This course deals with the theory and practice of international development, with particular attention to Latin America. We will examine the evolution of ideas within international development as well as key empirical examples. The course is both theoretical, in comparing different perspectives on development, and empirical, in describing the insertion of Latin American economies in the world system over time. Of particular substantive interest will be the way in which Latin American populations experience their relationship with the international economy, as national development strategies filter down to individual livelihoods.

This course deals with the history of Latin America through the eyes of its people. Episodes of popular activism and resistance display stages of Latin American political and economic development. This will involve both theory of social movement mobilization and comparative histories of Latin American political economy. Of particular substantive interest will be the way in which Latin American populations experience their relationship with the international economy, as individual livelihoods aggregate upwards to national development trajectories. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science. It places special emphasis on the political economy of popular organization, acknowledging the contested nature of development and the ongoing struggle for deeper democracies and more equitable societies.

The modern state is of central interest to students of political science, Latin America, development, sociology, and public policy. For some, the state is an instrument of repression and domination; for others it is the shepherd of development. For all, it has been the fundamental unit of national political authority for at least the last two hundred years. This course will explore the nature of state authority and the processes by which different types of states emerged at different moments in world history and in different regions of the world, as well as how the nature of states has evolved over time. We will explore the modern states that emerged first in Western Europe, and then the transplantation, imposition, and emergence of state authority in other regions, including Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. The second half of the course will focus entirely on Latin America, highlighting the way in which states emerged and shifted over time in that region through close study of particular cases. We will end the course with a consideration of the nature of state authority in the current world characterized by more intense flows of people, goods, capital, and ideas.