Faculty
Rosalba Cazón-López and Niels Bjerre-Poulsen

Course Coordinator
Merete Borch

The course traces the history and development of the US and the countries of Latin America in the years before 1930.

Coverage includes the American War of Independence, the writing of the Constitution and the founding of the US, the evolution of the early republic, the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the process of westward expansion, the Civil War (1861-65) and Reconstruction, industrialization and the Gilded Age, the Progressive and populist movements, patterns of immigration, the impact of war, and the Bubble economy of the 1920s. It also looks at the gaining of independence in Latin America, the process of state formation, the rise of popular movements, the barriers to economic development, and the impact of neocolonialism.

The course pays particular attention to relations between north and south America. It considers and assesses the consequences of the Monroe Doctrine, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War.

2 individual written examinations (closed book) – midterm and end of term.

The course uses lectures and group activities. There is an emphasis upon student participation. There will also be regular screenings of films and documentaries on US and Latin American history.