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Topics in Latin American History: Women and Gender in Latin America
HIST 355/555 • Spring 2019
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Mondays 4:00 to 6:30 p.m., 324 CCC
Instructor: Dr. Anju Reejhsinghani Office Hours: Mon., 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.,
Office: 457 CCC or by appointment
Course Description
This course explores women’s and gender history in Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Spanish-
speaking Central and South America, and the Hispanic Caribbean) from pre-Columbian times to the
present.
The first half of the course focuses on indigenous societies in the wake of the Conquest; the
institutionalization of the Catholic Church in the Americas; new forms of race, religious, and class
hierarchy expressed in highly gendered ways; and day-to-day experiences of free and enslaved people
of color, particularly women and girls. The second half moves quickly to the present day by
considering topics such as changes in attitudes toward women and families during the early Cuban
Revolution; how widespread use of plastic surgery and notions of race and gender intersect in
modern Brazil; why same-sex marriage has quickly won adherents throughout Latin America while
conservative notions of reproductive rights remain entrenched; and how defenders of indigenous
and other communal lands such as the late Berta Cáceres have experienced uniquely gendered forms
of opposition from pro-development governments and corporations. During our final week, using
the most up-to-date journalistic sources available, we explore how domestic and gang violence are
impacting Central American girls and women, driving many to flee northward through Mexico and,
in some cases, to the southern border of the United States to petition for asylum.
This is a seminar class – a small, close-knit educational environment that requires a high level
of commitment and involvement from all its members in order to succeed. Each class comprises a
mixture of instructor and student commentary and group discussion. While no previous knowledge
of Latin American/Caribbean, world, or women’s and gender history is required, students will build
upon their knowledge of these areas as they develop competency in our subject matter.
Goals and Objectives
This course has several aims for students, including but not limited to the following:
(1) To gain a general understanding of Latin American women’s and gender history and studies;
(2) To explore those subjects using a diverse array of interdisciplinary tools; and
(3) To write an original research paper utilizing strong supporting evidence and analysis.
Grading
Grading in this course is based on the following:
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Attendance/Participation 20%
Map Quiz 5%
Student Commentator 10%
Student Discussant 10%
Culture Presentation 10%
Paper Prospectus/Bibliography 15%
Paper Consultation 5%
Final Paper 25%
There are no grade curves in this class. Course grades are determined based on the above criteria
and are determined according to the following point system:
92.5 points and above A
89.5 to 92.4 points A-
86.5 to 89.4 points B+
82.5 to 86.4 points B
79.5 to 82.4 points B-
76.5 to 79.4 points C+
72.5 to 76.4 points C
69.5 to 72.4 points C-
66.5 to 69.4 points D+
62.5 to 66.4 points D
59.5 to 62.4 points D-
59.4 points and below F
Required Texts
Textbooks (available for purchase at the UWSP University Store)
• de Erauso, Catalina. Lieutenant Nun: Memoir of a Basque Transvestite in the New World.
Translated by Michelle Stepto and Gabriel Stepto. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.
• Rubiera Castillo, Daisy. Reyita: The Life of a Black Cuban Woman in the Twentieth Century.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2000.
• Hampton, Elaine. Anay’s Will to Learn: A Woman’s Education in the Shadow of the
Maquiladoras. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 2013.
Additional readings (on D2L)
• Kellogg, Susan. Weaving the Past: A History of Latin America’s Indigenous Women from the
Prehispanic Period to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Chapter 1:
“Introducing the Indigenous Women of Latin America,” pp. 3-17, and Chapter 3:
“Colliding Worlds: Indigenous Women, Conquest, and Colonialism,” pp. 53-89.
• Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press,
2003. Chapter 5: “The Lost Words of Malinche” The Myth of (Mis)Communication,” pp.
77-99.
• Townsend, Camilla. Malintzin’s Choices: An Indian Woman in the Conquest of Mexico. Chapter
7: “The Concubine Speaks,” p. 148-171.
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• Burns, Kathryn. “Gender and the Politics of Mestizaje: The Convent of Santa Clara in
Cuzco, Peru.” The Hispanic American Historical Review 78:1 (February 1998): 5-44.
• Vollendorf, Lisa. “Transatlantic Ties: Women’s Writing in Iberia and the Americas.” In
Women, Religion & the Atlantic World, 1600-1800, ed. Daniella Kostroun and Lisa
Vollendorf, 79-112. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009.
• Chase, Michelle. Revolution within the Revolution: Women and Gender Politics in Cuba, 1952-
1962. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2015. Chapter 6: “The
Destruction and Salvation of the Cuban Family, 1959-1962,” pp. 170-208.
• Encarnación, Omar G. “International Influence, Domestic Activism, and Gay Rights in
Argentina.” Political Science Quarterly 128:4 (Winter 2013-14): 687-716.
• Jarrín, Alvaro. The Biopolitics of Beauty: Cosmetic Citizenship and Affective Capital in Brazil.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2017. Chapter 3: “The Circulation of Beauty,”
pp. 76-101.
• Blofield, Merike and Christina Ewig. “The Left Turn and Abortion Politics in Latin
America.” Social Politics 24:4 (Winter 2017): 481-510.
• Glazebrook, Trish and Emmanuela Opoku. “Defending the Defenders: Environmental
Protectors, Climate Change and Human Rights.” Ethics and the Environment 23:2 (Fall
2018): 83-109.
In addition, brief journalistic readings will be posted to D2L by April 29 for our final class.
Course Requirements (Final Paper)
The culmination of the course is an original final research paper that you will write in
consultation with the professor. Together, these components equal 45% of your course grade.
Final Paper Topic. Your final paper is on a topic of your choice relevant to women and gender
in Latin America. By March 25, you may consult lists of suggested topics and sources on D2L,
but you are encouraged to develop your own topic if you choose. You are asked to submit a one-
paragraph description of your topic by April 1 to obtain my feedback and make suggested
changes before writing your prospectus. This assignment is not graded.
Final Paper Prospectus. Students will submit a final paper prospectus of 1-2 pages of narrative
with attached 1-to-2-page bibliography by April 15. This assignment is worth 15% of your course
grade.
Final Paper Consultation. You are required to have one 10-minute in-person consultation with
Prof. Reejhsinghani on your progress toward completing your final paper. Consultations will be
held during our class period on April 29 (we will not have a regular class on that date). Your
participation in this consultation is worth 5% of your course grade.
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Final Paper. Your final paper should be between 2,250-2,500 words (approximately 9 to 10
double-spaced pages), not including title, bibliography, and citations. The final paper is due
during our scheduled final exam meeting time and will count for 25% of your course grade.
Course Requirements (Other)
The other class assignments together comprise 55% of your course grade.
Attendance/Participation. Active discussion is an integral part of this course, as well as an
important factor in your final course grade. Should you need to arrive late or leave early, please
inform me ahead of time. Classes usually feature a brief break period. Attendance/participation
comprises 20% of students’ course grades.
Map Quiz. The map quiz, held at the start of class on February 11, tests your knowledge of
modern Latin American nations. Two study maps and a list of topics are on D2L. Students have
10 minutes to match 10 given geographical names to letters on a blank map. The map quiz is
worth 5% of your course grade.
Student Commentators and Discussants. From Week 5 on, two students (Commentators) will
each separately introduce the day’s assigned readings, summarizing and analyzing key points of
their assigned readings. Another two students (Discussants) will each guide at least 15 minutes of
discussion using a list of questions provided to the professor before the start of class. While this
is not a group assignment, students in the same week are encouraged to work together. Serving as
Commentator and Discussant is each worth 10% of the course grade, for 20% total.
Culture Presentations. This project involves analyzing a work of cultural production that
illustrates issues of women and/or gender in Latin America. Each student is asked to give an oral
presentation on their topic that includes a PowerPoint slideshow with related visuals. These will
take place in class on March 25 and will comprise 10% of the course grade.
Reading, Make-Ups and Extensions, Extra Credit, and Accommodations
Reading. You are expected to finish all reading assignments by the start of the class for which
they have been assigned.
Make-Ups and Extensions. Should there be reasons outside of your control (major personal or
family issues or illness) that prevent you from submitting an assignment, please contact me
immediately and we shall discuss your situation. I require documentation for absences prior to
scheduling a make-up or extension.
Extra Credit. Extra-credit opportunities bolster students’ attendance/participation grades and
are limited to two per student per semester. Each makes up for one-half of one unexcused
absence; those with perfect attendance may earn attendance/participation grades in excess of 100
points (105 points maximum). Should more opportunities arise during the semester, I will post
them to D2L and announce them in class. These are specific to your attendance/participation
grade and are not applicable to any other coursework in this class.
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Accommodations. UWSP is committed to providing reasonable and appropriate
accommodations to students with disabilities and temporary impairments. If you have a disability
or acquire a condition during the semester where you need assistance, please contact the
Disability and Assistive Technology Center on the sixth floor of Albertson Hall (the library) as
soon as possible. DATC can be reached at 715-346-3365 or [email protected].
Policy on Electronic Devices and Copyright Notice
You are not permitted to use laptops, tablet computers, smart phones or other cellular phones, MP3
players, smart watches, video and/or audio recorders, cameras, headphones, or any other electronic
devices and accessories during our class meetings, whether for personal reasons or as an aid to your
note taking. (Such devices may be brought to the classroom but must be stored among your personal
items for the duration of the class period.)
As an enrolled student in this class, you may download and/or utilize the instructor’s course materials
for your own personal academic purposes outside of class time, although doing so does not in any
way infringe upon the instructor’s copyright protections. You are not permitted to videotape,
audiotape, photograph, digitize, upload to another web site, or otherwise reproduce or distribute any
images, data, and other course materials – including syllabus, lecture outlines, and handouts –
produced by the instructor.
This electronic device and copyright policy will be strictly enforced. Students who violate this policy
will be asked to leave class. Violators may also be subject to Academic Misconduct charges (see
below). Exceptions may be made for students with prior written documentation of a disability from
UWSP Disability Services and with the instructor’s written consent.
Student Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism, cheating, collaborating with others or submitting others’ work as your own, submitting
previously graded work as original work, and other forms of student academic misconduct will not be
tolerated in this class. They are a mark of disrespect to one’s peers, instructor, university, and oneself.
Students who violate University policy on this matter will be subject to disciplinary penalties,
including (but not limited to) the possibility of failing this course.
Chapter 14 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, “Student Academic Standards and Disciplinary
Procedures” (http://www.uwsp.edu/dos/Documents/CommunityRights.pdf#page=11), provides
more information on what types of activities are considered “academic misconduct” and what the
disciplinary sanctions are for students who engage in them.
Course Drops and Withdrawals
Students wishing to “clear drop” may do so up through the end of the business day on Thursday,
January 31. After that, students withdrawing from this course no later than Friday, April 5, will
receive a “W” on their transcripts. Drops after that deadline are generally not permitted. See
https://www.uwsp.edu/regrec/Documents/Add%20Drop%20Form%20Semester%20II.pdf for
information.
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Emergency Response
To familiarize yourself with UWSP response scenarios in the case of an emergency, consult the
university’s Emergency Procedures at http://www.uwsp.edu/rmgt/Pages/em/procedures.
Use of Email for Official Correspondence to Students
Email is an official mode of university correspondence; you are therefore responsible for reading
your email for university- and course-related information and announcements. You are responsible
for keeping the university informed about changes to your email address. Please check your email
regularly to stay current with course-related communications, some of which may be time-critical.
Syllabus
This syllabus is subject to change (though major change is unlikely). Should there be a modification
of discussion topic, reading assignment, deadline, or other item, I shall strive to give you adequate
notice.
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Course Schedule
All times listed below are in Central Time (Stevens Point’s time zone).
Upcoming assignments for all enrolled students are delineated in boxes.
Week 1 (Jan. 22): No class due to MLK, Jr. Day
Week 2 (Jan. 28): Introduction
Reading: None
Week 3 (Feb. 4): Indigenous Women in the Wake of the Conquest
Reading: Susan Kellogg, Weaving the Past, Chapters 1 and 3
Week 4 (Feb. 11): The Legend of La Malinche
* NOTE: Class today will start at 4:15 p.m. *
Reading: Matthew Restall, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, Chapter 5
Camilla Townsend, Malintzin’s Choices, Chapter 7
Assignments: Latin American/Caribbean map quiz at the start of class (4:15 p.m.)
Week 5 (Feb. 18): Gender Rebels
Reading: Catalina de Erauso, Memoir of a Basque Lieutenant Nun, Foreword, Introduction,
& Translator’s Note, pp. vii-xlviii and Memoir, pp. 3-17
(Commentator/Discussant 1)
Catalina de Erauso, Memoir of a Basque Lieutenant Nun, pp. 18-80
(Commentator/Discussant 2)
Week 6 (Feb. 25): Colonial Convents
Reading: Kathryn Burns, “Gender and the Politics of Mestizaje”
(Commentator/Discussant 3)
Lisa Vollendorf, “Transatlantic Ties” (Commentator/Discussant 4)
Week 7 (March 4): From Slavery to Freedom
Reading: María de los Reyes Castillo Bueno, Reyita, Introduction & Chapter 1, pp. 1-58
(Commentator/Discussant 5)
María de los Reyes Castillo Bueno, Reyita, Chapter 2, pp. 59-86, and Chapter 3,
pp. 87-116 to the start of “In Search of a Better Life”
(Commentator/Discussant 6)
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Week 8 (March 11): Political and Social Transformations
Reading: María de los Reyes Castillo Bueno, Reyita, Chapter 3, pp. 116-140, and Chapter
4, pp. 141-170 (Commentator/Discussant 7)
Michelle Chase, Revolution within the Revolution, Chapter 6
(Commentator/Discussant 8)
–– SPRING BREAK (March 18-22) ––
Week 9 (March 25): Culture Presentations
Reading: None; read for your culture presentations
Assignment: Culture Presentations
Week 10 (April 1): Sexuality and the Body
Reading: Omar G. Encarnación, “International Influence, Domestic Activism, and Gay
Rights in Argentina” (Commentator/Discussant 9)
Alvaro Jarrín, The Biopolitics of Beauty, Chapter 3 (Commentator/Discussant 10)
Assignment: Paper topics due
Week 11 (April 8): Labor and Neoliberalism
Reading: Elaine Hampton, Anay’s Will to Learn, Introduction & Chapter 1, pp. 1-30
(Commentator/Discussant 11)
Elaine Hampton, Anay’s Will to Learn, Chapters 2-3, pp. 31-64
(Commentator/Discussant 12)
Week 12 (April 15): Education’s Promise
Reading: Elaine Hampton, Anay’s Will to Learn, Chapters 4-8 and Epilogue, pp. 65-154
Assignment: Paper prospectus/bibliography due
Week 13 (April 22): The Limits of the Pink Tide
Reading: Merike Blofield & Christina Ewig, “The Left Turn and Abortion Politics in
Latin America” (Commentator/Discussant 13)
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Trish Glazebrook & Emmanuela Opoku, “Defending the Defenders”
(Commentator/Discussant 14)
Week 14 (April 29): Paper Consultations
Reading: None; read for your final paper
Assignment: Final Paper Consultations in 457 CCC
Week 15 (May 6): Gendered Violence
Reading: Journalistic articles on Central American asylum flows (posted by April 29)
FINAL PAPERS are due by the end of our regularly scheduled final exam meeting time,
which is Wednesday, May 14, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. To avoid late penalties, upload your final
paper to the relevant D2L drop box by 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2019.
