In this seminar students will be exposed to the interplay of international forces that inhibit developing nation progress and which, in some cases, actually add to their mal-development. During the course of the seminar, students will undertake an original piece of research on an international development topic of special interest to them. They will also be invited to meet with prominent professionals in the international development community. This course sees Columbus' 1492 voyage as the pivotal event that marked the beginning of the modern era in world history. It focuses on European expansion in the 16 th and 17 th centuries, and includes precedents in Old World connections and rivalries, as well as the incorporation of America into an expanded world system.
Emphasis is on Latin America.
The pre-1492 evolution of indigenous societies, especially Aztecs and Incas, will be examined before turning to Spain, Portugal, and their New World conquests. Africa and the forced migration of the slave trade are also dealt with, as are the contributions of Africans to the racial mixtures and syncretic cultures of Ibero-America. Society This course will provide an overview of politics and society in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The second part of the course will focus on the experiences of several countries, including Brazil, India, Iran, and Nigeria. This survey course will deal with the roots and evolution of the international political economy from the end of World War II and the launching of the Bretton Woods system to the Asia crisis of 1997 and its spread to Russia and parts of Latin America.