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Course, academic year 2024/2025
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Mexican Politics, Economy and Society - JTM506
Title: Mexican Politics, Economy and Society
Czech title: Mexiko: Politika, ekonomika a společnost
Guaranteed by: Department of North American Studies (23-KAS)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2022
Semester: winter
E-Credits: 6
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
Capacity: unknown / unknown (20)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: not taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
Guarantor: Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
Class: Courses for incoming students
Incompatibility : JMMZ319
Examination dates   Schedule   Noticeboard   
Files Comments Added by
download 01 lecture_Skidmore, Thomas, Moden Latin America.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 02 lecture_Haber, Stephen, Mexico since 1980.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 03a lecture_Long, Tom - Latin America Confronts the United States.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 03b lecture_The-Mexico-Reader-History-Culture-Politics.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 04 lectur_Munck, Ronaldo, Contemporary_Latin_America.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 05 lecture_Mexico_Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
download 06 lecture_Mexico.More Than Neighbors.pdf Mgr. Lukáš Perutka, Ph.D.
Annotation
This course examines why it is important to study Mexico if we want to better understand the nuances of cross-border dynamics on the North American continent. We are going to analyze Mexico principally from four different perspectives: politics, economy, society and foreign relations. Emphasis will be given on key current issues facing Mexicans today. Each topic will also cover the ties with their northern neighbor, the United States of America, as many present problems (emigration, drugs, economic cooperation under the Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA/ USMCA), etc.) are transnational and should be studied from a broader perspective.
Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (04.09.2021)
Aim of the course

-        Improve student’s understanding of a broader North American context.

-        Increase student’s knowledge of Mexico and major current issues facing Mexicans.

-        Improve student’s ability to see links across borders, studying similar topics from a different national perspective.

-        Improve student’s skills of critical reading, active constructive discussion and sound analytical writing.

Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (04.09.2021)
Literature

Mandatory readings for each class are attached.

 

Adams, John A. Bordering the Future: The Impact of Mexico on the United States. Praeger, 2006.

Beezley, William, Meyer, Michael C. The Oxford History of Mexico. Oxford University, 2010.

Boullosa, Carmen, Wallace, Mike. A Narco History. How the United States and Mexico Jointly Created the ''Mexican Drug War''. OR Books, 2016.

Castañeda, Jorge C. Mañana forever? Mexico and Mexicans. New York: Vintage, 2012.

De Vega, Mercedes (ed.) Historia de las relaciones internacionales de México, vol 1-7, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, 2011.

Delano, Alexandra. Mexico and Its Diaspora in the United States: Policies of Emigration Since 1848. Cambridge, 2011.

Gómez, Laura. Manifest Destinies. The Making of Mexican American Race. New York University, 2007.

Haber, Stephen. Mexico since 1980. Cambridge University, 2008.

Hamnett, Brian. A Concise History of Mexico. Cambridge University, 2004.

Hufbauer, Gary (ed). NAFTA Revisited: Achievements and Challenges. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Kašpar, Oldřich. Dějiny Mexika. Lidové Noviny 2009.

Kingslover, Ann. Nafta Stories: Fears and Hopes in Mexico and the United States. Lynne Rienner, 2001.

Mace, Gordon (ed.) Regionalism and the State: NAFTA and Foreign Policy Convergence. Ashgate, 2011.

Munck, Ronaldo. Contemporary Latin America. Palgrave, 2003.

Opatrný, Josef. Mexiko: Stručná historie států. Libri, 2016.

Raat, Dirk; Brescia, Michael. Mexico and the United States. Ambivalent Vistas. University of Georgia, 2010.

Rodríguez, Jaime (ed.) Common border, uncommon paths: race, culture, and national identity in U.S.-Mexican relations. SR Books, 1997.

Russell, Philip. The History of Mexico. From Pre-conquest to Present. New York, 2010.

Skidmore, Thomas. Modern Latin America. Oxford, 2013.

Smith, Peter. Talons of the Eagle: Latin America, the United States, and the World. Oxford, 2012.

 

 

 

 

Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (04.09.2021)
Teaching methods

The course builds on a combination of lectures and debates during the classes, individual work on research paper.

The  course will take place on the platform Zoom if the epidemic situation demands it.

Here is the permanent link you should use every time:

Lukas Perutka is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Mexico and Canada: Politics, Economy and Society
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting
https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/96339622321

Meeting ID: 963 3962 2321





 

Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (28.09.2021)
Requirements to the exam

1. Attendance with active class participation. (30%)

2. Individual student project.  (40 %)

3. Presentation of the project (30%)

To pass the course the student needs to obtain at least 50% per each assignment.

 
1. Attendance and active class participation (30%)
0 point - Student is not attending the classes
7 points - Student is attending in the classes but not participating
21 points - Student is active only sporadically - in the course she /he asked question or contributed to the debates only in 4 or less occasions 
30 points - Student is very active - in the course she/he contributed at least in 5 occasions.
 
 
2. Individual Student Project (40%).
 
The final project is on a certain problem of Mexico and its most probable future development. It has to have standard features of an academic paper like references, footnotes, and bibliography – Chicago Manual of Style is recommended: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html - notes and bibliography part. The work should be around 18 000 characters with spaces including bibliography and footnotes.

Besides this:

1)    Deadline is the 19th of December 2021 at the stroke of midnight

2)    Focus on the important information and relevant to your topic. You will have to use internet sources so be extra careful evaluating their validity. There are a lot of strange sources; some are even misleading on purpose.

3)    We know that future development is a little bit problematic, but you should analyze a current state and make a most probable prediction. For instance, how will the education reform develop and how would/should the mexican school system look like in 10 years.

4)    The current state should be like 25% of the extent, the prediction 75%. The second part is the more important one.

Evaluation (what is going to be evaluated)

1)    The structure – your work has to have a good structure – introduction, main part, and conclusion. All the parts have to stick together, even the paragraphs.

2)    Style and grammar – the academic paper/project has some stylistic rules you should obey – We include one example from one of our past students, how it should like (see dropbox link below).

3)    No plagiarism – if you have something to quote, use the quoting. If you are not familiar with the Ethic code, read it. If you are not sure about plagiarism, check this code: http://www.bu.edu/academics/policies/academic-conduct-code/ - the part about Plagiarism. Plagiarism (including autoplagiarism) is an absolutely unacceptable behaviour in the academic sphere which is defined by the Code of Ethics, Disciplinary Rules for the Charles University Students, Disciplinary Rules of the FSV UK and Dean's Measure No. 18/2015. This Decree regulates the procedure for the detection of student plagiarism by internal and external instructors at the Institute of International Studies, FSV UK.

Also here I present some examples (generally the document is great to read, but examples are from page 21):

https://arts.uottawa.ca/sites/arts.uottawa.ca.history/files/history_essay_guide.pdf

Should you have any questions – you can ask us in the class, or by mail. You can also visit us in the offices in Jinonice – Building A 3078 and 3080.

 

3. Presentation (30%)


Student will present his project in the final classes. Clarity, attractiveness, and ability to answer the questions will be evaluated.

Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (04.09.2021)
Syllabus

1.     Introduction and geographic overview

2.     Modern history I – From independence to the revolution

3.     Modern history II – From PRI to AMLO

4.     Political system – end of one-party rule?

5.     Economy – last bastion of neoliberalism?

6.     Society, minorities and emigration.

7.     Drugs, cartels, and violence

8.     Foreign relations I – Mexico and the U.S.

9.     Foreign relations II – Mexico and the rest of the World

10.   Current affairs – independent candidates, education reform, PEMEX, Odebrecht, Donald Trump, AMLO

11. and 12.  Students‘ presentations

 

 

The Mexican presentations and example of a paper will be available on cloud.

Last update: Perutka Lukáš, Mgr., Ph.D. (04.09.2021)
 
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