Geography 3812
Department of Geography
University of
Colorado-Boulder
Fall 2003
Geographies of Mexico, Central
America, and the Caribbean
Instructor: Dr. Donna Rubinoff
Office: Guggenheim 101
Office
Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-4:30
(or by appointment)
Contacts: a) Email – Rubinoff@colorado.edu
(best way to reach me)
b) Phone –
720-890-9306 (home, only for emergencies)
TA:
Lisa Jordan
Office: Guggenheim 101
Office
Hours: by appointment only
Contacts: a)
Email: Lisa.Anselmi@Colorado.EDU
(best way)
b) Phone:
303 786-1096 (home)
Class Web page: http://www.colorado.edu/geography/courses/geog_3812_f03/
NB: You should consult
the class web page OFTEN for news and updates. The syllabus is subject to
change.
“What is Geography?”
A
common misconception is that Geography is learning where things are. Obviously, it is important to know where
places are, but geographers also examine how places came to be what they now
are, how they are related to other places, and in what ways places become
resources of contention. One of the
most exciting things about geography is that it requires the ability to integrate
knowledge from a variety of different disciplines, such as geology,
anthropology, history and economics, with a focus on space, place, and
scale. In this class, we will use
contemporary processes and issues in the region under study as a way of illustrating
the methods of modern geographers to understand these conflicts and to pose
some possible solutions.
Course
Themes:
a)
“Colonization, revolution, development and globalization”
The
overarching agenda for this course is to use geographical concepts to explore
processes and problems within the study region. We will situate this exploration within the historical context,
(reaching back into pre-Columbian times, spanning colonization, independence,
revolution and coming up to present times) but historical backdrops will be
brief; and you are advised to consult your texts for more detail. Into this backdrop, we will interweave
several key themes (below) that will be addressed across the three sub regions
of study. By the end of the course, you
will have several examples/cases that illustrate debates and research around
each of the following themes.
b)
“Land, labor, poverty and resistance.”
The
region under study, especially Central America, has been noted for its poverty,
as well as its violent and revolutionary efforts to shake off the vestiges of
both external and internal domination and to establish societies that are more
egalitarian. In this theme we will ask:
“What is the role of land and land rights (as well as land based resources such
as forests, water, mining, etc.) within
both economic and political struggles?”
c)
“Regionalism and Transnationalism.”
As
the region becomes increasingly interconnected both internally and globally,
there have emerged social, economic and political networks that both challenge
its borders and reshape internal processes.
We will explore these networks, especially those linking with North
America, to ask how they influence processes at the scale of the state, the
community and identity construction.
d)
“Gender, Race and Class Identities”
An
important, but often misunderstood, scale of geography is that which operates
at the scale of the individual. Global,
transnational, regional, state and community processes also play out at the
scales of the household and the body, and these, in turn, intersect in
important ways with other scales to influence change. Throughout the course, we will inject perspectives from those who
have been marginalized from history: women, peasants and indigenous, and people
of color. In doing so, we will not only
revalorize these perspectives, but also show how they contrast with and are
part of emerging forms in region.
Ultimately, we will show how geography is incomplete without
understanding the interplay of processes across multiple scales.
Course
Organization:
a) Texts:
Required:
Brockett. Charles D. 1998. Land, Power, Poverty. Boulder:
Westview Press (LPP)
Menchu, R. (edited and
introduced by E. Burgos-Debray). 1983
[trans. 1984]: I, Rigoberta Menchu. London: Verso.
Rogozinski, J. 1999. A
Brief History of Caribbean. New York: Plume Press. (Caribbean)
Woodward,
R.L. 1999. Central America: A Nation Divided. New York: Oxford.
Optional
Chomsky, A. and
Lauria-Santiago, A. (eds.) 1998. Identity & Struggle at Margins of
Nation-State. Durham: Duke University Press.
b) Required Readings: All other readings will be online, linked to the
course syllabus, or given as handouts.
d) Thought Questions. To give you incentive to complete your required
readings and newspaper readings, there will be “thought questions” assigned to
many of these readings. There will be
16 questions assigned and you can drop/miss one. Each one will be worth 2 points, for a total of 30 points. This part of the course is very important,
and I see it as a substitute for a final project. It is meant to keep you constantly involved in the course, and to
get used to reading the newspaper on a regular basis.
e) Other Graded
Activities: Debates, Role
Playing, Longer thought question. These
assignments will be discussed in class handouts.
g) Grade Distribution:
Thought
Questions (16 assigned, drop or skip 1, 2% each) = 30%
Quizzes (2x10%) =
20%
Participation and Attendance =
10%
Debates/Role Playing/Longer thought question (3x5%) = 15%
Final Examination =
25%
Total
100%
h) Attendance: Attendance is expected, and
your 10% participation grade will include attendance as well as classroom
participation.
i) Classroom Behavior: The Geography Department
has a code of classroom conduct that requires respectful behavior from
instructors and students. It is
important to listen politely to the opinions of others and to express
disagreements in a respectful manner, especially since some of the topics that
we cover might be controversial. Hopefully,
over the course of the semester, each student’s personal position will develop
or evolve, or maybe change. It only
matters that you confront the issues and, regardless of your own choices, that
you have a position that can be defended in the face of critique and
facts. Developing your ability to
articulate this position, in verbal and written form, will be an important
feature of the class and will be useful in further University coursework and
life after college.
k) Academic Honesty: As CU undergraduates, and
in accordance with the CU Honor Code, you are expected to uphold the highest
standards of academic honesty at all times.
In cases of academic dishonesty, the instructor, following Geography
Department and the College of Arts and Sciences regulations, will give at least
a grade of F for that part of the course (exam or paper) or more than likely, a
grade of F for the whole course (depending on the seriousness of the instance)
for any violation of academic honesty.
This includes plagiarism on written assignments, copying on exams or
submitting work that is not your own original effort. Further details on the departmental College of Arts and Sciences
policies on academic honesty can be obtained from the instructor or the
Geography Department office. All
violations will be reported to the Dean’s office and entered in the student’s
file.
l) Learning Disabilities: If you wish to take the
exams in a different setting, take a longer time for the exam, take an oral
exam or make any other exam or class accommodation, please register with the
Academic Access and Resources Office (Willard 323), phone 492-8671 and we will
work out the arrangements. Please
contact the instructor or your TA as soon as possible.
Geography 3812
Department of Geography
University of
Colorado-Boulder
Fall 2003
Dr. Donna Rubinoff
Geographies of Mexico, Central America,
and the Caribbean
NB: SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Check for latest updates on course web page:
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/courses/geog_3812_f03/
Week
|
Date
|
Class Activity
|
Readings/Homework: Due Day Listed |
|
1 |
Aug 26 |
Introduction to Course Cancun film: different Mexico’s |
|
|
|
Aug 28 |
Lecture: ·
Principles of Geography ·
Regional Geographies and Pre-Columbian Histories: |
Essay by Mark Danner: “Staying in El Salvador.” http://www.markdanner.com/elsalvado.htm
and Thought Question Pre-Colonial Histories: Caribbean: pp. 14-17 Central America: pp. 10-24. |
|
2 |
Sep. 2 |
Guest Lecture: Prof. Payson Sheets, “Mayan Culture:
Spiritual Geographies” |
“I, Rigoberta Menchu”: Introduction and pp.
1-58. Thought Question |
|
|
Sep. 4 |
Introduction to Colonial Period across the region ·
History of Mexico ·
Intro to Mexico in North American Integration |
Caribbean: pp. 22-104 Central America: pp. 25-92 |
|
3 NOTE |
Sep. 9
|
Challenging Border Environments:
“Borderline Cases” |
|
|
|
Sep. 11
|
Finish Mexico history and |
·
Anzaldua, G. 1987.
“Mestiza consciousness” ·
Wright, M. 2001. “Maquiladora Mestizas and a Feminist Border
Politics: revisiting Anzaldua”. ·
Ciudad Juarez: §
Amnesty International report Double Thought Question |
|
4 |
Sep. 16 |
Border Issues ·
Trans border migration and environment ·
Border Consciousness ·
Maquiladoras/
Commodity Chains
and the Geographies of Blue Jeans |
Thought Question on “Borderline Cases”: How does
the US/Mexico border influence environmental problems, and how are these
borders being challenged? |
|
|
Sep. 18 |
Transnationalism: Forum, NAFTA
Food Chain |
Readings: 2 chapters in Barndt (ed.). 1999. Women
Working the NAFTA Food Chain. ·
Friedmann,
1999. “Remaking ‘Traditions’: How We
Eat, What We Eat and the changing Political Economy of Food” and ·
Barndt,
1999. “Whose Choice: Flexible Women Workers in the Tomato Food Chain.” ·
and individual chapters (to be distributed in
class) |
5
|
Sep. 23 |
Mexican Forestry Intro to Zapatista “Children of Zapata |
|
|
|
Sep. 25 |
Zapatistas, Net warriors and Trans national communities |
Rivera-Salgado.
1999. “Mixtec Activism in Oaxacalifornia.” Thought Question |
|
6 |
Sep. 30 |
Quiz on Mexico Introduction:
Central America Rigoberta film” Broken Silences” |
|
|
|
Oct. 2 |
NO CLASSES—FALL BREAK |
|
|
7 |
Oct.7 |
Guatemala
lecture/discussion |
LPP: 1-98 Agrarian
Transformation before 1950. Guatemala,
pp.101-128 Thought Question. |
|
|
Oct.9 |
International
Human Rights Regimes
|
“I,
Rigoberta Menchu” ESSAY (5 points) |
|
8 |
Oct.14 |
Introduce
El Salvador: Film: Maria’s Story
|
LPP:
El Salvador, pp. 129-155.
|
|
|
Oct.16 |
Film: Maria’s Story
Organize
groups: El Salvador networks exercise . |
Danner:
1993. “The truth about El Mozote” |
9
|
Oct.21 |
Group
Exercise in class discussion. Liberation
Theology, ES update |
Landolt
et.al. 1999. “From Hermano Lejano to Hermano Mayor.” Group Exercise as
noted on class web page (4 points) |
|
|
Oct.23 |
Nicaragua background Iran/Contra Class Discussion |
L PP: Nicaragua, pp.156-184 Walsh
Report (Executive Summary and Part I: Underlying Facts) alternative site if that
doesn’t open |
|
10 |
Oct. 28 |
Nicaragua: |
Nicaragua/Walsh report Thought Question |
|
|
Oct. 30 |
Honduras/Costa Rica |
LPP: Honduras, pp. 185-200 LPP:
Costa Rica, pp. 201-214
Thought
question: outline these two chapters |
11
|
Nov. 4
|
Honduras/Costa Rica |
|
|
|
Nov. 6 |
Regionalism in Central America: |
Edelman,
1998 “Organizing Across Borders: The rise of a transnational peasant movement
in Central America” Latin America Research Review. Or article is available in Ebsco host. Thought
question: see News on front web page. |
|
12 |
Nov. 11 |
Debate: Should the Plan Puebla Panama move
forward? |
|
|
|
Nov. 13 |
Quiz on Central America Film on Caribbean |
|
13
|
Nov. 18 |
Introduction
to Caribbean, maps, geography, history Globalization
in the Caribbean |
Caribbean. Pp. 107-222. Caribbean. Pp. 278--346. |
|
|
Nov. 20 |
Women
in the Caribbean
|
Freeman. 2000. “High Tech and High Heels in the Global
Economy” (selected chapter) Kempadoo. 1999. “Sun, Sex and Gold: Tourism and Sex Work
in the Caribbean” (selected chapter). Thought Question on front page. |
|
14 |
Nov. 25 |
Film: “Portrait of Castro’s Cuba” |
Caribbean. Pp. 225-254. (Chapter on Cuba). |
|
|
Nov. 27 |
THANKSGIVING |
Rent and Watch: “The Harder They Come” (Jamaica) “Buena Vista Social Club” (Cuba) |
|
15 |
Dec. 2 |
Cuba |
In class Thought Question: 15 minute essay on Cuban film(s) and
reading. |
|
|
Dec. 4 |
Jamaica/tourism/reggae
as political statement |
Perez, 2001. “Fear
and Loathing of Fidel Castro: Sources of US Policy Toward Cuba” Thought
question |
|
16 |
Dec. 9 |
Caribbean futures |
Musical Thought Question: considering films (Castro’s
Cuba, THTC, BVSC) and in class lecture on reggae, Ø
How do music and politics intersect in the
Caribbean? Use at least three examples. |
|
|
Dec. 11 |
Wrap up course |
|