Course Syllabus

History OF Modern Mexico

History 3391, section 001, Spring 2015

ATC 2.302, T/TH 11:30-12:45

Professor Contact Information

Dr. Monica Rankin

JO 4.916

(972) 883-2005

Mobile: (972) 822-5375

mrankin@utdallas.edu

www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin

Office Hours: T/TH 1:00-2:00 or by appointment

Course Description

This course is designed to give students an overview of the political, economic, social, and cultural history of Mexico from the era of Independence (roughly 1810) to present. The course consists of lectures, which will outline basic theoretical models for analyzing historical trends and then present a basic chronological historical narrative, combined with discussion of targeted secondary and primary works.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

· Students will gain an overall understanding of the narrative history of Mexico from its independence (roughly 1821) to present.

· Students will demonstrate their ability to interpret and analyze historical essays as well as primary source material in the context of nineteenth-century Liberalism, the 1910 Revolution, and the cultural shifts of the late twentieth-century through written assignments and classroom discussions.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Colin M. MacLachlan and William H. Beezley, El Gran Pueblo: A History of Greater Mexico, 3^rd Edition, Prentice Hall (2004) ISBN: 0-13-184114-9

Jeffrey M. Pilcher, ed. The Human Tradition in Mexico, SR Books (2003) ISBN: 0-8420-2976-1

Nora Jaffary, Mexican History: A Primary Source Reader, Westview Press (2010) ISBN: 0-8133-4334-1

Readings on Electronic Reserve at McDermott Library

1. Javier Jodriguez Piña, “Conservatives Contest the Meaning of Independence (1846-1855)” in William Beezley and David Lorey (eds.) Viva Mexico! Viva la independencia! Celebrations of September 16. SR Books (2001) pp. 101-130.

2. James Creelman, “President Diaz, Hero of the Americas,” in Gilbert M. Joseph and Timothy J. Henderson (eds.) The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke (2002) pp. 285-291.

3. Gilbert M. Joseph and Allen Wells, “The Rough-and-Tumble Career of Pedro Crespo,” in William Beezley and Judith Ewell (eds.) The Human Tradition in Modern Latin America. SR Books (2001) pp. 131-146.

4. Nancy Brandt, “Pancho Villa: The Making of a Modern Legend,” in The Americas, Vol. 21, No. 2 (October 1964) pp. 146-162.

5. “The Proletariat in the Saddle,” in William B. Davis, Experiences and Observations of an American Consular Officer During the Mexican Revolutions. Kessinger Publishing (2005). pp. 152-156.

6. Monica Rankin, “La ropa cósmica: Identity and Fashion in 1940s Mexico,” in Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. Vol. 28 (2010) 95-111.

7. Mexico in World War II primary documents

**Note: There is a website for this course (see my faculty website address listed on page 1 of the syllabus and click the link for this course). The site contains pertinent information such as the syllabus, lecture questions, recent news stories on Mexico, and possible discussion/quiz questions. I will also post copies of all handouts such as exams and study guides. Any important announcements will be posted on the course homepage. Finally, you will find some specific discussion questions on the website to guide you through the non-textbook readings every week. You may use any/all of the discussion questions as a guide for note taking and preparation for weekly quizzes if you choose.

Assignments and Grading

Class Participation: All students are expected to participate in class discussions by incorporating information from assigned readings and class lectures. Students’ participation should be constructive and contribute to the overall discussion. Please consider quality as well as quantity in class discussions. Formal class discussions will generally take place once a week and are designated on the course schedule. Discussions will focus on the readings assigned for that day and should be analytical in nature. Reading assignments out of the Pilcher and Jaffary books, and any additional readings on course reserves will correspond thematically to the previous day’s lecture. Students should take detailed notes on weekly reading assignments. These notes may be used on weekly quizzes and they should be consulted during formal class discussions.

Weekly Quizzes: At the beginning of days designated for formal class discussions, we will start with a brief open note quiz. All students are strongly encouraged to take thorough notes on the assigned readings as these notes may be consulted during the weekly quizzes. You may use the questions listed on the discussion link to our course website as a general note-taking guide. Oftentimes quiz questions will be modified versions of the questions listed on that site. NOTE: The quiz will begin promptly at the start of class time and will last for no more than 10 minutes. Students arriving late to class will not be allotted additional time to complete the weekly quiz. No make-ups will be allowed on weekly quizzes, but I will drop your two lowest quiz scores at the end of the semester.

Exams: The exams in this class will be take-home exams. They will be made up of various ID terms that must be defined and tied to specific examples from the assigned readings. I will provide students with exam questions and thorough instructions in advance. Those instructions MUST be followed or a failing grade on the exam may result. Exams will be due on the days listed in the course schedule. They must be typed and uploaded to TURNITIN.com.

NOTE: You must use only the readings that have been assigned as part of your weekly quiz assignments to answer the exam questions. You may not use outside sources of any kind on the take-home exams and ABSOLUTELY NO direct quotes are allowed from any sources. Any use of outside sources and any direct quotations will be consider plagiarism and will result in a failing grade on the exam. Any and all cases of academic dishonesty will be reported immediately to the Judicial Affairs Office.

Map Quiz: There is a map quiz scheduled for early in the semester. Study guides will be posted on the course website. You will need to be able to locate all Mexican states and their capitals, plus major bodies of water.

Writing Format: All exams should include your name, the name of the course, the name of the assignment, and the date. Exams must follow the format for formal academic writing. In addition to content, exams will also be graded for suitable grammar, appropriate style, and proper mechanics.

Grading Policy

The grading in this course is based on two exams, a map quiz, reading response journals, and class participation. The breakdown of the grading is as follows:

Exam 1 100 points

Final Exam 100 points

Map Quiz 50 points

Weekly Quizzes 100 points

Class Participation 100 points

Total 450 point

Course & Instructor Policies

Attendance will be taken every week by passing around a sign-in sheet. Your attendance record will be considered when figuring class participation. Please keep in mind that it is not possible to “make-up” class participation. If you are not physically (and mentally) present in the classroom, it will affect your participation grade. Furthermore, past experience has proven that students who attend class regularly tend to earn higher grades. I frequently include information in my lectures that is not necessarily covered in your reading. It behooves you to be present to listen to lectures and participate in class. Finally, please refrain from disruptive behavior such as arriving late, departing early, talking, sleeping, reading the newspaper, texting, checking facebook etc. (I reserve the right to add to this list as needed). Laptop computers, iPads, and other electronics will be allowed in class for note taking purposes, but if abuse occurs they may be banned in the future.

No late assignments will be accepted and there is no make-up policy for in-class work. I will drop the two lowest weekly quiz scores from the final grade for each student in lieu of allowing late work or make-ups. I will NOT accept final versions of any assignments as e-mail attachments unless previous arrangements have been made.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Please review the following UT-Dallas policy on academic integrity. Any suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be immediately reported to the Judicial Affairs Office.

“The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.”

All formal exams must be uploaded to TURNITIN.com by midnight on the due date.

All assignments for this class are mandatory. Materials used in this course have been carefully selected for their scholarly value, but some audiences may take offense at topics of a sensitive nature. There will be NO substitutions of readings, films, documents, presentations, and/or other course requirements to suit personal preferences and/or sensitivities. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule.

	Assignments & Academic Calendar
	Week 1
January 13	Introduction to the Course
January 15	Lecture 1: A Snapshot of Colonial Mexico Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Introduction and Chapter 1 (pp. 1-4)
	Week 2
January 20	No Class
January 22	Discussion and Quiz #1 Reading: Human Tradition, Introduction and Chapter 1 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 25, 30, &31
	Week 3
January 27	Lecture 2: Independence in Mexico: 4 Stages Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Introduction and Chapter 1 (pp. 4-end)
January 29	Discussion and Quiz #2 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 2 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 32, 33, & 34
	Week 4
February 3	Lecture 3: Santa Anna: Foreign Wars and Domestic Turmoil Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 2
February 5	Discussion and Quiz #3 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 3 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 36 & 39
	Week 5
February 10	Lecture 4: La Reforma and Los Franceses Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 3
February 12	Map Quiz (see website for study guide) Discussion and Quiz #4 Reading: Reserve Reading #1 Viva Mexico, Chapter 5 Human Tradition, Chapter 4 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 42, & 43
	Week 6
February 17	Lecture 5: Porfirian Paradigm Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapters 4 & 5
February 19	Discussion and Quiz #5 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 6 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 45, 46, 50, 51
	Week 7
February 24	Lecture 6: Nascent Revolution Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 6
February 26	Lecture 7: The Mexican Revolution Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 7
	Week 8
March 3	Discussion and Quiz #6 Journal 6 Readings Primary Documents from Mexican History: 49 & 52 Reserve Reading #2, “The Creelman Interview” Reserve Reading #3, Joseph, “Pedro Crespo”
March 5	Exam 1 Due – upload to turnitin.com by midnight
	Week 9
March 10	FILM: And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
March 12	Discussion and Quiz #7 Readings: Reserve Reading #4, Brandt, “Pancho Villa” Primary Documents from Mexican History: 54, 55, 56 Reserve Reading #5, Davis, “Proletariat in the Saddle” FILM: And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself
March 16-20	SPRING BREAK WEEK No Class
	Week 10
March 24	Lecture 8: Chaos and Constitution Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 8
March 26	Lecture 9: The Sonoran Triangle and the Maximato Textbook Reading Gran Pueblo, Chapter 9
	Week 11
March 31	Discussion and Quiz #8 Readings: Human Tradition, Chapter 10 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 57, 58, 59
April 2	Lecture 10: Revolution and World War II Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 10
	Week 12
April 7	Discussion and Quiz #9 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 12 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 61 & 63 Reserve Reading #6, WWII documents
April 9	Lecture 11: The Mexican Miracle Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 11 (377-400)
	Week 13
April 14	Discussion and Quiz #10 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 13 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 64 & 65
April 16	Lecture 12: Crisis and Collapse: 1968 Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Chapter 11 (401-end), Chapter 12 (416-420)
	Week 14
April 21	Discussion and Quiz #11 Journal 12 Reading Human Tradition, Chapter 14 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 68, 69, & 70
April 23	Lecture13: The Lost Decade Textbook Reading: Chapter 12 (432-end)
	Week 15
April 28	Discussion and Quiz #12 Reading: Human Tradition, Chapter 15 Primary Documents from Mexican History: 71, 72, 73, & 75
April 30	Lecture 13: A 3-D View of Mexico since 1990 Textbook Reading: Gran Pueblo, Converging Cultures
	Finals Week
May 5	Final Exam Due by Midnight