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Latin American & Hemispheric Studies

All classes are available for registration when the final schedule is posted by the university. The courses listed below are subject to change. In an effort to provide more options to our students we have made undergraduate classes available to you. Undergraduate 100-level courses listed may fulfill graduate requirements upon approval of the professor and the program director, and agreement on additional work necessary to raise the course to graduate level. Petition forms for this are available in the Academic Advising Office on the third floor of the Elliott School of International Affairs.

IAFF 187 Mexico Since Independence

The purpose of this course is to survey the economic, social, political and cultural development of Mexico in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including economic development, poverty and inequality; social movements, rebellion and revolution; race, gender and ethnicity; U.S.-Mexico relations; and literary and intellectual movements. Students will be required to take two exams that cover lecture topics and are encouraged to pursue a variety of in-depth research topics, such as the role of the Catholic Church, narcotics trafficking, environmental issues, and labor issues.

IAFF 187 Venezuela and Political Economy of Oil
In 2006, Venezuela was the third largest source of oil for the United States and the sixth largest net oil exporter in the world. Although touted as a model of democratization until the 1980s, Venezuela has been crippled by poverty, social inequality, and corruption. This situation formed the basis for the 1998 election of Hugo Chávez on the promise of nationalization of strategic sectors, fighting corruption, and a rupture with the long-ruling political elite. A major pillar of the Chávez administration has been to "sow the petroleum" - to use the country's vast oil resources to improve the lives of all Venezuelans, particularly the poor majority. But to what extent is oil a "resource curse" - the notion that an abundance of a natural resource is detrimental for development? We will compare the Venezuelan experience to those of other oil exporting countries, like Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. We will also discuss Cuba's influence on Venezuela, President Chávez's reach in Latin America, U.S.-Venezuela relations, and how future environmental challenges are likely to affect the world's oil economic structure.

IAFF 187 Cuba in the Global Arena
This course examines Cuba's growing role in hemispheric and world affairs. The United States is slowly warming to the island, but remains behind the hemispheric consensus of full relations with Havana. There are even serious discussions of readmitting Cuba to the OAS. At the same time, Asian nations like China and India have increased commercial interactions with Cuba, and Moscow has raised the possibility of renewed commercial and military ties.

IAFF 187 Latino Migration
The aim of this course is to understand the push and pull factors that have contributed to the human mobility (migration) that has transformed the Americas. The class is divided in two parts: Latin American immigration and Latin America migration to the United States. The readings in this seminar will draw principally from the research of geographers, historians, anthropologists and demographers. We will be interested in studying both the demographic shifts that have occurred and the theories that help explain them. The themes that will be addressed are the history of migration within Latin America and to North America, the impact of this migration on both sending and receiving countries, and the various policy strategies and debates concerning migration. In order to capture the social and cultural consequences of modern mass migration, films and novels will be used to supplement the themes of the course.

IAFF 187 Arc of Crisis in the Andes
This course examines the dramatic political, social, and economic changes of the past decade in the Andean region. At the center of these changes is a deep-seeded frustration about the continuous extreme poverty and lack of economic development in spite of the economic reforms implanted since the mid 1980s. The course takes a multi-dimensional approach to study the political, economic and social dimensions of the ongoing processes of the Andean Region. The main objectives of the course are to provide students with an overview of the political, economic and social dimensions of the Andean political dynamics and socio-economic development, and to strengthen students' analytical and research skills to analyze and critique existing perceptions and misperceptions about the region. The course first discusses several critical cross-country topics, such as political change, social movements, poverty, models of economic development, indigenous peoples and social exclusion. It then analyzes the current political and socio-economic transformations in the five countries that make up the Andean region- Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

IAFF 190W Political Economy of Latin America
This course examines the political dynamics of economic behavior and conditions in contemporary Latin America. It follows a thematic approach, focusing on how actors (politicians, entrepreneurs, workers, migrants) produce economic decisions in the context of institutions (legislatures, political parties, international organizations) and other circumstances (international system, level of economic development). By the end of the course, students have a grasp on many of the most relevant areas and debates on contemporary Latin America's political economy.

IAFF 331 LAHSP Cornerstone
*Required for first year LAS students
The two main purposes of IAFF 331 are to provide an interdisciplinary foundation for LAHSP students and to introduce GW Latin Americanist faculty. In some sessions GW faculty will be guest lecturers, so the instructor will act not only as a lecturer but as a coordinator as well. The course is organized in four sections. First, we briefly sketch the region's colonial history and independence. The second section focuses on international relations, security, and democracy. The third section deals with specific issues of immigration, public health, education, economic development, and coca and cocaine. And finally, we appraise integration efforts in the region and prospects for the future.

IAFF 332 Drug Trafficking in the Americas
The course provides an overview of drug trafficking in the Americas in relation to globalization, foreign policy, peasant economy, social movements, guerilla warfare, law enforcement, corruption, human rights and national development. The course takes a historical and comparative country approach for understanding the evolution of drug trafficking networks and smuggling strategies and the public policies to combat them in Latin America and the Caribbean. The material includes in-depth country cases of Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Mexico and the Caribbean.

IAFF 338 Brazil in the Global Arena
This course examines the implications of Brazil's recent rise in the world stage by exploring the various facets of the country's interactions after the consolidation of democracy and economic stability, under the governments of presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The course reviews Brazil's history and the premises of the country's strategies to gain international recognition, its relations with its immediate neighbors and various parts of the world, and the domestic and international issues at the heart the country's international engagement: social inequality, climate change, environmental preservation, and renewable energy; food security, land use and agriculture; innovation, trade and competition policies.

IAFF 338 Remittances and Development in the Americas
This class provides an overview about the relationship between migration and development from the perspective of migrant family remittances to Latin America and the issues that inform such impact. The class consists of three main sections, determinants of migration and economic development, regional and country remittance trends and remittances in relationship to development. Students will learn about the analytical and policy issues shaping these trends.

IAFF 338 Indigenous Social Movements
Recent developments in a number of representative countries show a growing empowerment of indigenous peoples and increased participation in the construction of democratic processes in their respective countries. This new incorporation also means challenging traditional state institutions and bringing forward new worldviews based on cultural identity and ethnicity. Emphasis is on recent debates bringing forward special rights regarding territoriality and natural resources and other many claims formulated by indigenous organizations to improve governance at large and implement a new type of citizenry based on self-determination and the reorganization of the actual nation-states.

IAFF 339 LAHSP Capstone
The Latin American and Hemispheric Studies capstone seminar offers students the opportunity to apply and adapt what they have learned over the previous three semesters to a research project within a Latin American country. Forming teams and working in collaboration with clients within the Latin Americanist community in the Washington area, students will explore an issue about which they are already informed and gain real-life skills and experiences, usually in Latin America, that are likely to enhance their future professional opportunities. The seminar is a bridge from academic study to professional research and analysis.

In the fall semester of students' second year in LAHS, students enroll in a one-credit independent-study, and three meetings are held: first, initial proposals are discussed and teams formed; second, a panel discussion among all students is held; and in early December, each team will outline the actual project that it has negotiated with its respective client. The capstone course itself has three stages: first, prior to the two weeks over spring break, the refinement of the project proposal in negotiation with the client and the development of travel arrangements; second, the two weeks over spring break, usually in Latin America, carrying out the research project; and third, upon the return from the field, the writing and presenting of the report on the project.

Additionally, the following LAHSP skills courses, available for one credit, are offered in the fall:

IAFF 202 Organization of American States
Established in 1948, the OAS has become a critically important diplomatic force in the Western hemisphere. The primary mission of the OAS is to 'strengthen cooperation and advance common interests' of its member nations. This course will discuss the history, structure, mission, and methods of the OAS, including its agenda to promote good governance, strengthen human rights, expand trade, and foster peace and security. The primary focus of the course will be the OAS's strategies to promote democracy throughout the hemisphere. In 2001, all member nations signed the Inter-American Democratic Charter, obliging all signatories to promote and defend democracy. Through a case study of the OAS response (or lack thereof) to Peru's controversial 1992 presidential elections, students will learn how the organization's strategies and policies have evolved over the past decade. This will include an analysis of two key documents aimed at strengthening democratic commitment: Resolution 1080 and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

IAFF 203 Inter American Development Bank
Established in 1959, the Inter-American Development Bank is the oldest and largest regional development bank and has served as a model lending institution for other regional banks. It is the main source of funding for development projects and is an active promoter of trade and regional integration programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. This course will cover the history, leadership and voting structure, mandate, and operational procedures of the IDB. This course will focus primarily on how the IDB targeted funding in the past and how it currently targets funding, tracing changes in funding patterns from its early emphasis on the public sector to its current focus on the private sector. The course will assess recent lending priorities, which include global competitiveness, poverty reduction and social equity, state modernization and sector reform, and economic integration. This course will also analyze specific types of bank operations, including investment loans, policy-based loans, technical cooperation programs, guarantees, social entrepreneur programs, and emergency loans. Students will come away understanding how the IDB functions within the global context of multilateral lending.