BA Italian and Spanish / Course details

This unit will familiarise students with some of the key issues at stake in the politics of Latin American business from the end of the nineteenth century until the present. It will be constructed around a series of case studies taken from across the region that address, among other things, foreign interests in Latin America, dependency theory, and the impact of globalisation in the region. Introducing students to debates about the social impact of state-led business strategies and about how informal economies engage with and function outside formal structures, the unit will encourage students to reflect on a range of historical processes that offer an insight into the way that Latin America is positioned in global affairs. 

This unit will familiarise students with key topics in the politics of business in Latin America from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. It will highlight trends in Latin American business politics by drawing comparisons between specific case studies taken from across the region. By the end of the course, students will be in a position to reflect on the social impact of political decisions about Latin American business both at the national, regional and global level. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• communicate familiarity with key topics in the politics of business in Latin America from the end of the nineteenth century to the present 
• identify and understand trends in Latin American business politics by drawing comparisons between specific case studies
• understand the social impact of political decisions about Latin American business both at the national, regional and global level

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• communicate knowledge of major moments in the politics of business in Latin America from the end of the nineteenth century to the present
• identify and understand the diversity of political standpoints taken by different groups in relation to the implementation of business strategies in Latin America and their impact on society 
• determine the benefits and drawbacks of different political strategies in relation to Latin American business and society

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• synthesise historical trends and draw comparisons between different historical and political contexts
• describe the main trends in the political debates surrounding diverse forms of business in Latin America
• engage critically with primary and secondary sources that discuss a range of business forms in Latin America and the politics that accompany them

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• communicate ideas in written form
• to deploy effective research strategies
• to participate in group discussion
• where appropriate, to read primary texts in Spanish/Portuguese with greater confidence

• independent, analytical and critical thinking
• written communication skills
• oral skills
• interpersonal skills and ability to work in groups
• research skills into a range of sources, histories and theories

• oral feedback during seminar discussions
• written feedback on essay drafts/plans
• written feedback on the essays themselves
• additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment)

1. Brown, Matthew, ed. Informal empire in Latin America: culture, commerce and capital (Oxford: Blackwell, 2008)
2. Cardoso, F. H., ‘Dependency and Development in Latin America’, in The Globalization and Development Reader: Perspectives on Development and Global Change, ed. by Roberts and Hite (Malden, Mass.; Oxford: Blackwell, 2007), pp.115-125.
3. Ferna¿ndez-Kelly, Mari¿a Patricia, and Jon Shefner (eds), Out of the Shadows: Political Action and the Informal Economy in Latin America (University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State UP, 2006)
4. Galeano, Eduardo. The Open Veins of Latin America (London: Latin American Bureau, 1997)
5. Grandin, Greg. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2009)
6. Green, Duncan, Silent Revolution: The Rise and Crisis of Market Economics in Latin America (London; New York: Latin America Bureau; Monthly Review Press, 2003), chapters 1-4.
7. Meade, Teresa A. A History of Modern Latin America: 1800 to the Present (Chichester: John Wiley, 2011)
8. Miller, Rory, Britain and Latin America in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (London: Longman, 1993)
    

The language of instruction and assessment for this unit will be English. All primary materials will be available in English, though students with Spanish and/or Portuguese will be encouraged to use appropriate sources in those languages where appropriate.