Syllabus
Instructor
- Professor Juan Tellez
- 583 Kerr Hall
- jftellez@ucdavis.edu
- Tu 10:30am-12:30pm
Teaching assistants
- Coral Richardson
M 10:00am-12:00pm
Kerr 660
crichardson@ucdavis.edu - Mert Bayraktar
TH 4:00pm-6:00pm
Kerr 657
mbayraktar@ucdavis.edu
Course details
- Tue/Thu
- Jan 7th-Mar 21st, 2025
- 09:00am-10:20am
- Teaching and Learning Complex 2010
What is this class about?
This course will do two things. First, it will teach you about some of the more pressing political challenges in Latin America, and how Latin Americans navigate them on a daily basis. Second, it will teach you about these challenges from a social science perspective. This means you will get your hands dirty with data, think hard about how to measure class concepts, and worry about how we can really know what we “think we know” about the region.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify pressing political challenges in Latin America, and their current relevance
- Draw on political science theories to explain how citizens negotiate these problems
- Feel comfortable manipulating and analyzing data from the region
This course assumes no prior knowledge of Latin America or working with data. Further, we will mostly focus on broad, regional issues that are relevant to multiple countries in Latin America.
What materials do I need for this course?
Where do I find the readings?
Book chapters and other non-easily accessible readings will be linked on this site. You will have to find journal articles and easily accessible readings on your own (a valuable skill!). Googling the article is often enough, otherwise Google Scholar and being either on campus wi-fi or on the library VPN should do the trick. If you’re stuck the TAs will be happy to help.
Google Sheets
All homework requiring data will be done in Google Sheets or Excel. Google Sheets is free to use with a Google account, and I will do all data analysis tutorials in Google Sheets. However, you can easily follow along with whatever program you prefer.
How can I get help or contact the instructors?
For big questions – stuck on the homework, question about a grade, confusion/questions about the reading – the best thing is to come to our office hours. You will get better help from us during office hours than over email.
For small and/or urgent questions – a grade is missing, you believe there is an error in something we uploaded, etc. – the best thing is to email. In your emails, please:
Be professional (include a subject line, a greeting, e.g., “Dear Prof. XYZ,”) Be brief (I won’t be offended!)
Frequently Answered No Questions (FANQ)
This is a common list of student questions where the answer is ‘no’.
Do you record lecture? Can I record lecture? I do not record lecture. You may not record my lecture.
I had to miss class, do I need to let you know? You do not need to let me know.
Can I have your lecture notes in addition to your slides? You may not have any additional notes.
Are there extra practice tests / practice questions? There are no extra practice tests / questions.
Can I correct what I got wrong on the homework / test and resubmit for credit? You may not resubmit homework / test for credit.
Can I take the exams earlier / later than scheduled? You may not take exams earlier / later than scheduled.
It is week X, can I turn in a missing assignment from week X - N? You may not turn in an assignment from previous weeks. See the Assignments page for more details.
The homework was due Wednesday, but when I went to turn it in that evening, something happened that was out of my control and I couldn’t turn it in. Can I turn it in now without missing points? You may not turn it in now without missing points. See the Assignments page for more details.
Will there be extra credit? There may be, but I will not pre-commit to extra credit opportunities.
Counseling & Psychiatry Services
Life at Davis can be complicated and challenging. You might feel overwhelmed, experience anxiety or depression, or struggle with relationships or family responsibilities. UC Davis Counseling Services provide confidential support for students who are struggling with mental health and emotional challenges. Please do not hesitate to contact them for assistance—getting help is a smart and good thing to do.
Assignments and grades
You can find descriptions for all the assignments on the assignments page.
Assignment | Percent |
---|---|
Problem sets (5) | 50% |
Midterm | 25% |
Final | 25% |
Grade | Range | Grade | Range |
---|---|---|---|
A | 93–100% | C | 73–76% |
A− | 90–92% | C− | 70–72% |
B+ | 87–89% | D+ | 67–69% |
B | 83–86% | D | 63–66% |
B− | 80–82% | D− | 60–62% |
C+ | 77–79% | F | < 60% |
The region’s leaders
Once you have read this syllabus and the Assignments page, pick a Latin American leader (historical or current), and draw a quick sketch of them on scratch paper (include your name). Bring it to me in class. I’ll round your final grade up to the nearest whole number; you’ve got until the end of week 2 of class.
Credits
This course draws on code, content, ideas, inspirations and much more from work by Andrew Heiss, Kieran Healy, and others who have made their courses publicly available.