Syllabus
Instructor
- Professor Juan Tellez
- 583 Kerr Hall
- jftellez@ucdavis.edu
- Schedule an appointment
Teaching assistants
- Braeden Davis
M 11am-12pm
Kerr 568
bldavis@ucdavis.edu - Sandeep Regmi
Tu 2:10pm-3:10pm
Kerr 662
sregmi@ucdavis.edu - Dominick Van Cleve
Th 10am-12pm
Kerr 575
dmvancleve@ucdavis.edu
Course details
- Tue/Thu
- Sept 27th-Dec 8th, 2023
- 12:10pm-1:30pm
- Olson Hall 206
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.
Podcasts
You should listen to podcasts, although I won’t grade you on it. Here are some of my favorite podcasts that frequently discuss politics and history in Latin America:
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. There’s no need to ask before signing up for hours.
If you need one-on-one help you can reach out to the TAs or go to their office hours. The TAs and their office hours are at the top of this page.
If you need one-on-one help or would like to speak with me about something that only pertains to you (e.g., your grades, academic advice), you can sign up for office hours on Calendly at the top of this page.
In your emails, please:
- Be professional (include a subject line, a greeting, e.g., “Dear Prof. XYZ,”)
- Be brief (I won’t be offended!)
- I don’t take attendance, and therefore do not need to know you are missing a non-exam class!
- Do not email to ask what you missed during an absence (it’s on the syllabus!)
- Do not ask for extra credit opportunities. There are none!
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 (8) | 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% |
RIP Botero
The Colombian painter Fernando Botero died recently. Once you have read this syllabus and the assignments page, look through some of his work, and then draw a quick sketch of a Botero painting of your choice on scratch paper. 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.