PURPOSE AND ORIENTATION This seminar will examine why Colombia has been at war with itself over the last century.  What internal/external factors have contributed to this perpetual conflict? Exploring possible answers to these questions will entail tracing the historical roots, ideological and cultural perspectives underlying the conflict, and civil society’s responses and resilience, including art, literature, film and music.  Some topics include U.S. foreign policy, the drug war, armed groups, and peace initiatives.

EVALUATION 1. Oral Presentation, 15% Students will offer a 10-minute presentation of the topic and basic thesis of their papers during the last three weeks of classes.  The format is expected to be creative and should include a brief activity for class discussion.
2. Paper Research Process, 15% - Topic Description (1 paragraph) – February 13
- Preliminary Bibliography – February 27
- Thesis Statement and Paper Outline – March 6
- Final Draft – April 24
3. Term Research Paper, 45% - Final version due:  May 15.

4. Class Participation and Discussion, 25% Each week students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the readings.

TEXTS AND FILMS  • Knight, Franklin. The Caribbean:  The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism.
 • Danticat, Edwindge.  After the Dance. New York: Crown Journeys, 2002.
 • Articles and excerpts on E-Reserve (listed for each class below).  
 • Films on Reserve at the Language Media Center (room reserved for showings listed below).

COURSE SCHEDULE Jan 23 – Introduction. a. Course introduction: syllabus, faculty, students, and course structure.
b. Essay from Alma Guillermoprieto   Looking for History:  Dispatches from Latin America.

Jan 30 – The Past as Prologue. Film: “El día que me quieras” on February 6, 7pm, Pols seminar room.
Readings:
1) Frank Safford and Marco Palacios, excerpt from Colombia:  Fragmented Land, Divided Society.
2) Gabriel García Márquez, excerpt from A Hundred Years of Solitude.
3) Catherine C. LeGrand, “Living in Macondo: Economy and Culture in a United Fruit Company Banana Enclave in Colombia.”

Feb 6 – Film: "El día que me quieras." Pols Seminar Room, 7pm.

Feb 13 – La Violencia and its Tortured Legacy.Reading: Gonzalo Sánchez, “The Violence:  An Interpretive Synthesis.”

Feb 20 – Film: "Confesión a Laura." Pols Seminar Room, 7pm.

Feb 27 –The Impact of the Drug War on the Fabric of Everyday Life.Reading: García Márquez, News of a Kidnapping.  All book.

Feb 28 –Opening of Photographic Exhibit:  “Faces of Colombia.”  Lecture by Jim Harney, photojournalist.

Mar 24 – A Salad of Armies: Guerrillas, Paramilitaries and the Government’s Armed Forces.   Reading: Gonzalo Sánchez, “Introduction: Problems of Violence, Prospects for Peace”

Apr 10 – How to Live and Die in the Cities.Reading: Excerpts from Alonso Salazar, Born to Die in Medellín.
Film: “Rodrigo D:  No futuro” (in class)
Student Presentations.

Apr 24 – Resistance and Resilience to the Violence.Reading: Medellín’s Poetry Festival (Internet)
Film: “Arrancados” (in class)
Student Presentations.

May 8 – Restrospect and Prospect.Reading: Ana Teresa Bernal, Héctor Fabio Henao, and Ubencel Duque.  “Building Peace in the Midst of War: Civil Society Initiatives in Colombia.”
Film: “Courageous Women from Colombia” (in class)
Student Presentations.