Time again for my end-of-the-semester book recommendations! I try to make a short list of “fun” books to read at the end of every semester, which I send out to my current students. I post it here for former students & anyone else interested. I also welcome additional suggestions.
Here are the long & short essay questions for my POL 321 (Politics of Latin American) final exam. Students got all exam questions last Monday to prepare. I will select the long essay & two short essays they will have to answer this Wednesday. The final is based on what we read since the second exam.
The long exam questions are based on the Castañeda/Morales book, Leftovers: Tales of the Latin American Left. The short essay questions are based on three of the several articles they read.
Long Essay
I will select one of the following questions for you to answer. Aim for about 4-5 substantial paragraphs.
1. Originally (in his book before Leftovers), Castañeda suggested that there were two lefts in Latin America: a “responsible” (or “social-democratic”) and a “populist” left. Describe their differences, citing one example of each in your discussion. Be sure you spend equal time explaining what unites both figures (why they're both “leftists”) as well as what divides them (why one is “social democrat” and the other a “populist”).
2. Some of the authors in Leftovers disagree with Castañeda, arguing that it is too simplistic to divide Latin America into a “good” and a “bad” left. Elaborate on this critique (one Castañeda himself now shares) by citing two chapters in the book. In your answer, be sure you do two things: 1) explain how a particular case doesn't fit Castañeda's original dichotomy and 2) outline the alternate dimensions or concepts that should be included in a typology of the left in Latin America.
Short Essay
I will select two of the following questions for you to answer. Aim for about 2-3 paragraphs per essay.
1. Roberts (“Latin America's Populist Revival”) attempts to define “populism” in ways that both complement and challenge Castañeda's discussion. How does Roberts define populism? And why does he criticize Castañeda?
2. Based on what you know after reading Latell (“Confronting Fidel's Legacy”), where does Cuba fit in Castañeda's model? [This is an “opinion” short essay. I am looking for a well-supported argument, not a “correct” answer.]
3. Barr (“Bolivia: Another Uncompleted Revolution”) discusses several factors that contributed to the election of Evo Morales. In what ways was Morales's rise “typical” to other cases we've studied this semester? What is the “uncompleted revolution” Barr writes about?
In addition to these essay questions, they'll have five vocabulary terms, as well as be able to correctly match 10 heads of state (I give them the names) w/ their corresponding country.
Official results aren't out yet. But here's what we know so far about yesterday's election in Bolivia: Evo Morales won (as expected), and by about the margin predicted in polls (I explain below). MAS also won majorities in both legislative chambers, but only managed a 2/3 supermajority (so far) in the upper chamber. The autonomy referendums were a smashing success, winning massively almost entirely across the board (reversing the 2005). But for all the celebration, there are some cautionary signs for MAS. Similarly, the opposition did poorly, but not nearly as poorly as many thought or predicted. I'll try to break it down below.
Today’s La Razón has a nice breakdown of options this election. In some ways, this will be the most complicated Bolivian election to date Yet—for most voters—it will be little different from their 2005 vote.
It’s been more than a month since my last update. Wow. Partly, a lot of my short, running commentary has now moved almost entirely to Twitter. But I’ve also just been keeping my head down working on a number of projects. I’ll try to remember to set some time aside for more posts, both personal & otherwise.