PSC 321    Latin American Politics
Fall 1999

A Combined Classroom and Interactive On-Line Seminar
Hawkins Hall 121A

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Instructor: William Culver  ** email:culverww ** phone: 564-2395/5827/5833

Note: Dates in underlined yellow class will NOT meet.

Course Calendar

Week 1     Latin America: Issues, Politics and Government 

Aug. 31    Class lecture: The Issue for the Next Century - Balancing Representativity with Governability 
Latin American Reports, "Who Is Competing for Power in Latin America" (class handout)

Sept. 2     Class lecture: Latin American Politics - An Overview
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 1, "The Context of Latin American Politics"
                         Ch. 2, "The Patterns of Historical Development"

Week 2 Democracy & Liberal Government Theory

Sept. 7     Class lecture: Presidental Democracy
Dietz & Shidlo, "Introduction"
Peeler, "Introduction: Basic Issues of Democratic Theory"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 3, "Interest Groups and Political Parties"
                         Ch. 4, "Gov't Machinery, the Role of the State, & Public Policy"

Sept. 9     Class discussion: What are the problems facing "liberalism" in Latin America?   (Send your 100 word comment prior to noon each week so I can read them before class.)

Week 3 Facing Issues of Development

Sept. 14   Class lecture: Politics as the Solution? - the State vs. the Marketplace
Peeler, Ch. 1, "Democratic Roots in the Latin American Tradition"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 5, "The Latin American Tradition and the Struggle for
Democracy"
Inter-American Development Bank, Modernization of the State and Strengthening of Civil Society, (Washington, D.C.: no date [1998]).

Sept. 16   Map Quiz (class dismissed after quiz)
Sept. 16    Class discussion and email report: What are the obstacles to developing strong representative institutions that can maintain the rule of law? (These topics will also be the weekly focus for the discussion group.)

Week 4 Democratic and Authoritarian Change

Sept. 21  Class lecture: Political Parties versus Generals in Policy Making
Peeler, Ch. 2, "Early Democracies: Managing Participation"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 23 - Kryzanek, "The Dominican Republic: The Challenge of Preserving a Fragile Democracy"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 25 - Fauriol, "Haiti: The Failures of Governance"

Sept. 23   Class discussion and email report: Take a position on whether or not representativity and governability are mutually exclusive in Latin America today?

Week 5+ Political Parties and Elections

Sept. 28   Class lecture: Electoral Law and Multi-Party Political Systems
Peeler, Ch. 3, "Later Democracies: Patterns of Regime Change"

Sept. 30       Email discussion and email report: What are the consequences of multi-party political systems for representativity and governability?
  
Week 6 Legislatures/Dominican Republic

Oct. 5         Class lecture: The Legislative Modernization Movement
Peeler, Ch. 4, "Authoritarian Regimes in Transition"

Oct. 7       Class lecture
Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 5 - Mitchell, "Urban Elections in the Dominican Republic"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 23 - Kryzanekl, "The Domincan Republic: The Chalenge of Preserving a Fragile Democracy"
Class discussion and email report: What are the obstacles to independent legisltaures in Latin America?
 
Week 7 Bolivia
Oct. 14       Class lecture:
Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 2 - Gamarra, "Municipal Elections in Bolivia"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 14 - Gamarra & Malloy, "Bolivia: Revolution and Reaction"
Oct. 14      Special Email assignment as midterm.

Week 8 México

Oct. 19     Class lecture: PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) and the Chamber of Deputies

Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 7 - Rodríguez, "Opening the Electoral Space in México: The Rise of the Opposition  at the State and Local Levels"
Peeler, Ch. 5, "Economy, Society, and Democracy"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 16 - Kaufman Purcell, "México"

Oct. 21     Class discussion and email report: What is the relevance of democracy in Mexico to free trade between México, the USA, and Canada?
 
Week 9 Cuba

Oct. 26     Class lecture: The Revolution, Fidel Castro and the Communist Party
Merryman, Preface, Chs. I-V
Peeler, Ch. 6, "The Institutionalization of Democracy"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 17 - del Aguila, "Development, Revolution, and Decay in Cuba"


Oct. 28     Class discussion and email report: What is the meaning of "communism" in Cuba in 1998?

Week 10 Chile

Nov. 2        Class lecture: Pinochet and the Political Parties: Applying the Neoliberal Model
Merryman, Preface, Chs. VI-XIV
Peeler, Conclusion
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 3 - Sigmund, "Chile"

Nov. 4      Class discussion and email report: On balance what is the last word on the place of Augusto Pinochet's place in Chilean politcal life?

Week 11 Argentina

Nov. 9      Internet lecture: President Menem's Two Terms: What Kind of Democracy?
Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 1 - Calvert, "Urban Electoral Politics in Argentina"
Merryman, Preface, Chs. XV-XX
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 6 - Snow, "Argentina: Politics in a Conflict Society"

Nov. 11    Class discussion and email report: What are the changes in Peronismo between today and during the time of Juan Domingo Perón?
 
Week 12 Brazil

Nov. 16    Internet lecture: The Limits of Economic Reform and Democracy
Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 3 - Shildo, "Local Urban Elections in Democratic Brazil"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 7 - Siqueira Wiarda, "Brazil: The Politics of 'Order and Progress' or Chaos and Regression?"

Nov. 18    Class discussion and email report: To what extent does the political life in Brazil reflect the ethnic diversity of the country?
 
Week 13  Guatemala

Nov. 23   Internet lecture: An Alternative to Democracy: Civil War
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 21 - Ebel, "Guatemala: Politics in a Central American City-State"

Class discussion and email report: Why has peace and liberal democracy been so difficult in Guatemala?

Week 14  Perú

Nov. 30       Class lecture:  Alberto Fujimori’s Anti-Politcs "Revolution"
Dietz & Shidlo, Ch. 8 - Dietz, "Urban Elections in Perú, 1980-1995"
Wiarda & Kline, Ch. 10 - Palmer, "Perú: The Enduring Authoritarian Legacy"

Dec. 2       Class discussion and email report: Is the problem of politics found in traditional ideological political parties?
 
Week 15 Representativity and Governability in the Balance:
          Latin America after the Millenium

Dec. 7      Presentation of Research Projects
Inter-American Development Bank, Modernization of the State and Strengthening of Civil Society, (Washington, D.C.: no date [1998]). (Repeat reading)

Dec. 9      Presentation of Research Projects
Wiarda & Kline, Part 4 "Conclusion: Latin America and Its Alternative Futures"
                Class discussion and email report:  Revisit your week #4 position on whether or not representativity and governability are mutually exclusive in Latin America today?

Finals Week Final Examination

Dec. 14  9:40 a.m. to 12:00m noon - Final Examination (to be confirmed)

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