Gregory W. Knapp

This course is a general introduction to the environmental, cultural, economic and political geography of Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can also benefit from the exploration of such topics as environmental hazards, indigenous lifeways and resource management, globalization and modernization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  

Faculty led study abroad in Ecuador.  Admission to study abroad program required (deadline November 1).

This course examines the very long-term human trajectory in gaining control over resources, impacting the environment, and transforming planet earth into a meaningful human home. This trajectory has been related to long-term changes in human integration (reciprocity, trade, and redistribution) at a variety of scales, culminating in recent globalization. These changes have been associated with great achievements in quality of life for some, but with attendant problems of violence, impoverishment, and environmental impacts including, in some extreme cases, collapse.  These challenges implicate both culture (learned habitual behavior, concepts, and associated objects and landscapes) and ethics (socialy oriented decisions) as they promote or fail to promote resilience and adaptation with respect for human rights.

Faculty led study abroad course in Ecuador. Admission to program required (deadline November 1).

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, feminist political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development and post-development studies, sustainability studies, and cultural geography. The course will address a range of issues including definitions and theories of modernization and development; methods of cultural and political ecology; concepts of householders, livelihoods, and buen vivir; participatory development and theater of the oppressed;  identity, territory, and mapping; population and resources; neoliberalism, conservation, and resource extraction; food and agriculture; and the roles of NGOs and academics in understanding discourses and solving problems. Topics and readings are developed in part on the basis of input from students, who typically come from multiple backgrounds and programs across campus.

Prerequisites:  

Graduate standing and some knowledge of rural Latin America or the Caribbean. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is desirable but not necessary. 

Course Characteristics:  

Each class will consist of (1) short lecture(s) by the instructor; (2) proctored discussions of the week's readings, co-chaired by two students who have, in consultation with the instructor, prepared a strategy for addressing the readings and student essays (which may include splitting into smaller groups); and (3) a food break providing for more informal discussion of the topics.

The course explores Latin America’s resources, natural hazards, and conservation issues, in the context of long-term cultural, economic and environmental change and present day debates about modernization and sustainability. The course touches on the methods of geography, ecological anthropology, economics, government, and environmental history, and also interdisciplinary fields such as Environmental Studies, Global Studies, Development Studies, and Sustainability Studies.  Students will learn how to assess a variety of sources of information, and develop skills to interpret them in the context of historical cultures and politics.  Each week there will be two lectures, followed by a Friday discussion session.   

This course is taught as part of a UT faculty-led Maymester program; to finalize enrollment, students must be admitted via the admissions process at the UT Study Abroad website (deadline November 1).

This course examines issues of cultural landscapes, human-environment relations, and sustainable development in South America, taking full advantage of its location in Ecuador. Ecuador is one of the most bio diverse nations in the world, with rain forests, high mountains, and coastal mangrove estuaries. It is also ethnically diverse, with over 40 indigenous nations, a large Afro-Ecuadorian population, and mestizos, as well as European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrants. The country’s three largest cities (Guayaquil, Quito, and Cuenca) display a range of issues involving housing, employment, water and food provision, poverty and gentrification, and preservation of historical districts. The nation is rich in agricultural and aquaculural products, including flowers, bananas, shrimp, and cacao, as well as more traditional subsistence crops such as manioc, potatoes, quinoa, and corn. There is a large system of national parks and preserves spanning landscapes from high grasslands (páramos) to tropical forests; the interaction between the goals of conservation, indigenous territoriality, and the (growing) mineral and hydrocarbon extractive industries spurs ongoing debate.

The 2008 Ecuadorian constitution enshrined the protection of mother earth (pacha mama) and cultural diversity while pursuing the culturally appropriate good life (buen vivir, sumaq kawsay). This course will examine ongoing issues in sustainable development in these local contexts, which provide an excellent sample of similar issues in the rest of Latin America.

From 2007 until 2017, Ecuador has been governed by Rafael Correa, a “21^st Century Socialist” who has promoted modernization, nationalism, social justice, and the fight against poverty; controversially, he has sometimes combatted environmentalists and indigenous movements who went against his programs. On February 19, 2017, elections took place and, Lenin Moreno, who uses a wheelchair and is a champion of people with disabilities,  was elected.

Field trips and site visits will include coastal, highland, and Amazonian destinations illustrative of Ecuador’s natural and cultural diversity. Students will examine selected issues through readings, discussions, site visits and field trips. There will be an extended amount of time in and near Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city (population 730,000 in the larger metropolitan area). Cuenca was a Cañari indigenous settlement before it became first an Inca, and then a Spanish colonial city. Indigenous and colonial monuments explain its listing on the UNESCO world heritage list, while its highland setting (8200 feet above sea level) provides for a diverse hinterland with small farms, national parks, and villages noted for artisanal crafts. It has also become an important destination for ecotourism and residential migration.

This course may be used towards the Geography major (Cultural Track, Sustainability Track) and Latin American Studies major (core requirement and/or concentration), and as part of the Latin American minor in International Relations and Global Studies (IRG). This course may also be used for the environmental track in IRG, and towards the study abroad requirement in IRG. It also meets requirements in the new Sustainability Studies major. The course carries a Global Cultures flag.

This course examines the very long-term human trajectory in gaining control over resources, impacting the environment, and transforming planet earth into a meaningful human home. This trajectory has been related to long-term changes in human integration (reciprocity, trade, and redistribution) at a variety of scales, culminating in recent globalization. These changes have been associated with great achievements in quality of life for some, but with attendant problems of violence, impoverishment, and environmental impacts including, in some extreme cases, collapse.  These challenges implicate both culture (learned habitual behavior, concepts, and associated objects and landscapes) and ethics (socially oriented decisions) as they promote or fail to promote resilience and adaptation with respect for human rights.

The course will discuss major transformations: the origins of the human species, the domestication of plants and animals, the rise of agricultural societies and urban civilizations, global mercantile colonialism, and modernization and urbanization. Attention will be paid to the theories and works of geographers, ecological anthropologists, environmental historians, and others.  Lectures and student-proctored discussions examine selected strategies employed by humans to cope with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by different natural environments, with special attention to foraging, food, and farming.  The course will also provide an introduction to ethical and policy issues surrounding sustainable development and alternative futures.  Grading is based on attendance and participation, numerous writing assignments, oral presentations, and proctoring.

The course has a Writing Flag and an Ethics and Leadership Flag. It can be used to meet the core requirements for the Sustainability or the Cultural Geography tracks in the Geography major, and the upper division course requirements in the Anthropology major. It also can be used for the International Relations and Global Studies Major.

This course is taught as part of a UT faculty-led Maymester program; to finalize enrollment, students must be admitted via the admissions process at the UT Study Abroad website (deadline November 1).

This course examines issues of cultural landscapes, human-environment relations, and sustainable development in South America, taking full advantage of its location in Ecuador. Ecuador is one of the most bio diverse nations in the world, with rain forests, high mountains, and coastal mangrove estuaries. It is also ethnically diverse, with over 40 indigenous nations, a large Afro-Ecuadorian population, and mestizos, as well as European, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigrants. The country’s three largest cities (Guayaquil, Quito, and Cuenca) display a range of issues involving housing, employment, water and food provision, poverty and gentrification, and preservation of historical districts. The nation is rich in agricultural and aquaculural products, including flowers, bananas, shrimp, and cacao, as well as more traditional subsistence crops such as manioc, potatoes, quinoa, and corn. There is a large system of national parks and preserves spanning landscapes from high grasslands (páramos) to tropical forests; the interaction between the goals of conservation, indigenous territoriality, and the (growing) mineral and hydrocarbon extractive industries spurs ongoing debate.

The 2008 Ecuadorian constitution enshrined the protection of mother earth (pacha mama) and cultural diversity while pursuing the culturally appropriate good life (buen vivir, sumaq kawsay). This course will examine ongoing issues in sustainable development in these local contexts, which provide an excellent sample of similar issues in the rest of Latin America.

From 2007 until 2017, Ecuador has been governed by Rafael Correa, a “21^st Century Socialist” who has promoted modernization, nationalism, social justice, and the fight against poverty; controversially, he has sometimes combatted environmentalists and indigenous movements who went against his programs. On February 19, 2017, elections took place and, Lenin Moreno, who uses a wheelchair and is a champion of people with disabilities,  was elected.

Field trips and site visits will include coastal, highland, and Amazonian destinations illustrative of Ecuador’s natural and cultural diversity. Students will examine selected issues through readings, discussions, site visits and field trips. There will be an extended amount of time in and near Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city (population 730,000 in the larger metropolitan area). Cuenca was a Cañari indigenous settlement before it became first an Inca, and then a Spanish colonial city. Indigenous and colonial monuments explain its listing on the UNESCO world heritage list, while its highland setting (8200 feet above sea level) provides for a diverse hinterland with small farms, national parks, and villages noted for artisanal crafts. It has also become an important destination for ecotourism and residential migration.

This course may be used towards the Geography major (Cultural Track, Sustainability Track) and Latin American Studies major (core requirement and/or concentration), and as part of the Latin American minor in International Relations and Global Studies (IRG). This course may also be used for the environmental track in IRG, and towards the study abroad requirement in IRG. It also meets requirements in the new Sustainability Studies major. The course carries a Global Cultures flag.

The course explores Latin America’s resources, natural hazards, and conservation issues, in the context of long-term cultural, economic and environmental change and present day debates about modernization and sustainability. The course touches on the methods of geography, ecological anthropology, economics, government, and environmental history, and also interdisciplinary fields such as Environmental Studies, Global Studies, Development Studies, and Sustainability Studies.  Students will learn how to assess a variety of sources of information, and develop skills to interpret them in the context of historical cultures and politics.  Each week there will be two lectures, followed by a Friday discussion session.  

This is a Signature Course and also qualifies for the Global Cultures and Ethics and Leadership Flags. As a Signature Course, this course is interdisciplinary and relevant to contemporary issues. It provides education in writing, oral communication, and information literacy.  The course highlights resources unique to our campus, involves a plenary University Lecture, and is taught by a permanent member of the University of Texas faculty.  Bear in mind that this course may not be used towards a major, but may help guide your choice of a major.

This course carries the Ethics and Leadership flag. Ethics and Leadership courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for making ethical decisions in your adult and professional life. A substantial portion of your grade will come from assignments involving ethical issues and the process of applying ethical reasoning to real-life situations. In this course, there is a special emphasis on ethical issues related to poverty, environmental protection and human rights in the context of sustainability.

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. A substantial portion of your grade will come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of Latin American cultural groups. This course is on the UT Rappaport Center for Human Rights and Justice list of courses pertaining to human rights study.

Field study of environmental and social change in selected landscapes in South America, such as protected areas; places of food production; transportation routes; migrant landscapes; urban areas; sites of cultural and historical importance; and issues of human rights. 

This course is a general introduction to the environmental, cultural, economic and political geography of Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can also benefit from the exploration of such topics as environmental hazards, indigenous life ways and resource management, globalization and modernization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, ??frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The course examines major environmental zones as defined by geomorphology, climate, and biogeography, in terms of risks and hazards, resources, and human impacts. Students also study social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods, social structures, and cultures, including early migrants to the Americas, the rise of chiefdoms and indigenous civilizations including Aztec and Inca, the European conquest and spread of Iberian colonial culture and economic relationships, and the inception and spread of modernization as related to neoliberal and alternative forms of development including indigenous discourses of sustainability in contemporary Latin America. A range of environmental and social science theories and methods are discussed, including plate tectonics, basic climate models, hazards research, circumscription theory, and theories of modernization, dependency, and development. Communication skills are developed through graphical and essay questions on quizzes and exams, the written course project, and discussion in lectures.

This Maymester course is conducted in Ecuador, June 1-July 1, 2016. Ecuador is a small country with outstanding environmental and cultural diversity, and is a perfect location for the study of environmental and social change and sustainability. Coastal mangrove wetlands, mountain valleys and peaks and Amazonian lowland forests are home to diverse indigenous peoples and immigrants. The recent Constitution of Ecuador enshrines respect for environmental and cultural diversity as essential for a sustainable buen vivir. This Maymester uses Ecuador as a classroom, maximizing student experiences of a wide range of urban, rural and wild landscapes where students gain insight into current debates about environmental change, agriculture and development.

Interested students should apply at the Study Abroad website by November 1, 2015. Students admitted to the program will be registered for the course.

More details:

http://utdirect.utexas.edu/io/abroad/pgm_list/detail.WBX?s_master_id=1290

This Maymester course is conducted in Ecuador, June 1-July 1, 2016. Ecuador is a small country with outstanding environmental and cultural diversity, and is a perfect location for the study of environmental and social change and sustainability. Coastal mangrove wetlands, mountain valleys and peaks and Amazonian lowland forests are home to diverse indigenous peoples and immigrants. The recent Constitution of Ecuador enshrines respect for environmental and cultural diversity as essential for a sustainable buen vivir. This Maymester uses Ecuador as a classroom, maximizing student experiences of a wide range of urban, rural and wild landscapes where students gain insight into current debates about environmental change, agriculture and development.

Interested students should apply at the Study Abroad website by November 1, 2015. Students admitted to the program will be registered for the course.

More details:

http://utdirect.utexas.edu/io/abroad/pgm_list/detail.WBX?s_master_id=1290

Course Description:

THIS COURSE IS RESTRICTED; YOU MUST OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION TO REGISTER.

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development studies, sustainability studies, and cultural geography. The course will address a range of issues of sustainable development, cultural and political ecology, cultural identity and territory, gender, the smallholder/ householder focus of production, adaptive tactics and strategies, food and farming, environmental impacts of traditional land use, conservation strategies, and the changing impacts of markets and the state on local economies and land use. Topics and readings are developed in part on the basis of input from students.

Prerequisites: 

Graduate standing and some knowledge of rural Latin America or the Caribbean. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is desirable but not necessary. THIS COURSE IS RESTRICTED; YOU MUST OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION TO REGISTER. To obtain permission, email the instructor with a brief description of your research area and Latin American academic and field experience.

Course Characteristics: 

 Each class will consist of (1) short lecture(s) by the instructor; (2) proctored discussions of the week's readings, co-chaired by two students who have, in consultation with the instructor, prepared a strategy for addressing the readings and student essays (which may include splitting into smaller groups); and (3) a food break providing for more informal discussion of the topics.

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Restricted to students in the Maymester Abroad Program; contact the Stud y Abroad Office for permission to register for this class. Class meets J une 3-July 3. Taught in various locations in Ecuador, including Cuenca, Ecuador. Students must consult with Study Abroad Program Coordinator as travel and orientation dates may be in addition to these dates.

This course examines the very long-term human trajectory in gaining control over resources, impacting the environment, and transforming planet earth into a meaningful human home. This trajectory has been related to long-term changes in human integration (reciprocity, trade, and redistribution) at a variety of scales, culminating in recent globalization. These changes have been associated with great achievements in quality of life for some, but with attendant problems of violence, impoverishment, and environmental impacts including, in some extreme cases, collapse.  These challenges implicate both culture (learned habitual behavior, concepts, and associated objects and landscapes) and ethics (social       y oriented decisions) as they promote or fail to promote resilience and adaptation with respect for human rights.

 The course will discuss major transformations: the origins of the human species, the domestication of plants and animals, the rise of agricultural societies and urban civilizations, global mercantile colonialism, and modernization and urbanization. Attention will be paid to the theories and works of geographers, ecological anthropologists, environmental historians, and others.  Lectures and student-proctored discussions examine selected strategies employed by humans to cope with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by different natural environments, with special attention to foraging, food, and farming.  The course will also provide an introduction to ethical and policy issues surrounding sustainable development and alternative futures.  Grading is based on attendance and participation, numerous writing assignments, oral presentations, and proctoring.

 The course has a Writing Flag and an Ethics and Leadership Flag. It can be used to meet the core requirements for the Sustainability or the Cultural Geography tracks in the Geography major, and the upper division course requirements in the Anthropology major. It also can be used for the International Relations and Global Studies Major.

Restricted to students in the Maymester Abroad Program; contact the Stud y Abroad Office for permission to register for this class. Class meets J une 3-July 3. Taught in various locations in Ecuador, including Cuenca, Ecuador. Students must consult with Study Abroad Program Coordinator as travel and orientation dates may be in addition to these dates.

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development studies, sustainability studies, and cultural geography. The course will address a range of issues of sustainable development, cultural and political ecology, cultural identity and territory, gender, the smallholder/ householder focus of production, adaptive tactics and strategies, food and farming, environmental impacts of traditional land use, conservation strategies, and the changing impacts of markets and the state on local economies and land use. Topics and readings are developed in part on the basis of input from students.

Each class will consist of (1) short lecture(s) by the instructor; (2) proctored discussions of the week's readings, co-chaired by two students who have, in consultation with the instructor, prepared a strategy for addressing the readings and student essays (which may include splitting into smaller groups); and (3) a food break providing for more informal discussion of the topics.

Course readings and other materials will be posted on Canvas. Readings vary widely across topics and disciplines and include, for example, Arturo Escobar, Maria Elisa Christie, Anthony Bebbington, Juanita Sundberg, Karl Zimmerer, Eric Wolf, Maria Belen Norona Salcedo, Thomas Sowell, Charles Hale, Paul Robbins, Diane Rocheleau, Kendra McSweeney, James Scott, Diana Liverman, and Eduardo Gudynas, among many others.

Prerequisites: 

Ideally, direct experience of rural Latin America. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is desirable but not necessary. THIS COURSE IS RESTRICTED; YOU MUST OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION TO REGISTER. To obtain permission, email the instructor with a brief description of your research area and Latin American academic and field experience.

This course examines issues of cultural landscapes, society, and sustainable development in South America. For summer 2014, the course takes full advantage of its location in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Buenos Aires is South America's second largest city, with about 13 million people in the metropolitan area; it is located at the edge of the subtropical, agricultural Pampa.  Buenos Aires has attracted a large number of immigrants from all over the country and a substantial number from the rest of South America, Europe, and Asia. Students will examine selected issues of the geography of this urban landscape through readings, discussions, and field trips.

This course examines issues of cultural landscapes, society, and sustainable development in South America. For summer 2014, the course takes full advantage of its location in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Buenos Aires is South America's second largest city, with about 13 million people in the metropolitan area; it is located at the edge of the subtropical, agricultural Pampa.  Buenos Aires has attracted a large number of immigrants from all over the country and a substantial number from the rest of South America, Europe, and Asia. Students will examine selected issues of the geography of this urban landscape through readings, discussions, and field trips.

This course is a general introduction to the environmental, cultural, economic and political geography of Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can also benefit from the exploration of such topics as environmental hazards, indigenous lifeways and resource management, globalization and modernization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  

The course examines major environmental zones as defined by geomorphology, climate, and biogeography, in terms of risks and hazards, resources, and human impacts. Students also study social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods, social structures, and cultures, including early migrants to the Americas, the rise of chiefdoms and indigenous civilizations including Aztec and Inca, the European conquest and spread of Iberian colonial culture and economic relationships, and the inception and spread of modernization as related to neoliberal and alternative forms of development including discourses of sustainability in contemporary Latin America. Relationships between regional, national, and global communities are studied by means of a commodity chain project resulting in a written paper.  A range of environmental and social science theories and methods are discussed, including plate tectonics, basic climate models, hazards research, circumscription theory, and theories of modernization, dependency, and development. Communication skills are developed through graphical and essay questions on quizzes and exams, the written course project, and discussion in lectures and optional discussion sections.

The class serves as a preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for teaching. This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies, and for a Latin American concentration in International Relations and Global Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management (Sustainability), and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the University's Core Requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences. The course has a Global Cultures flag. This is also a Bridging Disciplines course (for the Global Studies, Environment, and/or the Social Entrepreneurship & Non-profits BDPs). 

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development studies, and cultural geography. The course will address a range of issues of sustainable development, cultural and political ecology, cultural identity and territory, gender, the smallholder/ householder focus of production, adaptive tactics and strategies, food and farming, environmental impacts of traditional land use, conservation strategies, and the changing impacts of markets and the state on local economies and land use. Topics and readings are developed in part on the basis of input from students.

Prerequisites:

Graduate standing and some knowledge of rural Latin America or the Caribbean. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is desirable but not necessary. THIS COURSE IS RESTRICTED; YOU MUST OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION TO REGISTER. To obtain permission, email the instructor with a brief description of your research area and Latin American academic and field experience.

This course examines the long term human trajectory in progressively gaining control over resources and transforming planet earth into a meaningful human home. There will be special attention to the theories and works of geographers, ecological anthropologists, and environmental historians.  Lectures and student-proctored discussions examine selected strategies employed by humans to cope with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by different natural environments, with special attention to foraging and farming.  The course will also provide an introduction to ethical and policy issues surrounding sustainable development and alternative futures.  Grading is based on attendance and participation, numerous writing assignments, oral presentations, and proctoring.

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, climate, plants and animals, environmental hazards, indigenous lifeways and resource management, globalization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class serves as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for teaching. This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies, and for a Latin American concentration in International Relations and Global Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management (Sustainability), and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the University's Core Requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences. The course has a Global Cultures flag. This is also a Bridging Disciplines course (for the Global Studies, Environment, and/or the Social Entrepreneurship & Non-profits BDPs).

This course examines the human trajectory in progressively gaining control over resources and transforming planet earth into a human home. It is an advanced introduction to human-environment relationships, with a special emphasis on the theories and works of cultural geographers, ecological anthropologists, and environmental historians. Lectures and discussions examine various strategies employed by humans to cope with the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by different natural environments, especially foraging and farming. The course will focus on key ideas and case examples of "classical" cultural ecology, including major transitions in human environment relationships, concepts of ecosystem and adaptation, archaeological findings and implications, and dynamics of agriculture. It will also provide an introduction to political ecology and issues surrounding sustainable development and alternative futures.

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development studies, and cultural geography. The course will address issues of sustainable development, cultural and political ecology, cultural identity and territory, gender, the smallholder/ householder focus of production, adaptive tactics and strategies, food and farming, environmental impacts of traditional land use, conservation strategies, and the changing impacts of markets and the state on local economies and land use. These topics will be developed using examples from Latin America. 

Prerequisites:  Graduate standing and some knowledge of rural Latin America or the Caribbean. Knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is desirable but not necessary. THIS COURSE IS RESTRICTED; YOU MUST OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION TO REGISTER.

This course examines issues of culture, environment, and sustainable development in South America. An understanding of the dynamics of changing indigenous, colonial, and modern landscapes provides context for debating appropriate development and conservation pathways.  For summer 2012, the course takes full advantage of its location in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of the University of Texas's Buenos Aires Study Abroad Program.  Buenos Aires is South America's second largest city, with about 13 million people in the metropolitan area; it is located at the edge of the subtropical, agricultural Pampa.  Buenos Aires has attracted a large number of immigrants from all over the country and a substantial number from the rest of South America, Europe, and Asia. Students will examine selected issues through readings, discussions, and field trips.

Admission to this course is restricted to students admitted to the Buenos Aires Study Abroad Program. (Applications are no longer being accepted).

This course examines issues of culture, environment, and sustainable development in South America. An understanding of the dynamics of changing indigenous, colonial, and modern landscapes provides context for debating appropriate development and conservation pathways.  For summer 2012, the course takes full advantage of its location in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of the University of Texas's Buenos Aires Study Abroad Program.  Buenos Aires is South America's second largest city, with about 13 million people in the metropolitan area; it is located at the edge of the subtropical, agricultural Pampa.  Buenos Aires has attracted a large number of immigrants from all over the country and a substantial number from the rest of South America, Europe, and Asia. Students will examine selected issues through readings, discussions, and field trips.

Admission to this course is restricted to students admitted to the Buenos Aires Study Abroad Program. (Applications are no longer being accepted).

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, climate, plants and animals, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, globalization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  The class serves as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching. 

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies, and for a Latin American concentration in International Relations and Global Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the University's Core Requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Science & Technology requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). The course has a Global Cultures flag. This is also a Bridging Disciplines course (for either the International Studies or Environment BDP). 

Prerequisites:  This course should not be taken by anyone who has completed UGS 303: Latin America Environmental History and Sustainability. Otherwise the course is open to all students.

This seminar is designed to help Latin Americanist students perform academic research on human-environment relationships, as well as to work for and to critique development agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations. The class explores the ideas and methods of a number of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields including cultural and political ecology, ecological anthropology, environmental history, development studies, and cultural geography. The course will address issues of sustainable development, cultural identity and territory, gender, the smallholder/ householder focus of production, adaptive tactics and strategies, food and farming, environmental impacts of traditional land use, traditional conservation strategies, cultural survival, population growth, environmental change, and the changing impacts of markets and the state on local economies and land use. These topics will be developed using examples from Latin America. 

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. An effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, climate, plants and animals, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, globalization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  The class serves as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching. 

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies, and for a Latin American concentration in International Relations and Global Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the University's Core Requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences.  It may be used to meet the Foreign Language / Culture requirement for a Bachelor of Science degree (for example, in the College of Natural Sciences). This course may not be used towards the Science & Technology requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). The course has a Global Cultures flag. This is also a Bridging Disciplines course (for either the International Studies or Environment BDP). 

Prerequisites:  This course should not be taken by anyone who has completed UGS 303: Latin America Environmental History and Sustainability. Otherwise the course is open to all students.

Adaptations to population growth and spatial integration in cultural landscapes of great natural and ethnic diversity; problems of frontiers and cities.

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, climate, plants and animals, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, globalization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  The class serves as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching; it also can serve as a resource for a more advanced career in research.

Examines the history, philosophy, and ontology of geography, including its various subfields. Required of all first-year graduate students in geography.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing in geography, or graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser.

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, climate, plants and animals, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, globalization, population and migration, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival.  The class serves as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching; it also can serve as a resource for a more advanced career in research.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). This is also a Connexus course (Environmental BDP, and others). 

Textbooks:

•Robert B. Kent, Latin America: Regions and Peoples (Guilford 2006)

•Gregory Knapp, ed.  Latin America in the Twenty First Century: Challenges and Solutions (UT Press, 2002). 

 Recommended (not required): Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

Website:

You can access Blackboard for this course on the following site:  https://courses.utexas.edu/

In addition, other web sites and materials will be assigned during class.  The Blackboard web syllabus and schedule is the official syllabus for this course.  Course lecture Power Points will usually be placed on line within 24 hours after each lecture, but these are no substitute for lecture notes.

Summary of Grading:

Exams and quizzes test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important.  

* Quizzes and attendance (15%).  

* Two Midterms (40%), June 16 and June 28.

* Project (15%).  Details will be on Blackboard.  Due July 5.

* Final Exam (30%).  July 10 (2-5 pm).   

Grading is based on total points (90-100 A, 80-89.5 B, etc) and is not "curved."  Grades in this course are not on the plus or minus system.

Although the course is designed to be accessible to everyone, this is not an easy course, and some students do earn F's and D's every semester.  If you are on probation, or are trying to use this course to raise your GPA to graduate, qualify for a study abroad program, or for other reasons, this course might not meet your needs.

Classroom Policy on Electronic Devices and Behavior

Laptops are NOT allowed. Laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, and other such devices must be turned off and stowed during classes and exams.  Lectures may not be recorded in any way without prior permission.  Online materials may not be copied or distributed without prior permission. In exceptional cases, with prior permission, students will be allowed to take lecture notes on their laptops; in these cases, laptop lecture notes need to provided to the professor for each class, and students need to pledge not to use computers for any other purpose during class. The professor will not provide feedback on lecture notes.

Students will arrive on time, minimize unscheduled personal breaks, and stay until the class ends.  They will respect the views and opinions of their colleagues. Disagreement and debate are encouraged. Intolerance for the views of others is unacceptable.

Accommodations for Special Needs

The University makes reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.  Any student who requires special accommodations must obtain a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). Present the letter to the professor at the beginning of the semester so that needed accommodations can be discussed. The student should remind the professor of any testing accommodations no later than five business days before an exam. For more information, visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/. 

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Examines the history, philosophy, and ontology of geography, including its various subfields.
Required of all first-year graduate students in geography.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in geography, or graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser.
 

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Examines the history, philosophy, and ontology of geography, including its various subfields.
Required of all first-year graduate students in geography.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in geography, or graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser.
 

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Examines the history, philosophy, and ontology of geography, including its various subfields.
Required of all first-year graduate students in geography.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in geography, or graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser.
 

Please check back for updates.

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

For honors candidates in Latin American studies. Individual reading of selected works for one semester, followed in the second semester by the writing of an honors thesis.

Prerequisite: For Latin American Studies 679HA, Latin American Studies 359H, admission to the Latin American Studies Honors Program, and written consent of the Latin American Studies Honors Program adviser; for 679HB, Latin American Studies 679HA.

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).

Course Description

This course is a general introduction to Latin American environments and peoples from a geographical perspective. There are no prerequisites, and an effort is made to make the material accessible to the broadest possible range of students, as citizens and future leaders. At the same time, more advanced students can benefit from the exploration of such topics as landforms, ecology, environmental hazards, Native American lifeways and resource management, the insertion of Latin America in the global economy, population, cities, sustainable development, geopolitics, frontiers, conservation, and cultural survival. The class can serve as a basic preparation for travel, business, government service, journalism or volunteer work in Latin America, as well as for elementary or secondary school teaching.

This course can be used toward a major or minor in either Geography or Latin American Studies. In the Geography major, the course meets the human geography core requirement, and is also appropriate for students taking the Cultural Geography, Environmental Resource Management, and General Geography tracks. The course can be used to meet the Area B requirement for the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. This course may not be used towards the Area C requirement (some other courses in geography do meet this requirement). All students are required to take the final exam.

Grading Policy

Exams test knowledge of locations (with map questions), concepts, explanations, and solutions. The tests contain objective, map, and short-answer essay type questions. The student is responsible for all the material in the readings, assigned web pages, and lectures, including maps and other graphics, but the lectures are most important. Quizzes are handed out at the beginning of several lectures.

Quizzes & Attendance (15%) Three Exams (60%) Project (details to be announced in class) (25%).