Political Science 146AWinter 2011 Wednesday 5:00-7:50 p.m.Reading:CR # 7: Abraham F. Lowenthal, “Obama and the Americas: Promise, Disappointment, Opportunity”THE U.S. AND LATIN AMERICA:POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONSPolitical Science 146APeter H. SmithWinter 2011 Wednesday 5:00-7:50 p.m. This course offers an analytical survey of U.S. relations with Latin America. Historical perspective extends from the 1820s to the present, with special attention to the shape and implications of the post-9/11 international environment. Coverage will focus on processesof economic integration (including NAFTA), illegal drug trafficking, undocumented migration, environmental protection, and the challenges of “homeland security.”Course requirements include:1. regular attendance at class sessions;2. assigned readings:- Peter H. Smith, Talons of the Eagle: Latin America, the United States, and the World, 3rd edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008),- Jorge I. Domínguez and Rafael Fernández de Castro, Contemporary U.S.-Latin American Relations (New York: Routledge, 2010), hereinafter DFC,and - Selected materials in a course reader, hereinafter CR. Papers and Examinations1. Students are required to submit 10-to-12 page analytical papers by Wednesday, March 2 (this will count for one-half the course grade). 2. A three-hour closed-book final exam (one-half the course grade).3. A “mock” midterm exam will be distributed on Wednesday, February 9. Students have the option of using it as a take-home exam and submitting the results by the beginning of class on February 23. (It will then count for 20 percent of the course grade; the paper and the final will count for 40 percent each.) 1COURSE SCHEDULEPERSPECTIVES AND THEMESJan 05: Course Structure and Conceptual Approaches/Contemporary Issues in the Americas Reading: Smith, Talons, Introduction HISTORICAL TRENDSJan 12: Imperialism in the AmericasRequired Reading:Smith, Talons, chs. 1-3CR #1: Documents on ImperialismJan 19: Cold War in the AmericasVideo: “Missing”Required Reading:Smith, Talons, chs. 4-6CR #2: Documents on the Cold WarJan 26: After the Cold War: From Geopolitics to GeoeconomicsReading: Smith, Talons, chs. 7-9CR #3: Robert A. Blecker and Gerardo Esquivel, “NAFTA, Trade, and Development”2THE CONTEMPORARY SCENE: 9/11-PRESENT Feb 02: The War on Terror and Global RealitiesVideo: “HemiScope” (October 2001) Reading:Smith, Talons, ch. 10DFC, Contemporary, chs. 1 (international system) and 3 (Cuba)CR #4: Smith, “Prisms of Power” Feb 09: Neglect and Opportunity for Latin America Reading:Smith, Talons, ch. 11DFC, Contemporary, chs. 6-8 (Argentina, Brazil, Chile)Feb 16: The Political Economy of Drug Trafficking Video: “Meet the Players: The Tijuana Drug Cartel” Reading:DFC, Contemporary, ch. 9 (Colombia)CR #5: Luis Astorga and David Shirk, “Drug Trafficking Organizations and Counter-Drug Strategies in the U.S.-Mexican Context” Feb 23: Migration and Latino CommunitiesVideo: “The Latin American and Caribbean Presence in the U.S.”Reading:DFC, Contemporary, chs. 2, 4, 5 (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean)CR #6: Jorge Castañeda, Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants, excerpts 3Mar 02: Barack Obama and the Politics of Hope (?)Reading:Smith, Talons, ch. 12 CR # 7: Abraham F. Lowenthal, “Obama and the Americas: Promise, Disappointment, Opportunity”Mar 09: Conclusions and Review Reading:Smith, Talons, Conclusion