Latin America is an exciting, diverse, and dynamic region that has considerable variation in economic success, political stability, culture, sustainability, and development.  The purpose of this course is to learn the historical, cultural, political, and economic foundations of the region.  We will use a variety of methods and sources to give you a flavor of Latin America.  We will also follow contemporary events in the region through readings from current news sources.  Our special focus will be on narcotics and how those shape politics, economics, society, and international relations. We will also follow important 2026 Latin American elections.

This is an advanced undergraduate course suitable for serious undergraduate students of any year and graduate students.  It is reading intensive and you are expected to carefully read the assignments before class and not merely skim them.  If you do not like to read, this is possibly not the class for you.