Geopolitics of Latin America - JPM422
Anglický název: Geopolitics of Latin America,
Zajišťuje: Katedra politologie (23-KP)
Fakulta: Fakulta sociálních věd
Platnost: od 2012 do 2018
Semestr: letní
E-Kredity: 6
Způsob provedení zkoušky: letní s.:
Rozsah, examinace: letní s.:1/1, Zk [HT]
Počet míst: 30 / 30 (30)
Minimální obsazenost: neomezen
4EU+: ne
Virtuální mobilita / počet míst pro virtuální mobilitu: ne
Stav předmětu: vyučován
Jazyk výuky: angličtina
Způsob výuky: prezenční
Způsob výuky: prezenční
Poznámka: předmět je možno zapsat mimo plán
povolen pro zápis po webu
při zápisu přednost, je-li ve stud. plánu
Garant: PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D.
Vyučující: PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D.
Třída: Courses for incoming students
Termíny zkoušek   Rozvrh   Nástěnka   
Sylabus -
Poslední úprava: PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D. (22.02.2024)

Course: Geopolitic of Latin America (1/1; 6 credits)

Course Code: JPM422

Academic Year 2023/2024

Summer Semester

Course time: Thursday 12:30 - 13:50

 

Lecturer: PhDr. Malvína Krausz Hladká, Ph.D.

Office: hybrid, Thursday from 14:00 - 15:00

E-mail: hladka@fsv.cuni.cz

COURSE GOALS

This course focuses on international and global perspectives of Latin American Geopolitics. It is designed to promote critical thinking skills through emphasis on the enduring problems and emerging challenges that produce international relations and economic globalization. The course surveys some important aspects of the sub-discipline of Political Geography and conventional topics in International Affairs. The course does not engage in a systematic inventory of regional issues and local conflicts. Instead, contemporary developments in the world’s region of South America is used to illustrate concepts from lectures and readings.

 

The class considers geopolitics using conventional and critical perspectives. Historically, the course surveys the 19th century ‘grand chessboard’ and ‘classical’ geopolitics before considering newer forms of power. In the second part, current thinking on topics including ethno-nationalism, uneven development, civil war, resource conflict, state failure, food security, trans-boundary disputes, world-systems analyses, and neoliberal urbanization will be the focus.  Overall, readings, lectures, and recitations are designed to introduce, conceptualize, and criticize key ideas, practices, and processes affecting global affairs and linking them to uneven geographic outcomes

 

LECTURES and SEMINARS

Lectures and seminars: in block teaching. A list of lecture topics is attached below. Seminars should focus in detail on issues arising from lectures. Seminars require preparation in advance. All students are expected to have completed allocated readings and/or assignments before the seminar.

 

Any changes (time, dates, topics, presentations, room) will be announced at the course or info would be sent to their email stated in SIS. Students are required to check the e-mail prior to each lecture/seminar.

Do not delete any e-mails from the course e-mail address!

 

ASSESSMENT 

Assessment will be based on: presence and activity (including one oral group presentation) and a 60-minute final exam.

 

The final grade is a combination of the following items:

Presentation: 30%

Final exam: 70%

 

REQUIREMENTS 

S e m i n a r s

 

Advise and feedback will take place in seminars and in the lecturer’s office hours (see above).

 

All students, whether or not they are giving a presentation, are expected to prepare so that they can participate fully in the subsequent discussion of the topic.

 

Criteria of Presentation:

 

Each student/group of max 2 students will give one formal presentation, which should last about 20 minutes. The topic of the presentation could be either one of those stated below (brief course overview) OR could be different - students are allowed to think of their topics related to a subject but needs to be approved by lecturer! Prepare your ideas and everything will be settled on the first lecture. 

Students are required to choose their topic (and find colleagues in their group!) no later than by February, 21(the first lecture).

Students are asked to accompany their oral presentation by its PowerPoint version. All PowerPoint versions are expected to be sent to the course common e-mail address (see above). Do not delete any e-mails from the course e-mail address!

Please, make sure that you come to the lecture/seminar the day when your presentation is due. Any student who cannot come the day of his/her presentation must inform the lecturer at least 48 hours in advance (see the lecturer´s private e-mail address above). You should provide the lecturer with a substantial reason (illness etc.) for your absence.

 

Final Exam:

 

The final exam accounts for 70% of the total grade.

 

First term: A 1-hour final exam will take place on TBD......The time, date and room will be confirmed by the lecturer; any changes would be discussed in advance and they would appear on course common e-mail address. There will be 2 more terms later on April/May, will be defined later.

 

All exam topics and questions will be carefully chosen from the lectures, required reading, presentations and seminar discussions. The examination will then be marked as following: A-F in accordance with Faculty rules.

 

Please, note:

 

Your grade will be put into the SIS electronic system within next days. Please, CHECK THE E-SYSTEM FOR YOUR GRADE. Come to consult your work in case of any problems or possible failures.

 

Second term of the Final Exam: tbc /will be held in May/

 

Third Term of the Final Exam: tbc /will be held in June/

A BRIEF COURSE OVERVIEW

 

Lectures (seminars) - defined in 6 bigger blocs

 

1)       Geopolitics of Latin America - Introduction

 

Readings:

CROW, John A.: The Epic of Latin America (4th edition) -

BLAUFARB, R.(2007) : The Western Question: The Geopolitics of Latin American Independence, The American Historic revue, vol. 112, No. 3. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a478/1fafbdc5e82d8491ef29f8f0c30c6a68a9cb.pdf

Presentation:

Environmentalism in Latin America

 

2)      USA and Latin America 1850-1945. The Monroe Doctrine and Its Consequences

Latin America and the world in the first half of the 20th century.

 

Presentation: Migration and demographic issues in LA

 

 

3)      Role of the USSR/Russia in Latin America. Case study: Cuba.

 

Presentation: Current international relations of USA and Cuba. Wider perspective of Cuban influence in the world.

 

4)      LA in the second half of the 20th century. Regionalism in Latin America. Old and New Regionalism in Practice.

 

Presentation:    Brazil as a regional power

                            China as a rising power in Latin America?

 

Readings:

Isbell, Paul. 2007. "The New Energy Scenario and its Geopolitical Implications." Real Instituto Elcano, WP 21/2007.  

 

 

5)      USA-LA relations 1990-2011. Case study: war on drugs.

National security of Latin American countries

 

Presentation:

War on Drugs/ USA-Mexican Foreign Policy 

 

6)      Cuba - geostrategic country? A case study

Presentation:  Human Rights and Political Rights in Latin America

 

COURSE READING

 

Core course reading

Kozloff, N. (2009): Revolution!South America and the rise of the new left. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Carpenter, T.G. (2003): Bad neighbor policy : Washington's futile war on drugs in Latin America 1st ed.. -- New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Crow, J.A.: The Epic of Latin America. University of California Press, LA, London.

Crandall, Russell (2008): The United States and Latin America after the Cold War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Goodwin, P. (2004): Latin America / Paul Goodwin. -- 11th ed.. -- Boston: WCB/McGraw-Hill ; Maidenhead : McGraw-Hill Education.

CHAPMAN, Peter (2007): Bananas. How the United Fruit company Shaped the World. Edinburg -N.Y. - Melbourne: Canongate.

 Reid, M. (2007): Forgotten continent : the battle for Latin America's soul. New Haven: Yale University Press.

edited by Richard S. Hillman (2005): Understanding contemporary Latin America / -- 3rd ed.. -- Boulder : L. Rienner Publishers, 2005.

 

Recommended reading

Wucker,M. (2000): Why the cocks fight. Hill and Wang, New York.

Publications by Carnegie Endowment; section Latin America: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/regions/?fa=list&id=116

 

Foreign Affairs, International Affairs, International Security, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Europe-Asia Studies, The Economist, European Voice, etc. Articles are also available via Proquest, Jstor, EBSCO, etc. at the Jinonice or IIR computers.

Journal of Latino-Latin American studies (Online)

·                    The Economist

·                    Financial Times

·                    Foreign Affairs

·                    Foreign Policy [Internet Access also at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/search_fp_archive.html]

·                    Global Society

·                    International Affairs

·                    Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (via Ebsco Database)

·                    Latin American Perspectives

·                    Latin American Politics and Society

·                    Latin American Research Review

·                    Survival

·                    Third World Quarterly

·                    UNESCO Courier

·                    World Politics

A number of Websites are quite useful, and more are coming on line every month, though these are of variable quality. As usual, it is important to check Net sources for bias, and to use a range of different sources where possible, including books and academic journals. Different specialist sites will be pointed out in lecture handouts. Useful databases and Website include: -

·        Ebsco. This includes a wide range of magazines and journals.

·        The Centre for International Policy has a range of information, papers and articles on Latin America, especially focusing on Columbia, Central America and the US perspective at

·        http://www.ciponline.org/

·        Central America Daily is an English newspaper covering Latin American current affairs at

·        http://www.centralamericadaily.com/

·        CNN has special Americas coverage at

·        http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/

·        A range of useful on-line historical material will be found in the Hispanic Reading Room of (U.S.) Library of Congress, located at

·        http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/

·        The International Relations Portal includes a Latin America daily news update, as well as a range of articles, lectures and links concerning international affairs. An education and research site, see

·        http://www.international-relations.com

·        Internet Resources for Latin America provides a quite comprehensive list of news services, articles, and Web resources at

·        http://library.nmsu.edu/subject/bord/laguia/

·        A comprehensive listing of Latin American newspapers on the Web (some in English) will be found on the Lanic Website at

·        http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/region/news/

·        Latin American Newsletters contains useful current political analysis at

·        http://www.latinnews.com/

·        Le Monde diplomatic has quite good coverage of Latin America. Their collection is searchable, with about a third of their articles accessible without payment. Located at

·        http://www.en.monde-diplomatique.fr/

·        A range of useful information can be accessed through the official Website of the Organisation of American States (OAS) at

·        http://www.oas.org/

·        The Rand Corporation has a large number of online articles and some books concerning Latin America, which can be searched at

·        http://www.rand.org/search/

·        Sincronia is a free-access Journal, written in Spanish, studying Latin American culture and politics at http://fuentes.csh.udg.mx/CUCSH/Sincronia/index.html

For current developments the World Wide Web is another interesting source. For instance:

The Economist (libraries or www.economist.com)

The New Presence (libraries or http://www.new-presence.cz)

Freedom House (http://freedomhouse.org)

European Voice (http://www.europeanvoice.com)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (http://www.rferl.org)

Web pages of political parties, deputies, senators, presidents, parliaments, politicians, various NGOs, BBC, The Guardian, The Times, CCN, etc.

 

More sources (books, journals, databases) available at the Institute of the International Relations library (http://www.iir.cz), City Library in Prague (www.mlp.cz)

 

Charles University, Jinonice library: <http://knihovna.jinonice.cuni.cz/>

-          Jinonice library and study room

-          Institute of International Relations (IIR), Nerudova 3, Prague 1: <http://www.iir.cz>

 

 

 

Geography about
http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/Political_Geography.htm

Global mapping international
http://www.gmi.org/products/oht_sets.htm

Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/20centry.htm

Historical Atlas of Europe 
http://www.euratlas.com/time2.htm  

Libri - databáze států
http://www.libri.cz/databaze/staty/

Maps of the World
http://www.mapsofworld.com/

Outline maps education place  
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/

Perry-Castaneda Library
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html

The World Factbook 
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

United Nations Cartographic Section
http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm