History: Modern Mexico

Topics examining Mexican history. Representative topics: Modern Mexico. May be repeated for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: Three hours of History.

Prereq: 3 hours History PACE students with permission and override

Mexico is a large and extraordinarily diverse country with an exceptionally rich history. Once the heart of the Spanish empire, today it is one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in the Americas. It is also the country that had the world’s first modern social revolution in 1910, and its revolutionary heritage has shaped its history ever since, and continues to influence its politics today. Throughout this course, we will examine social, economic, and cultural factors within modern Mexican political development over the past 150 years. This will include examinations of the ways in which women and indigenous peoples fought for political and social rights in post-revolutionary Mexico. We will also take into account the international context for major events in Mexican history, and Mexico’s relationships to the rest of Latin America, the United States, and the world. The objectives of this course are to familiarize you with the modern history of Mexico up to the present day, and to equip you to with the historical knowledge necessary to understand pressing present-day issues that Mexico faces, such as US-Mexico relations, migration, human rights, economic and political reform, and the ongoing struggle between the Mexican government and drug cartels.

Mixed lecture/discussion format. Viewing of at least one film outside of class time is required.

two essay exams; one film analysis; a semester-long primary source portfolio