Ineq/Dev/Soc Change in Lat Am

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The Spanish speaking countries of the Americas, along with Brazil, that make up the Latin American region constitute a historically dynamic set of communities. From the emergence of large-scale, organized pre-Columbian societies, to being the first region of the world to face foreign colonization, to becoming among the first independent republics in the world, Latin America has played a pivotal role in world history. Yet despite its proximity to and parallel historical development alongside the United States, we have and continue to observe profound differences in human development and social inequality vis-à-vis the United States- inequalities that not only affect the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people, but whose impact is also felt in the U.S. How can we understand why issues such as poverty, wide income inequality and social exclusion are endemic to many parts of Latin America? Why these problems are more profound in Latin America than in the United States and Europe, despite an abundance of natural resources and human capital and a long history of political independence? What possibilities exist for social change that will alleviate or eliminate these different forms of inequality in the region? This course seeks to provide a series of perspectives that attempt to understand the nature and reasons Latin American countries continue to cope with different and profound forms of social inequality, a central concept of sociological inquiry. The course will focus on both the region as a whole, as well as individual countries, in order to examine the different forms of inequality that affect the people of Latin America and the social problems that result from these different forms of inequality. At the regional level we will look at the issues of economic development and democratization, and the extent to which colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, warfare and population dynamics have generally led to significant social exclusion. Country-level studies will focus on the different forms of social inequality that exist in the region, including class, gender and racial disparities that exacerbate social exclusion limit the region’s human development. Finally the course will examine what efforts are made by governments, civil society groups and popular movements to address these different forms of social inequality throughout the region. This course for graduate students. Undergraduates please register for SOCI-258-01.