Undergraduate Course: Political Economy of Latin America (PLIT10121)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines power and governance in the political economies of Latin America. It offers an overview of historical trends and issues, such as colonialism and foreign intervention. It then explores contemporary challenges and opportunities related to sustainable and inclusive economic development through the lens of critical and political economy theories. |
| Course description |
This course begins by exploring historic issues and events related to the development of modern economies. Namely, students will explore the composition of pre-colonial economies and the political and economic impacts of colonization and US intervention through the lens of postcolonial theory, Latin American structuralism and dependency theory. It then explores contemporary issues related to power and governance from different political economy perspectives. These include informal labour, extractivism, migration, the environment, indigenous politics, narco-trafficking and the rise and fall of the Left. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to several cross-cutting themes including identity politics, human rights, global power politics and the changing role of the state in the era of globalization.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 4 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the main areas of study linked to political economy in Latin America
- Engage critically with the work of political economy scholars, and evaluate their arguments
- Assess competing claims and make informed judgments about current complex issues related to fostering sustainable and inclusive economic development in the region
- Demonstrate their ability to present - in written and verbal form -- coherent, balanced arguments surrounding historic and contemporary issues pertinent to understanding power and governance in Latin American economies
- Use a range of research skills to plan and execute a research project on a specific aspect of political economy governance in Latin America.
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Reading List
Mignolo, W. 2005. 'The Americas, Christian Expansion, and the Modern / Colonial Foundation of Racism,' in The Idea of Latin America. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Galeano, Eduardo. 1997. Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Knight, A. 2008. 'US Imperialism / Hegemony and Latin American Resistance,' in Rosen, F. Empire and Dissent: the United States and Latin America. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
Gwynne, R. N. and Kay, C. 2000. 'Views from the Periphery: Futures of Neoliberalism in Latin America,' Third World Quarterly 21 (1): 141 - 156.
Perrault, T. and Martin, P. 2005. 'Geographies of Neoliberalism in Latin America,' Environment and Planning A 37: 191-201.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By the end of the course students should have strengthened their skills in:
Generic cognitive capabilities (e.g. evaluation, critical analysis)
Communication skills
Autonomy, accountability and working with others
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| Keywords | latin america,politics,colonialism |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Julia Calvert
Tel: (0131 6)51 4752
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Ethan Alexander
Tel: (0131 6)50 4001
Email: |
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