Schedule and Readings

August26W Introduction  
 28F Geography and Latin America Chapter 1
 31M Landforms and Water Features Chapter 2
September2W Landforms and Water Features  
 4F Article Discussion  
 7M Weather and Climate Chapter 3
 9W Weather and Climate  
 11F Article Discussion  
 14M Biogeography Chapter 4
 16W Pre-Columbian Civilizations Chapter 7
 18F Article Discussion  
 21M Pre-Columbian Civilizations  
 23W Colonialism and Conquest Chapter 5
 25F Colonialism and Conquest  
 28M Exam 1  
 30W The Columbian Exchange  
October2F Country Profiles  
 5M The Columbian Exchange  
 7W Changing Demography  
 9F No Class-Fall Break  
 12M Today's Cultural Geography Chapter 8
 14W Today's Cultural Geography  
 16F Country Profiles Data Project Deadline
 19M Religion in Latin America Chapter 9
 21W Religion in Latin America  
 23F Country Profiles  
 26M Political Geography Chapter 6
 28W Political Geography  
 30F No Class  
November2M Agriculture Chapter 10
 4W Agriculture  
 6F No Class  
 9M Exam 2  
 11W Resources, Mining, and Manufacturing Chapter 11
 13F Article Discussion  
 16M Migration and Urbanization Chapter 12
 18W Migration and Urbanization  
 20F Article Discussion Profile Deadline
    Thanksgiving Break  
 30M Development Chapter 13
December2W Development  
 4F Article Discussion  
 7M Human Impacts on the Environment  
 9W A Regional Overview of Latin America  
 11F Conclusion and Course Evaluation  
 18F Final Exam (10:30-12:30)  

The chapter readings listed above are found in your textbook: David L. Clawson, Latin America and the Caribbean: Lands and Peoples (Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1996).


Reading Discussions

Building on the lecture material, the class will discuss a variety of articles on important Latin American topics. Many of these articles appear in Global Studies: Latin America. Others (listed below) will be distributed in class in advance of their discussion.

September 4 Global Studies Article 1; Global Studies pp. 3-7
September11 Global Studies Article 2; Denevan article
September18 Global Studies Articles 6, 7, & 8
November 13 Global Studies Articles 13 & 16
November 20 Global Studies Article 15; Gilbert article
December 4 Global Studies Articles 9 & 18; Collins & Scott article


Collins, C. and Scott, S. "Air Pollution in the Valley of Mexico." Geographical Review 83 (1993): 119-133.

Denevan, William M. "The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the Americas in 1492." Annals of the Association of American Geographers 82 (1992): 369-385.

Gilbert, Alan. "Debt, Poverty and the Latin American City." Geography 80 (1995): 323-333.


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Regional Geography of Latin America