RESISTING & REBELLING
in Modern Latin America
NEED HELP? 👋
Professor Ángeles Picone, Ph.D.
Office: Stokes S309
E-mail: angeles.picone@bc.edu
We meet TTh at 9am at Stokes 403N
This is HIST 183301
Office hours W 1-4pm (Book an appointment
through the appointment page on Canvas).
MODALITY 🧩
This course meets in-person. Yet, our classroom
cannot host our meetings while keeping everyone
at a safe distance. Thus, you will come to in-person
class once a week. The other day, you will do
synchronous work during the 75 minutes of our
class, at the time of our class. Submissions are at
10.30 am.
Some activities will allow you to collaborate with
students from the other section, and I encourage
you take notes together on a shared document.
Though we will not read the textbook for class, it is
an excellent resource as background knowledge
and I strongly recommend you get a copy for
consultation.
WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT? 🧐
Opening with the dramatic slave revolt that
resulted in the Haitian independence, this course
will examine the numerous instances of rebellion
and resistance in Modern Latin America. While
these terms might first bring us to struggles for
state power, our readings will reveal that rebelling
and resisting transcended theoretical articulation
of the state in an effort to transform everyday lives.
How did rebelling and resisting look like in different
places? How did colonial legacies shape uprisings,
and how were they resolved? How did global
ideological trends, especially during the Cold War,
affect resistance in Latin America?
REQUIRED TEXTS 📚
📖 Velasco, Alejandro. Barrio Rising: Urban
Popular Politics and the Making of Modern
Venezuela. First edition. Oakland, California:
University of California Press, 2015.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
📖 Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to
Writing in History (any of the 7th, 8th, or 9th
editions) [recommended for assignments]
📖 Garrard, Virginia, Peter V.N. Henderson, and
Bryan McCann. Latin America in the Modern
World. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
[recommended for consultation, avoid
Wikipedia!]
 Picone – 2

LEARNING OUTCOMES
In terms of historical knowledge, by the end of the semester you will be able to:
🏆 Contextualize revolutions, rebellions, and protests within Latin American history.
🏆 Situate Latin American history with its own standing and in connection with other regions, such as
the US.
🏆 Deconstruct homogenizing narratives and appraise the diversity of human experiences in Latin
American experiences.
🏆 Explain the emergence of Latin American instances of rebellion and resistance as they relate to
specific experiences of race, ethnicity, the nation, gender, labor, and ideology.

In terms of historical skills, by the end of the semester you will be able to:
🏆 Identify and analyze primary sources.
🏆 Describe and explain events at multiple geographical scales.
🏆 Analyze critically ideas and performances of rebellion, resistance, and protest as they relate to
different groups, objectives, places, and moments.
🏆 Design and carry out a research project.

In terms of behavioral skills, by the end of the semester you will be able to:
🏆 Communicate more effectively in written and oral forms, especially in digital platforms.
🏆 Provide primary or secondary evidence for your arguments, including citing appropriately.
🏆 Collaborate with others.
🏆 Design and create a website as a research paper.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 3

HOW TO LEARN IN THIS CLASS

Come prepared

• Our meetings provide unique learning opportunities. It's important that you are present to discuss, ask
questions, and present your work. You are allowed two absences without penalty. Communicate your
inattedances with me as promptly as possible.
• Phones must be off/silent and put away, including during Zoom meetings.
• Come prepared to discuss ideas, arguments, sources, and stakes. Reading assignments are obligatory.
• For in-person class, bring a device for doing collaborative work.

Engage

• You will not learn very well by passively listening to lectures or skimming through texts. This class asks you to
come ready to engage with me and your fellow students. You will pracice the skills we are learning through in-
class activities and actvities online. Further, you will play a vital role in your peers' education: you will help
them learn more and they will help you.
• Engagement in and out of class means contributing to activities and discussions in ways that raise the level of
discourse. This means that posting to a discussion board or talking is not the same participating. Engaging with
the material and others means that you read and listen intentionally and respond to this by reflecting and
building on others' ideas.

Take care

• Your academic success depends, above all, on your health. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can sometimes be
hard during the semester. With the shock that COVID-19 has brought to our lives, much of our semester
remains uncertain. What is certain is that our lives are not the same. This semester will be very different from
others as we are all un-learning and re-learning how to cope with distance, digital environments, stress, etc.
Thus, do not lose the focus on your well-being.
• Accommodations: I am happy to accommodate your needs so that you are successful in this course. If you
have a disability and will be requesting accommodations for this course, please register with either Dr. Kathy
Duggan (dugganka@bc.edu), Associate Director, Connors Family Learning Center (learning disabilities or AHD)
or Dean Rory Stein, (rory.stein@bc.edu), Assistant Dean for students with disabilities, (all other disabilities).
Advance notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations.

Ask

• Last but not least, asking questions is at the center of history as a discipline and of liberal arts education more
broadly. Raising questions is as important as trying to answer them.
• I hold Office Hours for you to come to my office and ask questions or voice concerns. If you have other classes
during my office hours, you are welcome to e-mail me to set up an appointment on a different day.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 4

CLASS CALENDAR
Notes on Calendar
📖 Prepare for class – Readings and activities to do before class.
🛠 Do – Activities to do either in class (like quizzes) or after class (like responses).
🎥 Watch – Films to watch always in preparation for class. This does not include recorded lectures.
Readings marked in gray italics refer to suggested readings from the Latin America in the Modern World (LAMW) textbook, for
reference.

Week 1: Welcome –Jan 28, 2021

🎧 We all meet on Zoom (link on Canvas).
📖 Prepare for class:
• Annotate the syllabus on Perusall: Ask one question and annotate two possible days on which to
present a source (you’ll present only once).
o Please note that if you are using Perusall in another class, it will take 24hs for different classes
to show on your profile so don’t leave this for the last minute.
• Complete the Beginning of the Semester Survey.
• Complete the Orientation Module, including the practice quiz.
🎥 Watch: Even the Rain (2010) Dir. Icaír Bollaín (Available on Netflix)
🛠 Do:
• Make sure you have a day for presenting a primary source. If you don’t contact me ASAP.
• Go to the Library’s Research Guide for History. Read through different sections, included (but not
limited) to the Basic Research and the Latin American History sections. Be prepared to share
something interesting, new, or cool (yes!) that you found. For more on Library Resources, check
Modules/Orientation/Library Resources on Canvas.
Week 2: An unthinkable history – Feb 2 and 4, 2021
📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History. Beacon Press,
1995, Chapter 3.
• Source: Toussaint L’Overture, “Letter to the French Directory” (1797)
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Serulnikov, Sergio. Revolution in the Andes: The Age of Túpac Amaru. Latin America in
Translation/En Traducción/Em Tradução. Durham: Duke University Press, 2013, Chapters 1 & 2,
pp. 1-15
• Source: “Tupac Amaru protests the mita to the audiencia of Lima” [No presenter]
🛠 Do: Map quiz (not optional) – Countries & capitals
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 5
• Tupac Amaru’s rebellion: LAMW, Chap 1, pp. 20-52.
• Haitian Revolution: LAMW, Chapter 1, pp. 6-19.
Week 3: Resisting Authority – Feb 9 and 11, 2021
📖 Prepare for class (in person) (you will read one or the other):
• Tuesdays: Zarley, Jesse. “Between the Lof and the Liberators: Mapuche Authority in Chile’s Guerra
a Muerte (1819–1825).” Ethnohistory 66, no. 1 (2019): 117–39.
• Thursdays: Reis, João José. “‘The Revolution of the Ganhadores’: Urban Labour, Ethnicity and the
African Strike of 1857 in Bahia, Brazil.” Journal of Latin American Studies 29, no. 2 (May 1997):
355–93.
• Source: Domingo José Gonçalves de Magalhães, “Uprising in Maranhão, 1839-1840 (1848).
• Source: Pascual Coña, “A Mapuche Chieftain remembers ‘Pacification’” (1930).
💻 Prepare for class (remote): On the day that you are remote, you will go to Burns Library to attend a source
analysis workshop. It will be helpful if you go through Rampolla’s sections on analysis sources.
🛠 Do: Reflection due the day after you go to Burns Library, 5pm.
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Brazil: Ch. 1 pp. 46-50 (independence), Ch. 2 pp. 74-79 (empire), Ch. 3 110-112 (moderation), Ch. 4 pp. 155-164
(abolition of slavery).
• Chilean independence: Ch 1, pp. 30-43
• Chilean centralism: Ch. 2, pp. 105-106
• Chilean moderation: Ch. 3, pp 109-110

Week 4: The Cost of Modernity – Feb 16 and 18, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Katz, Friedrich. “Violence and Terror in the Russian and Mexican Revolutions.” In A Century of
Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence during Latin America’s Long Cold War, edited
by Gilbert M. Joseph and Greg Grandin, 45–61. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
• Source: Ricardo Flores Magón, Land and Liberty (1977)
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Coleman, Kevin. “The Photos That We Don’t Get to See: Sovereignties, Archives, and the 1928
Massacre of Banana Workers in Colombia.” In Making the Empire Work: Labor and United States
Imperialism, edited by Daniel E. Bender and Jana K. Lipman, 104–33. Culture, Labor, History. New
York: NYU Press, 2015.
• Source: Elías Lafertte, “Nitrate Workers and State Violence: The Massacre at Escuela Santa María
de Iquique” (1957). Presenter:
• Source: Telegrams, American Legation in Bogotá and Consul in Santa Marta, “How Many People
Were massacred in 1928?” (1928-1929) Presenter:
• Source: Emiliano Zapata and Others, Plan of Ayala (1911) Presenter:
• Source: Martín Luis Guzmán, Zapatistas in the Palace (1965) Presenter:
🛠 Do: Quiz I/Response paper I.
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 6
• Global context for export-oriented economies, Ch. 5, pp. 193-195.
• Ideas behind modernization, Ch. 5, pp. 196-198.
• Banana cultivation in Latin America, Ch. 5, pp. 211-217.
• The US and Latin America at the turn of the twentieth century, Ch. 6.
• Indigenous people and liberal rule (including Mexico), Ch. 7, pp. 309-323.
• The Mexican Revolution, LAMW, Ch. 7, pp. 323-330.
• Urbanization and the Emergence of Labor Movements, Ch. 8, pp. 355-362.
• 1928 Massacre in the context of Andean Populism, Ch. 8, pp. 362-364.

Week 5: Towards the Emancipation of Women – Feb 23 and 24, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Lavrín, Asunción. Women, Feminism, and Social Change in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, 1890-
1940. Engendering Latin America. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1995, Chapter 10:
“Women’s Politics and Suffrage in Uruguay,” pp. 321-352.
• Source: Frida Kahlo, “Self-portrait along the Border Line between Mexico and the United States”
(1932).
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Farnsworth-Alvear, Ann. Dulcinea in the Factory: Myths, Morals, Men and Women in Colombia’s
Industrial Experiment, 1905-1960. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000, Chapter 6: “La Moral in
Practice, 1936-1953,” pp. 181-208.
• Source: María Cano, “It is a norm among us to believe that a woman cannot act on her own criteria,”
(1930) Presenter:
• Source: Alicia Moreau de Justo, “The Civil Emancipation of Women” (1919). Presenter:
• Source: Federation of Women Workers, “A Woman’s Work” (1930s-1942). Presenter:
• Source: Source: Adela Zamudio, “A Voice for Women” (1914). Presenter:
🛠 Do: Quiz II/Response paper II
⚠ Attention! Mid-term questions released on Friday, Feb 15 at noon.
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Poor women in Latin America, 1820s-1880s, Ch. 4, pp. 173-176.
• Elite women in the Age of Progress, 1870s-1900s, Ch. 5, pp. 232-235.
• Formative Years of Middle-Class Feminism, Ch. 6, pp. 273-279.
• Women in the Mexican Revolution, Ch. 7, pp. 328-329.
• Women in Chilean Copper Mines, Ch. 8, pp. 360-362.
• Women and the Quest for Equal Voting Rights, 1929-1960, Ch. 9, pp. 418-423.

Week 6: Mid-Term – Mar 2 and 4, 2021

☀ T Mar 2: No class – Mid-Term due at 10.30 am.
⛔ Th Mar 4: No class – Substitute Wednesday Class Schedule

Week 7: Reading Week – Mar 9 and 11, 2021

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 7

☀ T Mar: No class – Read: Velasco, Alejandro. Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of
Modern Venezuela. First edition. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2015. Introduction,
conclusion, and your assigned chapter.
☀ Th Mar: Collaborative Activity I (Barrio Rising)
Useful resources:
• LAMW, Venezuelan Democratic Revolution, Ch. 10, pp. 440-442
• LAMW, Venezuela 1970-1998, Ch. 13, pp. 622-624
• An interview to Dr. Velasco on Contemporary Venezuela. Velasco, Alejandro. Contemporary Venezuela. Vol. 105,
2020. https://soundcloud.com/historiaspod/historias-105-alejandro-velasco-on-contemporary-venezuela.

Week 8: Interwar Period – Mar 16 and 18, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• McGee Deutsch, Sandra. Las Derechas: The Extreme Right in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, 1890-
1939. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999, Chapter 10: “Argentina: For Fatherland, Labor, and
Social Justice,” pp. 193-247.
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Putnam, Lara. Radical Moves: Caribbean Migrants and the Politics of Race in the Jazz Age. Chapel
Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2013. Chapter 4: “The Transnational Black Press and
Questions of the Collective, 1920s–1930s,” pp. 123- 152.
• Source: Ezequiel Martínez Estada, “X-Ray o the Pampa” (1933) Presenter:
• Source: Nicolás Guillén, “My Last Name” (1930) Presenter:
• Source: Nicolás Guillén, “Cuban Elegy” (1931) Presenter:
• Source: Nicolás Guillén, “Far off…” (1931) Presenter:
🛠 Do: Quiz III/Response paper III
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Consequences of Urbanization, 1880-1920, Ch. 7, pp. 290-301.
• Argentina, Ch. 8, pp. 358-359, 369-373
• New ideas about nation and race, Ch. 9, pp. 388-394
• Popular Culture and the Spread of Modern Ideas, 1930-1960, Ch.9, pp. 423-429.

Week 9: Agrarian Movements – Mar 23 and 25, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Gould, Jeffrey L. “On the Road to ‘El Porvenir’: Revolutionary and Counterrevolutionary Violence in
El Salvador and Nicaragua.” In A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence
during Latin America’s Long Cold War, edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Greg Grandin, 88–120.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
• Source: “A landowners account of peasant uprising in El Salvador” (1932)
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Gotkowitz, Laura. A Revolution for Our Rights: Indigenous Struggles for Land and Justice in Bolivia,
1880-1952. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. Chapter 8: “‘Under the dominion of the Indian’:
the 1947 cycle of unrest,” pp. 233-282.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 8
• Source: Víctor Paz Entessoro, “The Catavi Massacre” (1942) Presenter:
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• The US in Latin America (early 20th century), Ch. 6.
• Depression-Era Dictators, Ch. 8, pp. 373-380
• Indigenismo, Ch. 9, pp. 404-414
• The Bolivian Revolution, Ch. 10, pp. 437-440

Week 10: Mid-Century Revolutions – Mar 30 and Apr 2, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Guerra, Liliana. “Beyond Paradox: Counterrevolution and the Origins of Political Culture in the
Cuban Revolution, 1959-2009.” In A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent
Violence during Latin America’s Long Cold War, edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Greg Grandin,
162–99. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
• Source: Silvio Rodríguez, Troubadours of the Revolution (1979)
• Source: Fidel Castro, “Castro Announces the Revolution” (1959)
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• McAllister, Carlota. “A Headlong Rush into the Future: Violence and Revolution in a Guatemalan
Indigenous Village.” In A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence during
Latin America’s Long Cold War, edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Greg Grandin, 276–308. Durham,
NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
• Source: Humberto Arenal, “Fish á la Grande Jardiniére” (1981) Presenter:
• Source: Medea Benjamin and others, “How the Poor Got More” (1986) Presenter:
🛠 Do: Quiz IV/Response paper IV
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Guatemala, Ch. 10, pp. 444-447
• The Cuban Revolution, Ch. 10, pp. 447-457

Week 11: Barrio Rising – Apr 6 and 8, 2021

🎧 We all meet on Zoom both days.
• T April 6, 9 am: Collaborative activity II
• Th April 8, 9am: Interview with Dr. Velasco
• Paper due on April 12, 8pm.
Week 12: Youth and Dictatorship – Apr 13 and 15, 2021
📖 Prepare for class:
• Carey, Elaine. Plaza of Sacrifices: Gender, Power, and Terror in 1968 Mexico. Albuquerque, NM:
University of New Mexico Press, 2005. Chapter 3: “Los Dueños del Mundo: The Mobilization of the
People,” pp. 81-115.
• Source: Elena Poniatowska, “The Student Movement of 1968” (1980).
💻 Prepare for class (remote):

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 9
• Rueda, Claudia. Students of Revolution: Youth, Protest, and Coalition Building in Somoza-Era
Nicaragua. University of Texas Press, 2019. Chapter 6: “Chapter 6. Radicalizing Youth, 1966–1972,”
pp. 149-175.
• Source: Various authors, “The kidnapping of the U.S. Ambassador” (1969). Presenter:
🛠 Do: Final Project Plan
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Mexico, 1950-1970, LAWM, Ch. 11, pp. 512-519.
• The Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua, LAMW, Ch. 12, pp. 541-548.
• For other parts of Latin America, see the rest of Chapters 11 and 12.
Week 13: Culture & Resistance – Apr 20 and 22, 2021
📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Dunn, Christopher. Brutality Garden: Tropicália and the Emergence of a Brazilian Counterculture.
Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 2001. Chapter 4: “In the Adverse Hour:
Tropicália Performed and Proscribed,” pp. 122-159.
• Source: Caetano Veloso, “Alegria, Alegria” (1967)
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Work with your partner on the final project.
🎥 Watch: A Night in 67 (Brazil, 2010) Dir. Ricardo Calil, Renato Terra.
🛠 Do: Quiz V/Response Paper V (includes readings from last week) and submit Final Project Outline.
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:

• The Brazilian Military Dictatorship, 1964-1974, Ch. 11, pp. 497-501

Week 14: New Guerrilla Movements – Apr 27 and 29, 2021

📖 Prepare for class (in person):
• Puente Valdivia, Javier. “Making Peru’s Sendero Luminoso: The Geography & Ecology of Civil War.”
Age of Revolutions (blog), 2017. https://ageofrevolutions.com/2017/03/29/making-perus-sendero-
luminoso-the-geography-ecology-of-civil-war/.
• ———. “Making Peru’s Sendero Luminoso: The Mega Niño of 1982-3.” Age of Revolutions (blog),
2017. https://ageofrevolutions.com/2017/03/27/making-perus-sendero-luminoso-the-mega-nino-
of-1982-3/.
• Source: TBD
💻 Prepare for class (remote):
• Hylton, Forrest. “The Cold War That Didn’t End: Paramilitary Modernization in Medellín, Colombia.”
In A Century of Revolution: Insurgent and Counterinsurgent Violence during Latin America’s Long
Cold War, edited by Gilbert M. Joseph and Greg Grandin, 338–67. Durham, NC: Duke University
Press, 2010.
• Source: María Tila Uribe and Francisco J. Trujillo, “Where is Omaira Montoya?” (1978) Presenter:
• Source: Claudia López and Óscar Sevillano, “Parapolitics” (2008) Presenter:
🛠 Do: Quiz VI/Response paper VI
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 10
• The Late Cold War in the Andes, 1960-2016, Ch. 12, pp. 566-575.
• Drug Smuggling: The Medellín and Cali Cartels, Ch. 13, pp. 610-614
• New Challenges and Protests in Mexico, Ch. 13., pp. 601-607

Week 15: Present-day Protests – May 4 and 6, 2021

📖 Prepare for class:
• Vergara, Ángela, and Joshua Frens-String. The Chilean National Plebiscite. Podcast. Vol. 112.
Historias Podcast (SECOLAS), 2020. https://soundcloud.com/historiaspod/historias-112-angela-
vergara-and-joshua-frens-string.
• Field, Thomas, and Carmen Soliz. Political Crisis in Bolivia. Podcast. Vol. 66. Historias Podcast
(SECOLAS), 2019. https://soundcloud.com/historiaspod/historias-66-thomas-field-and-carmen-
soliz-on-the-political-crisis-in-bolivia.
• Puente Valdivia, Javier. The Crisis in Peru. Podcast. Vol. 113, 2020.
https://soundcloud.com/historiaspod/historias-113-javier-puente-on-the-crisis-in-peru.
💻 Prepare for class (remote): Background reading on the developments in the country you are focusing on.
🛠 Do: Discussion on Canvas (due 10.30am the day you are remote)
📚 Additional reading from LAMW:
• Latin America today: Epilogue, pp. 677-694
⚠ Submit Final Project materials on May 17, 9 am (Canvas)

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 11

ASSESSMENT
WEIGHED ASSESSMENT UNGRADED REQUIREMENTS
(not exhaustive)
Ungraded requirements 5%
✅ Attendance
Participation & Discussion 15%
✅ Library workshop
Quizzes (3) 10%
✅ Map quiz
Response papers (3) 15%
✅ Survey (s)
Venezuela Assignment 15%
Mid-Term 20% ✅ Read the syllabus
Final Project 20% ✅ Come to office hours at least twice in the
semester, the first time before February 15th.

GRADE SPECIFICATIONS
The table below shows the minimum number of points that you need from each assignment to get your desired
grade. Assignments in the same box can complement each other. For example, if you got 88 in the midterm exam
and 92 in the final, those two assignments average 90 points each necessary for a grade A. You can find a more
detailed chart on Canvas (Orientation/Grade Specs).

GRADE A GRADE B GRADE C

Ungraded assignments 8 7 6
Weekly activities
• Quizzes (3) 28 24 18
• Response papers (3) 60 55 50
Participation & Discussion
• Source Presentation 40 34 30
• Commentaries to Source Presentations (5) 45 40 35
• Other in-class discussions/activities 34 30 25
Comprehensive Assessment
• Venezuela Assignment 75 65 56
• Mid-Term 90 80 75
• Final Project 90 85 75
Total (out of 500) 470 420 370

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 12

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

UNGRADED REQUIREMENTS
✅ Each week, you will do either a quiz or a
(not exhaustive)
response paper.
✅ Attendance (80%)
✅ You can choose which week you do which
✅ Library workshop
activity, but you must do three of each on
✅ Map quiz
different weeks.
✅ Survey (s)
✅ You can choose to do both activities on one
✅ Read the syllabus
week if you anticipate doing more and then
✅ Come to office hours at least twice in the semester, dropping the lowest grade.
the first time before February 15th.
✅ For more details, see Orientation
Module/Weekly Activities on Canvas.

PARTICIPATION & DISCUSSION

✅ Source Presentation.
☆ Once during the semester, you will create a five-minute video analyzing an assigned primary source.
☆ Source Presentation videos should be posted the day before class by noon, so everyone has time to
watch them before class.
☆ Your presentation should:
ü Describe the source: What is it? Who made it? Where? When? Why? How did it come to
us? What does it say/show? Who was the intended audience? What was the purpose? How
can you tell?
ü Outline the historical context: What were the circumstances in which the source was
created? What do we need to know to understand this source?
ü Provide an in-depth analysis: What can we learn from this source? What questions can we
answer with it? How is the source connected to the topics we discussed in class? How does
this source relate to the weekly reading? What questions remain unanswered?
ü Pose at least to discussion questions.*
☆ This is a graded assignment.
* Discussion questions are prompts that facilitate our conversation based on the readings, the news,
and other texts we have discussed. More on this in the Orientation Module on Canvas.
✅ Commentaries on Source Presentations.
☆ Five times during the semester you will provide commentaries and feedback to one source
presentation.
☆ Commentaries are engaging reactions to the analysis. They can respond to the questions posed by the
presenter or can react to an aspect of the analysis.
☆ Feedback should include two positive aspects about the video and one aspect the presenter could
improve.
☆ Commentaries and feedback are due 9pm on the day before in-person class.

✅ Discussions in person, on Zoom, and on Canvas boards.

☆ Discussions are at the center this syllabus. Thus, you will have plenty of opportunities to provide
insightful commentaries and questions on the topics at hand. You will feel more comfortable with one

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 13
and not with another, though you are required to participate in all forms of discussion. This will help you
communicate effectively in different platforms, which comes in handy in the middle of a pandemic.
☆ This class is the place to engage with one another and discuss ideas. In this class we take risks, we
engage with ideas, and we discuss them respectfully.

VENEZUELA PROJECT
✅ This assignment has a group and an individual components.
✅ We will read Dr. Alejandro Velasco’s book, Barrio Rising. You will focus on the introduction, the
conclusion, and an assigned chapter with your group. We will then interview Dr. Velasco as a group, and
you will submit an individual paper afterwards. If you participated in your group and in the interview, this
paper will be easy.
✅ Activities:
☆ Collaborative Activity I (20 points)
On Week 7, we will not have class. You will read the introduction, the conclusion, and your assigned
chapter. As you read, think of the arguments and how the author unpacks that argument. What
sources does he use? How does he use them? Get together with your and discuss the guiding
questions on this activity and submit that document through Canvas. Note that in preparation for
your group meeting you must come up with at least two questions for Dr. Velasco. As a group, you
will select three questions to ask the author, though we will probably have time for two.
☆ Interview (25 points)
Dr. Velasco will join us for a Zoom class on Thursday April 8, 9am. The way we will conduct the
interview is as follows: I will introduce Dr. Velasco and he will give a five-minute presentation on the
book. After that, the floor is yours. In the chat, you will write your name and you will follow the order
there. I will not call on you, the order is entirely up to you. However, everyone must ask at least one
question.
☆ Individual Paper (30 points)
You will submit a 750-word paper focusing on any aspect of Dr. Velasco’s book and interview. The
paper should:
✓ Integrate the book’s and chapter’s arguments with the rest of the class readings.
✓ Clearly synthesize some aspect of Dr. Velasco’s interview with class discussions and/or sources.
This might be done by focusing on one or two questions that he answered, outlining major
responses that he gave, or summarizing the responses to a single chapter’s set of questions.
✓ Have a clear structure. This includes an introduction and a conclusion.
The paper should not be:
✕ A summary of Dr. Velasco’s responses.
✕ A repetition of what you submitted in the Collaborative Activity I.
✕ A report on the interview.

MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT
✅ This is a take-home, open book exam. You can (and should) use your class notes, readings, and sources
from class, in addition to any library resource you deem relevant.
✅ The exam will have six questions; you must answer four of them.
✅ Answers should reference at least two primary sources and at least two secondary sources.
✅ Answers should be about 450-500 words each.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 14
✅ Answers should follow the Writing Standards. Proofread before submission!

FINAL PROJECT
✅ This is a collaborative assignment based on the readings, discussions, and sources that we examined in
class as well as your own research.
✅ Choose an instance of rebellion, resistance, or protest from Latin America. You can choose from any
example that we see in class or others from your own research. Examples are available on Canvas.
✅ In pairs, you will record a podcast episode interviewing a member of such protesting group. You can
imagine this interview taking place during or after the event.
✅ The conversation should show evidence of integration of class discussions and readings, independent
research, inclusion of primary and secondary sources, and planning.
✅ All preliminary activities that you will do during April count towards the final grade.
✅ Basic requirements for submission:
☆ Three files: Video recording (it can be a Zoom recording or in person), notes/script, personal essay.
☆ Submission through Canvas. (Canvas is picky about file size so you will need to either submit a file in
low quality or share it through Google Drive).
☆ Video length: 20-25 minutes; personal essay: 2-3 pages.
☆ The personal essay should reflect on your contribution to the project. How did you plan the project?
Who did what? What was challenging? What was enjoyable? Did you encounter any hurdles? How did
you solve them? Basically, tell me the behind-the-scenes.
✅ Guiding questions can be found on the Canvas Assignment.
✅ Due Monday, May 17 2021, 9am.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 15

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

COVID-19 AND LEARNING

❓Are we meeting this semester?

Yes, this is a blended course. Because of the size of our enrolment and the availability of our
classroom, half of you will come to in-person class once a week and do synchronous,
remote work the other day. Everyone will work on the same materials in each
modality. Hence, the syllabus is not divided by Tuesday and Thursday meetings, but
rather by “in person” or “remote” learning.
❓Can I decide when to come to class?
No. We are dividing the class to adhere to social distancing and protect each other. If
everyone starts deciding when to come to in person meetings, we will risk not having
enough seats for everyone. You must only come to class the assigned day. Conversely,
attendance will be counted only on those days.
❓What happens if I have COVID-19 symptoms and cannot come to class?
If for any reason you feel unwell or are quarantining, do not come to in-person meetings.
If you miss one or several classes, do let me know as soon as you can so I can ask
someone to share their notes with you and so that I add a reminder to follow up. The
more you communicate with me, the more I can help you (this does not mean you
should share any medical information with me).
❓Why is attendance important in the context of COVID-19?
Roll call attendance helps me better help you if you absent for several days. When we meet
in person, it helps with contact tracing.
❓What happens if we need to go online like in the Spring?
The syllabus is designed so that we can transition smoothly to online learning if we need to.
❓What are expectations during Zoom meetings?
When you join Zoom meetings, greet your classmates in the chat. You are expected to
engage like when we meet in person. This includes leaving phones out of sight (it is
very obvious when you are looking at your phones). Upon entry, your microphone will
be muted, but you can unmute yourself. Be mindful of how you present yourself to the
class.

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY
❓How can I contact Professor Picone?
The best way to contact me is via e-mail (angeles.picone@bc.edu). Unless it’s a clear
emergency that only I can resolve, I do not respond to e-mails after 5pm or during
weekends. When communicating by e-mail, err on maintaining formality. Open your
e-mail with a salutation (such as Dear Dr. Picone or Dear Professor Picone), kindly ask
your question/make your suggestion, and close. If your e-mail includes several
paragraphs, consider the possibility of discussing the issue in person. If you are writing
to schedule an appointment, kindly propose three meeting times.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 16

❓What are office hours and how can I attend?

Office hours are slots of time professors reserve to meet with students. My office hours are
Wednesdays, 2-5pm. This means that at that time I will not have meetings or other
commitments but meeting with students. For now, office hours are going to be held
virtually over Google Meet, which allows me to be online and for you to drop by. You
don’t need to, but I would strongly suggest making an appointment through the
Appointment Calendar.
❓What happens if for some reason, I cannot meet a deadline?
This is what I call the Sh*t Happens Clause 💩. While we all hope
our semester unfolds smoothly, life happens. Sometimes, it
brings good things and sometimes it may bring things that
require our full attention. For these extenuating
circumstances*, you have one Get Out of Jail Free Card to
push a due date three days, no questions asked/no
explanation needed. Invoke the clause via e-mail. (It cannot be invoked for the Mid-
Term or the Final).
*For any COVID-19-related circumstances contact me.

READING, WRITING, AND ENGAGING

❓How much reading will I have to do?
This is a core topics history course, which means you will read approximately 60 pages per
week. Remember to always keep in mind that when we read texts that are specific
about a region or event, we want to use that as an opportunity to learn about larger
trends. What are you learning from this text? How does the text fit with what we are
discussing? How is it different?
❓How can I prepare for class effectively?
History courses tend to be reading-heavy. This sometimes requires you go through a lot of
information in very little time. In order to be prepared for class, I’d recommend:
💡 Read for understanding, don’t try to remember everything.
💡 Take notes of key points and examples that illustrate these points.
💡 Build your own timeline/mind map.
💡 Jot down some questions. Bring these questions to class.
💡 Try to paraphrase the main points.
💡 Make connections with other topics discussed in class.
💡 Think about how the readings intersect with the main themes of this class.
❓What does participation look like?
Participation might look different to different people. We are all motivated by different
things and we engage with readings and assignments in a variety of ways. Participation
in this class means to engage with the literature, the discussions, and the class. Here are
some examples on how you can do this:
🗣 Ask a question or make a comment to a fellow student showing you listened
attentively.
🗣 Make a comment that brings two other views together.

Last revised January 21, 2021

 Picone – 17

🗣 Use body language to show you are listening to what others have to say.
🗣 Ask a question that summarizes differing views and moves the conversation
forward.
🗣 Post a comment to your peers’ work on Canvas.
🗣 Ask a question or make a comment that brings into the conversation previous
readings.
🗣 Bring to class a resource (news article, website, twitter thread, book, movie clip,
etc.) that is not on the syllabus but that contributes to our learning.
🗣 Make a comment on why you found somebody else’s ideas compelling.
🗣 Contribute something that builds on, or springs from, what someone else has
said. Be clear about the way you are building on the other person's thoughts – this
can be done online.
🗣 Ask a cause and effect question - for example, "can you explain why you think
it's true that if these things are in place such and such a thing will occur?"
🗣 Find a way to express appreciation for the enlightenment you have gained from
the discussion. Try to be specific about what it was that helped you understand
something better. Again, this can be done online if this suits you better.
🗣 Compare other people’s point of view.
🗣 Explain how somebody else’s ideas move you to think further about a topic.
Source of this idea and some bullet points: Stephen D. Brookfield

❓What learning support is available to BC students?

BC Libraries: This should be your go-to place for studying and research. To schedule an
appointment with the History Library Liaison, click here.
The Connors Family Learning Center: especially for tutoring advice regarding writing, time
management, and reading skills.
The Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center: for dedicated support to AHANA students.
Counselling Services: For professional mental health services.
Learning to Learn: Dedicated support for first generation students.

❓What is Academic Integrity and why is it important?

Academic integrity means that in your learning, you take responsibility for what you say, and
you give credit to others for what they said. Central to scholarship, academic integrity
means you recognize the intellectual property of others. In the history classroom, it
usually means that you can claim your work is yours and nobody else’s. Boston College
has a strong policy in place, which you can find here. Familiarize yourself with it as I take
for granted that you have read it and you understand it.

Last revised January 21, 2021