Latin American in the American South

Course Description

Latin America and the American South have been connected for centuries, through trade, migration, conflict, culture, and the slow, tangled movements of people and ideas across borders. This first-year seminar traces that relationship from the earliest years of European exploration through the contemporary moment, examining the historical forces that have connected these two regions and the ways those connections continue to shape both. Students will encounter familiar history from new angles, discovering relationships and patterns that complicate simple narratives about either place.

This course builds students’ skills in historical thinking and analysis while opening up broader questions about region, identity, and the legacies of colonialism and migration. Whether students come to the course with prior knowledge of Latin American or Southern history or encounter both for the first time, they will leave with a richer and more connected understanding of the hemisphere they inhabit.