APA Newsletters
Spring 2000
Volume 99, Number 2

Syllabi

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Introductory Comments

The following is a syllabus for Latin American Social Philosophy during the Spring Semester of 1994. In the past I had used only or primarily philosophical texts (or what passes as philosophy in the United States). But I got the impression that my students needed a more sophisticated understanding of Latin American social, political, and cultural history before they could do Latin American philosophy in the historicist Mexican tradition or the philosophy of liberation that came out of Argentina during the 1960s and 1970s. The course below was designed as an introductory course on the Latin American "situation" that put a lot of emphasis on cultural and social practices. Le Moyne College, where I teach, is a small undergraduate institution (except for graduate programs in business and education) in Central New York. Most of its students are from the surrounding area.

Mario Sáenz, Le Moyne College, Spring 1994

RH 420; Tel: 4487 (o), 445-9817 (h)

Office Hours: MWF: 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., and by appointment

This course will study some of the major philosophical trends in Latin America in the light of both the search for cultural identity in the midst of difference, and the structural conditions of poverty and oppression. It will consider those philosophies of social change which (a) analyze the social interests underlying hegemonic ideologies, (b) examine the status of colonized discourses of resistance, and (c) seek a dialogical integration of the diversity of voices in Latin America. Thinkers studied will include Bartolomé de Las Casas, José Carlos Mariátegui, Leopoldo Zea, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Enrique Dussel, Ofelia Schutte, and Rigoberta Menchú, as representative figures of some of the major trends of Latin American social and political philosophy (i.e., Latin American Marxism, Indigenous discourses of resistance, philosophies of cultural identity, liberation theology, and the philosophy of liberation).

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

Class Participation (20 %)
Oral and Written Presentation (20 %)—TBA
Research Paper (30 %)—Due on 25 April
In-Class Essay (30 %)—4 May, 12:30 p.m.

Note on Class Participation: Attendance is part of class participation. After 3 absences, 1 percentage point will be subtracted from your class participation grade for every additional absence; also, and independently of the aforementioned, excessive absenteeism will have a negative impact on your class participation grade.

Note on Research Paper: 10–15 pages long (double-spaced, typewritten). All pertinent topics are accepted. However, you must make an appointment with me by 11 April at the latest on the topic of your essay; you must decide before 11 April on your research topic; hence, the purpose of the appointment is not to decide on a topic; rather, it is to discuss the topic you have already chosen.

Note on Oral and Written Presentation: On the date when your presentation is due, you must hand out written versions of it to all members of the class. It should be no fewer than 4 and no more than 5 pages long (double-spaced, typewritten). After reading it in class, it will be discussed in class. Your written presentation shall be a reflection essay on a pertinent topic (whether or not it has been discussed in class); it must include both a description of the issue discussed and your own evaluation of it.

Note on In-Class Essay: It will be a 2-hour comprehensive examination. I will give you 7 study questions for the exam; on exam day, you will have to answer 2 of those questions (1 chosen by you, and 1 chosen by me from the remainder).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Jan 10 Introduction

Jan 12 Zea (handout from The Latin American Mind)

Jan 14–26 Mariátegui

Jan 28 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Jan 31 Zea (handout)

Feb 2–4 Las Casas, and Todorov (handout from The Conquest of America)

Feb 7 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Feb 9 Taussig (handout from The Devil and Commodity Fetishism in South America)

Feb 11 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Feb 14–18 Gutiérrez

Feb 23 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Feb 25–Mar 2 Gutiérrez

Mar 4 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Mar 7–21 Dussel

Mar 23 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Apr 6–8 Menchú

Apr 11 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Apr 13–18 Schutte

Apr 20 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Apr 22–25 Schutte

Apr 27 Oral and Written Presentation (students’ names)

Apr 29 Conclusion

Concluding Comments: