Courses
Spring 2008 Latin American & Caribbean Studies Courses
LATAMER 198 (POLSCI 199BS.01/PUBPOL 196S.01)
M W 10:05-11:20 (028 Franklin Center)
Development and Justice Systems in Latin America
Effective institutions of justice are a key foundation for social and political development. These institutions include judicial structures such as the Supreme Court, criminal and civil procedures, and access to legal assistance, as well as encompassing issues such as indigenous rights, women's rights, and cases of international extradition. One of the most important dynamics in Latin America , concerning strengthening of democratic regimes, is the modernization of the justice system, understood in this broad context. This course will take an historical and comparative approach to understanding important conditions and processes for justice system reforms in Latin America , focusing on important judicial changes over the last few decades.
In order to understand the challenges of modernizing the justice system in Latin America, various development processes will be studied in the region, from the period of conquest, to the enlightenment, liberalism, the welfare state, and globalization and international cooperation. How do different historical contexts , phases of development and several country's experiences affect the prospects for modernization of the justice system? What is the role of civil society , governments, and international actors in these reforms? Why have some countries in Latin America been able to undertake significant justice system reforms while others lag behind?
This seminar counts as the capstone course for the undergraduate certificate in Latin America & Caribbean studies and will be taught by Mellon Visiting Professor, Dr. Patricio Valdivieso. Professor Valdivieso is a political scientist at the Universidad Católica, in Santiago , Chile .
LATAMER 200S.01 (POLSCI 200BS.01/PUBPOL 264S.08)
T TH 2:50-4:05pm (149 Rubenstein Hall)
Social Capital in South America
Theorists from Tocqueville to Bordieu to Robert Putnam have highlighted the significance of civil society, public trust, and citizen associations as necessary conditions for national integration and sustainable democratic institutions. Despite the apparent agreement about the importance of social capital for democracy, there are competing notions of how to measure social capital and how to understand its impact on governance.
This course will address these competing concepts of social capital and analyze how social capital is developed, understood and operationalized. Particular attention will be devoted to how specific forms of social capital have influenced judicial system reforms in South America . Corporations, NGOs, research institutes, and other organizations have played an important role in the success of judicial reforms in Chile , Colombia , Argentina , and Peru in recent years. Students will have the opportunity to work with Professor Valdivieso's own database of political attitudes, associations, and levels of citizen participation from surveys taken in Santiago , Montevideo , and Porto Alegre , in order to index tendencies, correlations and causal relationships. This will include training in SPSS, database analysis, and regression analysis.
This course will also focus on the relationship between social capital, citizen participation and the legislative agenda, using Chile 's attempts to modernize and professionalize the Congress as a case study. Students will be exposed to various debates about how to improve productivity and popular representation in the Chilean legislative agenda in the context of a strong presidential regime.
This course will be taught by Mellon Visiting Professor, Dr. Patricio Valdivieso, from the Universidad Católica, in Santiago , Chile .