History of Modern Mexico (HIS391H)                     Fall 2006
Class Schedule                                                    [HIS391 Main page]

Notes:
1. this is an active page that will be updated from time to time over the semester. Major changes will be announced through the class email list.
2. note many reading links on this page are password protected for registered student use only; you may email me if you require assistance logging on.
3. readings that appear as links are generally PDF documents which require Acrobat Reader (you may download it for free from Adobe).

Schedule

Tuesday 12 September
introductions

Thursday 14 September
introductions (cont'd)
reading:
>> Chronology of Mexican History
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes"
>> Mexico: Country Profile

Tuesday 19 September
lecture: History and Politics in Mexico
reading:
>> Jan Rus and Miguel Tinker Salas, “Mexico 2006-2012: High Stakes, Daunting Challenges” Latin American Perspectives 33:2 (2006), 5-15.
>> Georg Gugelberger, "Waiting for AMLO" Latin American Perspectives 32:4 (2005), 106-110.
>> What next for divided Mexico?   BBC News online
>> Q&A: Mexico election crisis  BBC News online

20 September (after 8am): sign up for response papers and session summaries on CCNet

Thursday 21 September (extended class, 4-6pm) meet s in NB262
film: Y  tu mamá también   (Mexico, 2004. d. Alfonso Cuarón. 105 minutes)
reading:
>> Ernesto R. Acevedo-Muñoz, "Sex, Class, and Mexico in Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también"

Tuesday 26 September
discussion one: What is Mexicanidad (Mexicanness)? (discussion of film, Acevedo-Muñoz article and readings below)
reading:
>> Joel Poinsett, "The Mexican Character"
>> Jose Vasconcelos, "The Cosmic Race"
>> Octavio Paz, " The Sons of La Malinche"
>> Roger Bartra, "Does It Mean Anything to Be Mexican?"
>> Sam Quinones, "Jesus Malverde," in True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the PopsicleKings, Chalino, and the Bronx (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press ( 2001), 225-232.

Thursday 28 September
What is a Wiki? (with Rochelle Mazar)
reading:
>> Introduction to the Wiki
>> Who Knows?  
1 Oct.: paper topic and two annotated bibliography entries due (post on wiki)

Tuesday 3 October   (chronology quiz at the beginning of class)
lecture: The Roots of Mexican Civilization
reading:
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Cuauhtemoc)
>> Joseph and Henderson: “Ancient Civilizations”
>> Eric Thompson, "The Meaning of Maize for the Maya"
>> Eric Wolf , "Soldiers of the Sun" Sons of the Shaking Earth
>> “The Origins of the Aztecs”

Thursday 5 October
lecture: Conquest and Colonization
reading:
>> Eric Wolf , "Conquest of Utopia" Sons of the Shaking Earth,
>> Eric Wolf , "New Lords of the Land " Sons of the Shaking Earth,

5 Oct: two annotated bibliography entries due (post on wiki)

Tuesday 10 October
lecture: The Colonial Origins of Mexican Liberalism
reading:
>> Eric Wolf , "Retreat from Utopia" Sons of the Shaking Earth,

Thursday 12 October
discussion two: Independence
12 Oct: two annotated bibliography entries due (post on wiki)
readings:
>> Virginia Guedea, "The Process of Mexican Independence," American Historical Review 105: 1 ( 2000), pp. 116-130. [substitutes for Krauze reading]
>> Camillus Crivelli, "Jose Maria Morelos" and "Manuel Hidalgo," The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X (1911). Online edition.
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Hildalgo and Morales)
>> Jose Maria Morelos, "Sentiments of the Nation" (1813)

Tuesday 17 October
discussion three: Antonio López de Santa Anna and the liberal/conservative divide
reading:
>> Agustin de Iturbide, "Plan of Iguala" (1821)
>> Don Mabry, "Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876)" Historical Text Archive
>> Guillermo Prieto. “The Glorious Revolution of 1844.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 206-12.
>> El Tiempo, "A Conservative Profession of Faith" (1846)
>> “Décimas dedicated to Santa Anna’s Leg.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 213-16
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Ninos Heroes )

Thursday 19 October
lecture: religion and liberalism

19 October: last two annotated bibliography entries due (post on wiki)

Tuesday 24 October
lecture: La Reforma: midcentury liberalism
reading:
>> Luis Gonzalez y Gonzalez, "Liberals and the Land"
>> Florencia Mallon, Peasant and Nation (excerpt)

Thursday 26 October  (extended class, 4-6pm) meet s in NB262
film: Juarez
reading:
>> Junta of Conservative Notables, "Offer of the Crown to Maximillian" (1863)
>> Empress Carlotta, "A Letter from Mexico" (1865)
>> Benito Juarez, "The Triumph of the Republic" (1867)
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Juarez)
essay prospectus due (post on wiki)

Tuesday 31 October
discussion four: Juarez and the French intervention
reading (same as 26 October):
>> Junta of Conservative Notables, "Offer of the Crown to Maximillian" (1863)
>> Empress Carlotta, "A Letter from Mexico" (1865)
>> Benito Juarez, "The Triumph of the Republic" (1867)
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Juarez)

Thursday 2 November
lecture: the Porfirian project
reading:
>> R. Buffington and W. French, “The Culture of Modernity"
>> Channing Arnold and Frederick Tabor Frost. “Porfirio Díaz Visits Yucatán.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 273-78.
>> B. Traven. “Scenes from a Lumber Camp.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 279-84.
>> James Creelman. “President Díaz, Hero of the Americas” (1908)
>> “Gift of the Skeletons.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 292-93.

Tuesday 7 November
lecture: The poverty of Mexican progress

Thursday 9 November
discussion five : the origins of the Mexican Revolution
reading:
>> Friedrich Katz,“Origins, Outbeak, and Initial Phase of the Revolution of 1910.” The Secret War in Mexico (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981), pp. 3-35.
>> David LaFrance, "Many Causes, Movements, Failures," in Provinces of the Revolution, pp. 17-40.

Tuesday 14 November
lecture: What makes a Revolution revolutionary?

Thursday 16 November
discussion six: maderistas and zapatistas
reading:
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Madero, Serdan, Zapata )
>> Friedrich Katz,“Origins, Outbeak, and Initial Phase of the Revolution of 1910.” The Secret War in Mexico (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981), pp. 35-49.
>> Francisco Madero, "The Plan of San Luis Potosi" (November 20, 1910)  Modern History Sourcebook
>> John Womack, Zapata and the Mexican Revolution. (New York: Vintage, 1969); pp. ix-x, and 3-9.
>> Emiliano Zapata et al.“Plan of Ayala.” Zapata and the Mexican Revolution, 393-404.
>> Ricardo Flores Magón. “Land and Liberty” The Mexico Reader; pp. 335-38.
>> Luis Cabrera. “The Restoration of the Ejido.” The Mexico Reader; pp. 344-350.

Tuesday 21 November
lecture: living the (villista) revolution
film clips of the Revolution
reading:
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Villa)
>> Mariano Azuela, The Underdogs (excerpts)
>> John Reed, Insurgent Mexico (excerpts)

Thursday 23 November
lecture: 1914: Radical Revolution Lost?
reading:
>> Thomas Benjamin, "Construction" in La Revolucion, 31-35.

Tuesday 28 November
discussion seven: The 1917 Constitution
reading:
>> “The Constitution of 1917: Articles 27 and 123.” The Mexico Reader, pp. 398-402.
>>  Thomas Benjamin, "1913-1920" in La Revolucion, 49-67.
>>  Thomas Benjamin, "1920-1928" in La Revolucion, 68-83.
>> "The Pantheon of National Heroes" (Obregon)

Thursday 30 November
lecture: institutional revolution

research paper due 30 November

Tuesday 5 December
lecture: Living Legacies of the Revolution

Thursday 7 December
in-class test

[HIS391 Main page]

[last updated: November 11, 2006]