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The Columbus to Castro Course in Latin American History*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

S. F. Edwards
S. F. Edwards*
Affiliation:
Department of History, University of South Carolina
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Extract

The introductory survey is the single most important course we offer in Latin American history. What we attempt to achieve, how we go about it, and the interest we generate among our students will determine our success or failure in opening to them what Lewis Hanke rightly calls “a significant segment of world history.” Course organization is an intensely personal matter, yet formal and informal discussions at recent conferences have convinced me that an airing of some thoughts on the matter is needed.

A declaration of faith is necessary before proceeding. I do not agree with those who would abolish the introductory survey and substitute a “problems” course or an assortment of country histories. A problems course tends to distort the richness and diversity of the area's historical growth unless the student has some foundations such as those provided by an introductory survey. I do not dismiss a problems course for undergraduates.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , Winter 1970 , pp. 602 - 611
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1970

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Footnotes

*

The thoughts in this paper have been evolving over a period of years. They were subjected to a critical reappraisal after the 1969 meeting of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association meeting in San Diego, California. Two sessions dealt specifically with the problems here considered (“The Columbus to Castro Course in Latin American History: Problems and Prospects” and “The Portuguese and Spanish Empires in America: A Comparison“). These thoughts were subjected to further reappraisal after the presentation of a paper by Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr., at the 1970 meeting of the Southeastern Conference on Latin American Studies held at the University of South Carolina. In its present form, this essay also reflects the valuable comments of two colleagues, Richard A. Rempel and Peter Becker.

References

* The thoughts in this paper have been evolving over a period of years. They were subjected to a critical reappraisal after the 1969 meeting of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association meeting in San Diego, California. Two sessions dealt specifically with the problems here considered (“The Columbus to Castro Course in Latin American History: Problems and Prospects” and “The Portuguese and Spanish Empires in America: A Comparison“). These thoughts were subjected to further reappraisal after the presentation of a paper by Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr., at the 1970 meeting of the Southeastern Conference on Latin American Studies held at the University of South Carolina. In its present form, this essay also reflects the valuable comments of two colleagues, Richard A. Rempel and Peter Becker.