations from the Monroe Doctrine to the late 1800s.
Settimana 3
The transition from nation expansion to imperialism in U.S.-Latin American relations.
Settimana 4
Inter-American relations between the two World Wars.
Settimana 5
The Cuban Revolution, the “Latin American Cold War” and the authoritarian turn in the Southern Cone.
Settimana 6
Latin America between the 1980s and 1990s.
Settimana 7
The processes of regional cooperation from the 1940s to the present.
Settimana 8
Latin America in the post-bipolar system.
Settimana 9
The United States and Latin America between new foreign policy agendas and new security issues.
Settimana 10
The Chinese power projection to Latin America in the 2000s.
Settimana 11
Relations of Latin American countries with other extra-continental actors.
Settimana 12
Current dynamics and prospects of the Latin American region's global engagement.