Countries in Latin America have the highest rates of inequality and the highest rates of violence in the world. Yet nearly every country in the region is, by many indicators, governed by a democracy. This course explores how economic inequality, racial and ethnic discrimination, high rates of crime, and high levels of police violence impact the quality of Latin America’s democracies. The result has been growing challenges of various kinds to democracy across the region. We will explore the crisis of contemporary democracy in the region, and assess the extent to which the historical factors shape the contemporary crisis that the region faces. Since crucial political events in several countries (a pivotal election in Brazil; a constitutional referendum in Chile) will take place during our semester, we will have a chance to see how well we can understand history in the making.
Subfield: Comparative Politics
Instructor: Hillel Soifer
The Junior Seminars are intense writing seminars which focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course. The seminars provide an opportunity for students to have direct intellectual interactions with faculty members while also giving the students an understanding for faculty research.
Political science majors with Junior or Senior status.