OVERVIEW

The course is taught using a seminar method, and it is aimed at introducing students to historical research on Latin America (a different historiographic theme is addressed every year). 1. Historical and historiographic introduction; 2. Presentation of documentary archives which are relevant for this topic; 3.Analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources (most of the course is dedicated to this point). 

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Having the basic competencies needed for carrying out independent research in Latin-American modern and contemporary history.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course has two main objectives: a) providing students with the basic skills to navigate the field of Latin American historical research, addressing different historiographic issues each year; b) equipping students with the necessary skills to develop a research project that meets international evaluation standards.

More specifically, attending students will be able to contextualize and analyze one of the sources presented during the course from a historical perspective, to critically discuss the content of the supplementary essays distributed in class, and acquire the fundamental knowledge required for developing a research project. They will demonstrate autonomy, knowledge, and mastery of scientific literature, argumentative skills, and the ability to work in groups, developing coordination and negotiation abilities. Additionally, students will enhance their capacity to manage social interactions with a collaborative attitude, constructive communication, and dialogic skills.

PREREQUISITES

None.

TEACHING METHODS

The course will comprise a combination of face-to-face lectures delivered by the lecturer and classroom presentations given by attending students.

The lectures will be conducted in-person. However, upon explicit request to the lecturer, students will have the option to remotely participate in the lectures through streaming on the Teams platform. Those students who choose to attend the lectures via Teams will be classified as non-attending and will be expected to adhere to the specific program outlined above.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Course topic: Images as Instruments for the Study of Political History and Immigration in Latin America (20th and 21st centuries).

Course structure:

Part One: Overview of contemporary Latin American history and transoceanic migrations to and from Latin America and Europe.

Part Two: Satirical cartoons and photography and their use in the study of Latin American political history and migrations. The course will include workshops for analyzing and understanding iconographic sources from specific cases. Regarding satirical cartoons, the magazines Clarinada (Argentina), Careta (Brazil), and Il Pasquino colonial (Brazil) will be considered. Regarding photography, institutional and political iconography as well as social photography will be explored. The lectures for students in this course will be in Spanish.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

PROGRAM FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS:

For the section on the overview of Latin American History, choose one of the following texts:

1. Carlos Malamud, Historia de América, Alianza Editorial, Madrid 2005 (specific pages will be indicated during lectures).
2. Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith, Modern Latin America, Oxford University Press, New York-Oxford 2005.
3. Loris Zanatta, América Latina: de la colonia al siglo XXI, Siglo Veintiuno Editores, Buenos Aires 2012.

For the monographic section, choose one book from the options provided for each module:

Migration Module:

1. Vanni Blengino, Más allá del océano. Un proyecto de identidad: los inmigrantes italianos en la Argentina, CEDAL, Buenos Aires, 1990.
2. Chiara Vangelista, Chiara Pagnotta, América Latina y las migraciones, siglos XIX y XXI, Aracne, Roma, 2021.

Politics Module:

1. Federico Finchelstein, Fascismo, liturgia e imaginario: el mito del General Uriburu y la Argentina nacionalista, Fondo de Cultura Económica, Buenos Aires 2002.
2. Federico Finchelstein, Orígenes ideológicos de la "guerra sucia". Fascismo, populismo y dictadura en la Argentina del siglo XX, Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 2017.
3. Sandra McGee Deutsch, Las Derechas, The extreme right in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile 1890-1939, Stanford University Press, Stanford 1999.
4. Raanan Rein, La salvación de una dictadura. Alianza Franco Perón 1946-1955, CSIC, Madrid 1995.

PROGRAM FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:

For the section on the overview of Latin American History, choose one of the following texts:

1. Carlos Malamud, Historia de América, Alianza Editorial, Madrid 2005.
2. Thomas E. Skidmore, Peter H. Smith, Modern Latin America, Oxford University Press, New York-Oxford 2005.
3. Loris Zanatta, América latina: de la colonia al siglo XXI, Siglo Veintiuno Editores, Buenos Aires 2012.

For the monographic section, choose two books from the options provided for each module:

Migration Module:

1. Vanni Blengino, Más allá del océano. Un proyecto de identidad: los inmigrantes italianos en la Argentina, CEDAL, Buenos Aires, 1990.
2. Chiara Vangelista, Chiara Pagnotta, América Latina y las migraciones, siglos XIX y XXI, Aracne, Roma, 2021.

Politics Module:

1. Federico Finchelstein, Fascismo, liturgia e imaginario: el mito del General Uriburu y la Argentina nacionalista, Fondo de Cultura Económica, Buenos Aires 2002.
2. Federico Finchelstein, Orígenes ideológicos de la "guerra sucia". Fascismo, populismo y dictadura en la Argentina del siglo XX, Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 2017.
3. Sandra McGee Deutsch, Las Derechas, The extreme right in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile 1890-1939, Stanford University Press, Stanford 1999.
4. Raanan Rein, La salvación de una dictadura, Alianza Franco

If you have any trouble locating any of the suggested texts, please send an email to the lecturer at fulvia.zega@unige.it for further assistance.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GUIDO LEVI (President)

FULVIA ZEGA (President Substitute)

LUCA BARBAINI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

September 2023

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

For attending students: classroom presentations and an oral examination. Attending students may also have the option to take a written exemption test at the halfway point of the course.

For non-attending students: an oral examination.

The duration of the examination will be approximately 30 minutes. The allocated time for the oral examination varies depending on the chosen program and is not directly proportional to the student's level of preparation. The evaluation, on a scale of thirty, will be divided as follows: assessment of factual knowledge - maximum 15/30; assessment of the ability to analyze and contextualize specific issues within a broader historical framework - maximum 12/30; assessment of communicative skills - maximum 3/30.

The assessment method is based on the student's ability to contextualize the exam topics within their historical framework, both at a general level (Latin America) and at a local level (individual countries or specific areas). It is important to demonstrate a command of the disciplinary terminology, the ability to make interdisciplinary connections among the topics covered, while taking into account each student's curriculum, which will be clarified at the beginning of the examination. However, individual grades obtained in specific exams will not be discussed.

The examination takes the form of a conversation, during which the student's specific knowledge and their awareness of the characteristics of the studied texts (general history and monographs) will be assessed. Furthermore, the student's ability to respond to potential criticisms or requests for clarification during their exposition will also be evaluated.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For attending students: The oral exam will assess: students' knowledge of the periodization and the main features of the history of Latin America; students' command of specific terminology; students' ability to identify different methodological approaches within texts; students' ability to analyze the images studied in class.
During the exam students will present the scheme of a research project (it is not a written essay, it is a written scheme that students learn to build in the last part of the course).

For non-attending students: The oral exam will assess: students' knowledge of the periodization and the main features of the history of Latin America; students' command of specific terminology; Students are required to have a solid knowledge of the sources and of the methods used by different authors. Students must be able to make connections between the topics of this course and their overall study and research experience. For both attending and non-attending students the exam lasts 30 minutes, regardless of students' proficiency.

Exam schedule