Got back from the APSA Teaching & Learning Conference in Philadelphia last night. In addition to my conference duties, I also got to spend some time catching up w/ my little brother (Andy/Andrés), a lovely dinner w/ Jake & Megan, as well as meeting (in person) my Twitter friend Ari (who teaches political theory at UN-Lincoln). But let me focus here on the teaching conference.
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.
The rush to get ready for next semester is on. I thought I was ready (my syllabi were mostly finished). But then there was unfiled HR paperwork, finding me office space, getting a university web account, etc.—not to mention the hassles of moving & settling in to a new place. Plus, of course, a backlog of manuscript reviews & other tasks.
My research note published in Journal of Politics in Latin America is now available (as free PDF) online, if you’re interested in taking a peek. The piece (“Electoral Reform, Regional Cleavages, and Party System Stability in Bolivia”) provides (preliminary) statistical evidence that the adoption of a mixed-member electoral system in Bolivia may have contributed to and/or exacerbated party system instability & regional polarization.
Two days ago @arpiel posted a link to an interesting (and provocative) piece of independent journalism about USAID’s links to Bolivia’s anti-Evo opposition.
This fall I used Franklin Foer’s How Soccer Explains the World again in my introduction to comparative politics course. Again, I was relatively happy w/ how that went, as we tried to tie Foer’s observations back to the material we covered earlier in the semester. I was particularly happy w/ the final exam questions (all essay, all open-ended). Here they are, for your amusement: