HomeMy WebLinkAboutHIS-130Bergen Community College
School of Arts, Humanities, & Wellness
Department of History & Geography
Course Syllabus
HIS130-Latin America to Independence
Basic Information about Course and Instructor
Semester and year:
Course and Section Number:
Meeting Times and Locations:
Instructor:
Office Location:
Phone:
Departmental Secretary: [optional]
Office Hours:
Email Address:
Course Description
This course provides an overview of colonial Latin American history from the voyages of
Columbus to nineteenth century independence movements in Haiti, Mexico, Peru and Brazil.
The region’s economy, racial characteristics, religious practices and culture shall serve as the
course’s primary focus. Students will acquire a solid understanding of historical facts and
interpretation while gaining a sense of the broad scope of history as a discipline.
3 credits
General Education Course – Humanities Elective
Student Learning Objectives: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, students
will be able to
1. To identify major periods and figures in colonial Latin America.
2. To demonstrate an understanding of the narrative framework and factual basis of colonial
Latin America.
3. To identify and analyze the important political, economic, social, intellectual and religious
forces that shaped the above period.
4. To summarize and interpret the continuity and change that occurs in colonial Latin America.
5. To demonstrate the ability to develop a thesis and support it with historical evidence both in
writing and orally.
6. To demonstrate basic research skills by locating and using source materials.
7. To summarize, paraphrase and quote historical information in properly cited written analyses.
8. To demonstrate the ability to state and support an interpretation of historical issues concisely,
coherently and logically.
Course Content
A variety of approaches--political, social, economic, religious, intellectual, cultural—will be
used to illuminate historical context and themes of Latin American history. Students will
improve their knowledge and understanding of historical content and methods while gaining an
appreciation for the role historical processes play in the development of the human condition.
Course Texts
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas
Slave Revolution in the Caribbean 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents edited by
Laurent Dubois and John Garrigus
The History of Latin America: Collision of Cultures by Marshall Eakin
* Additional texts and primary source documents will be posted on-line during the semester at no
cost.
Assessment and Grading
In pursuit of the foregoing goals, the course is based on the reading and discussion of historical
writings for both primary and secondary sources; the techniques of historical research and
writing are reviewed, and students are expected to use subject specific resources in their
preparation for active participation in class and for writing assignments. Students are required to
do a substantial amount of expository and critical writing in response to the material presented in
the course and by conducting outside research.
Because HIS-130 is a General Education course, it requires students to complete a variety of
critical thinking and writing assignments. These assignments may include class discussions and
debates requiring the application of critical thinking skills, short in-class essays, out-of-class
writing projects (journals, research papers, argument-analysis papers, book reviews, etc.), tests
and examinations containing essay components, and so forth. Instructors will respond to and
comment on students' writing in detail.
Grading Policy
A student's final grade for the course is based primarily on his or her performance on the
required work for the course (writing assignments, examinations, class presentations, etc.) and on
his or her overall mastery of the material covered in the course. A student's class participation
may also be evaluated, and the grade thereon may be used as a factor in determining the student's
final grade for the course; but a class participation grade will count for no more than fifteen
percent (15%) of the final grade. Examinations can consist of objective questions such as
multiple choice and short answers, but an essay of some form should also be evaluated as part of
the test. A sample grade distribution is as follows:
1st Mid-Term Exam
20%
2nd Mid-Term Exam
20%
Final-Exam (non-comprehensive)
20%
Writing/Research Assignments
30%
Participation/Collegiality
10%
Total
100%
BCC Attendance Policy:
All students are expected to attend punctually every scheduled meeting of each course in which
they are registered. Attendance and lateness policies and sanctions are to be determined by the
instructor for each section of each course. These will be established in writing on the individual
course outline. Attendance will be kept by the instructor for administrative and counseling
purposes.
History and Geography Departmental Attendance Policy:
It is imperative that students attend class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge
necessary to succeed in the course. Coming to class on time and staying for the entire class
period is expected. Excessive absences will have a detrimental effect on your performance in this
course. Attendance will be taken at each class session. It is expected that class will be conducted
such that students will benefit in their written work by the lectures and class discussion. If
students occasionally arrive late, they should be encouraged to enter quietly, not disturbing the
class. If students miss class, they should be encouraged to use the course calendar to stay abreast
of material. It is probably a good idea for students to find study partners and to exchange
telephone numbers. Make-ups for examinations should be allowed by the instructor if, in the
instructor's judgment, the student has presented a good excuse for missing the work. Instructors
may penalize work which is late; however, the instructor's policies for make-ups and late work
must be clearly specified on the student guide. Collegiality is expected at all times during the
course.
Academic Dishonesty (From BCC Handbook):
Bergen Community College is committed to academic integrity—the honest, fair, and continuing
pursuit of knowledge, free from fraud and deception. Students are responsible for their own
work. Faculty and academic support services staff will take appropriate measures to discourage
academic dishonesty. The college recognizes the following general categories of violations of
academic integrity whenever a student does one of more of the following: uses unauthorized
assistance in any academic work, copies from another student’s exam, gives unauthorized
assistance to other students, fabricates data in support of an academic assignment,
inappropriately or unethically uses technical means to gain academic advantage, and commits
plagiarism.
Student and Faculty Support Services
The Henry and Edith Cerullo
Learning Assistance Center
Room L-
125 of
Pitkin
Building
Includes the Tutoring Center, English Language
Resource Center, and Writing Center. 201-447-
7489
The Distance Learning Office
– for any problems you may
have accessing your online
courses
201-612-5581
psimms@bergen.edu
The Tutorial Center Room S-
118 of
Pitkin
Building
201-447-7908
The English Language
Resource Center
Room 126
in Ender
Hall
For students whose native language is not
English.
The Writing Center Room L-
125 of
Pitkin
Building
201-447-7136
The Online Writing Lab
(OWL)
www.bergen.edu/owl This website will help
students with all aspects of the writing process in
every discipline.
The Office of Specialized
Services (for Students with
Disabilities)
L-115 of
Pitkin
Building
Students with documented disabilities who
require accommodations by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) can request support
services from the Office of Specialized Services.
www.bergen.edu/pages/5175
The Sidney Silverman Library 2nd Level of
Pitkin
Building
Sample Format for Course Outline and Calendar
Note to Students: The following Course Outline and Calendar is tentative and subject to
change, depending upon the progress of the class.
Date Lecture Topic Learning
Objectives
Assignments/Event
s
Introduction: course
information, expectations
Re-conquest of the Iberian
Peninsula
The Voyages of Columbus
Settlement in the Caribbean
The Columbian Exchange:
Epidemic Diseases
Hernán Cortés Arrives in
Mexico
The Cholula Massacre
The Aztec Empire Falls
Francisco Pizarro
Overthrows the Incas
Spaniards in Peru Bicker
over Spoils
*1st Mid-Term Exam
Early Settlement in Brazil
The Atlantic Slave Trade
The Discovery of Gold and
Diamonds in Brazil
Silver Mining & the
Economy of Mexico and
P
Land and Labor
Commerce and Smuggling
Piracy
The Spiritual Conquest
Blending Religious
Traditions
Conspiracy and Rebellion
*2nd Mid-Term Exam
Saint-Domingue, France’s
Wealthiest Colony
Racial and Social Tensions
on Saint-Domingue
Haiti: Latin America’s First
Independent Nation
Independence in Brazil
Independence in Spanish
America
Simón Bolívar and the
Liberation of Gran Colombia
Father Hidalgo’s Grito de
Dolores
Agustín de Iturbide Wins
Independence for Mexico
**Final-Exam**