History 201-04 The Craft of History: Latin America and the United States Spring 2017

Professor Katherine Holt

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday from 11:00-11:50

Kauke 035

Course Description:

History 201 The Craft of History is introduction to the critical skills of the historian—including the analysis of primary sources, historiography, historical research and writing, and historical argument—through the study of a specific historical theme. A writing- intensive course, the class is taught as a seminar. The course is required for majors and minors, but it is open to students from all departments and programs.  Prerequisite: one course in History or permission of instructor

This writing intensive history seminar explores the history of the intimate but often conflictual relationship between the US and Latin America from the early 19th century to the present.  Rather than having any pretensions at exhaustive coverage, we will focus on case studies primarily drawn from U.S. relations with Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, as well as emphasizing the evolving cultural, political, and economic roles of Latin@ communities within the United States.

This semester we’ll focus on American Empire after 1898, and the history of Mexican immigration to the United States.

Students can pick any Latin American country or Latino community for their individual history research projects.  We’ll focus on working as public historians, presenting our research to a broad audience in a variety of formats. Writing assignments include a Wikipedia entry, an annotated bibliography, a short review of Ngai’s Impossible Subjects, a critical analysis of a primary source, and an intensive research project.  This course satisfies in part the writing requirement for graduation.

Student Learning Goals:

At the end of the semester, you should be able to meet the following departmental learning goals:

1. Historical Thinking: Evaluate a variety of historical sources for their credibility, position, and perspective.  Craft a stimulating research project that analyzes any aspect of the history of U.S. Latin American relations.   Demonstrate a global awareness of the peoples and cultures of Latin America and how ethnic identity, race, gender, and class intersect to shape a diversity of individual experiences.
2. Historical Knowledge: Identify the principal events, people, and institutions that shaped the relations between the United States and Latin America, and explain their significance.
3. Critical Reasoning: Demonstrate your mastery of the central skills of historical research, including the ability to formulate a historical argument using primary and secondary sources as evidence.
4. Clear Communication: Organize, present, and communicate your own reactions to readings in class discussions, formal papers, and multi-media presentations.