Voices in Latin American History

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course aims to provide insight into various theories and methodologies applied to research on Latin-American societies. The course will discuss what constitutes history and cultural knowledge in a Latin-American perspective, and how these have been interpreted in light of different theoretical perspectives at various stages of history. Additionally, students will be introduced to various methodologies used in research on Latin-American societies and different types of source material, and will be shown how these can be used in order to solve various problems in research which aims to analyse Latin-American culture and history.

There will also be an introduction on how to write a project description, on possible relevant topics for the Master¿s thesis, and about possible supervisors. Approximately two hours will be set aside for this.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the course, students will have become familiar with how perspectives on Latin-American history and Latin-American societies have changed over time. Students will also have gained insight into different methodologies and different types of source material used in research on Latin-American history and culture, as well as insight into how such research can be structured.

Additionally, students will have gained insight into different perspectives on and practices of history in the Latin-American context. Students will be able to reflect over theoretical approaches, and assess the relationship between research questions and the choice of methodology in a research project on Latin-American history and culture.

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Autumn

Place of Instruction

Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
No formal requirements, but all lecturing will be conducted in Spanish and requires a solid command of the language.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
None
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
SPLA313L (5 credits)
Access to the Course
The course is open to students enrolled in the Master¿s programme in Spanish language and Latin-American studies at the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures and/or seminars; two hours per week for twelve weeks.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
None
Forms of Assessment
Assessment in the course consists of a five-day take-home examination where students are to write a paper of ca. 3,500 words.
Grading Scale
The grading scale A-F is used, where F is a failing grade.
Assessment Semester

Autumn.

The exam will also be held in the beginning of the spring semester.

Reading List

Ca. 550 pages taken from textbooks and articles about historical theory and methodology used in historical investigation.

As a rule, students are to adhere to the course reading list given the semester the course is taken. However, alternative reading lists may be approved following an application to the course instructor(s) which argues for the alternative reading list. In semesters where no teaching is given, the reading list from the previous semester is to be used.

Course Evaluation
The course will be evaluated in accordance with the quality assurance system of the University of Bergen.