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.

Faculty Spotlight

Alvis Dunn, Ph.D. – Associate Professor, History

Academic background

Dr. Alvis Dunn teaches Latin American History, North Carolina History, and U.S. History. He earned an M.A. at Appalachian State University and his doctorate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Alvis was born and raised in rural Chatham County, North Carolina and is the son of postal employees who also farmed and ran a hardware store. While North Carolina is his homeland and first in his heart, Guatemala is a very close second.

What makes this course meaningful for students?

Many years ago Dr. Dunn backpacked through Mexico and Central America and “fell in love with the region, the language, the cultures, and most of all, the people.” Since that time his primary goal as a teacher has been to work to bridge the gap between the Culture of the American South and that of the places further south in Mexico and Central America. Dunn hopes that students will join him in becoming part of that bridge through this class, in the process learning about the historical connections between the two regions that so often go unnoticed and unknown.

Favorite spot in Asheville

Keeping on the theme of culture the thing that Dr. Dunn most enjoys about Asheville and environs is the great variety of food, music, and traditions that come together here, creating often delightful and surprising blends and mezclas.