HST 106 Contemporary History of America (3) [Historia contemporánea de América] General overview of Latin American history from independence to the present. Study of the relevant aspects of nationhood: formation of the state and its political evolution, social classes, economic issues, population pressures, foreign debt, and the status of indigenous peoples.
This class was one of the most difficult classes I took while I was studying abroad in Spain. We covered subjects like many of the dictatorships that took place in Latin America, the Mexican revolution, issues with the economy in many countries, and pressures from other countries. All of the topics that we covered in this class were things that I had never talked about previously in my history class. Before this, I had really mostly learned about US history, European history and some Asian history. This was an opportunity for me to learn more about the histories of many oppressed and underrepresented populations in Central and South America. We even discussed the Mexican Revolution which I didn’t know anything about! This was kind of sad because my family is from México and I felt like these were things that I should have known before this class. Even then, I am really glad that I took this class. It helped me learn more about history and have a better understanding about why things are the way they are in those countries. Now, when I watch the news, I have a better understanding of what is going on and where some of those problems originate from. This class made me more interested in keeping updated with world news and in particular, things that are occuring in Latin America.
One of the biggest challenges for me in this class and in any history class that I have ever taken, is understanding the politics of the history. I had to ask a lot of questions to clarify those situations to better understand why things were happening and why people were reacting certain ways. Although it was challenging, my professor did a great job and helping explain things and giving us more resources that I could use to help with my comprehension.
Below, I have attached an essay about Che Guevara which I wrote and presented to my class. We were all assigned to pick a famous person in Latin American history. I heard of him many times but I didn’t really know what significance he played in history and how he became as world known as he is.
This class was one of the most difficult classes I took while I was studying abroad in Spain. We covered subjects like many of the dictatorships that took place in Latin America, the Mexican revolution, issues with the economy in many countries, and pressures from other countries. All of the topics that we covered in this class were things that I had never talked about previously in my history class. Before this, I had really mostly learned about US history, European history and some Asian history. This was an opportunity for me to learn more about the histories of many oppressed and underrepresented populations in Central and South America. We even discussed the Mexican Revolution which I didn’t know anything about! This was kind of sad because my family is from México and I felt like these were things that I should have known before this class. Even then, I am really glad that I took this class. It helped me learn more about history and have a better understanding about why things are the way they are in those countries. Now, when I watch the news, I have a better understanding of what is going on and where some of those problems originate from. This class made me more interested in keeping updated with world news and in particular, things that are occuring in Latin America.
One of the biggest challenges for me in this class and in any history class that I have ever taken, is understanding the politics of the history. I had to ask a lot of questions to clarify those situations to better understand why things were happening and why people were reacting certain ways. Although it was challenging, my professor did a great job and helping explain things and giving us more resources that I could use to help with my comprehension.
Below, I have attached an essay about Che Guevara which I wrote and presented to my class. We were all assigned to pick a famous person in Latin American history. I heard of him many times but I didn’t really know what significance he played in history and how he became as world known as he is.