HISTORY 471
HISTORY OF BRAZIL
http://www.inform.umd.eduSpring02/HIST471

This course examines the history of Brazil from the arrival of the Portuguese Court in 1808 through the mid-1980s. Our primary focus will be the historical development of the Brazilian nation-state and a Brazilian "national" culture. Recurrent themes include political organization and participation, economic growth and development, nationalism, authoritarianism and redemocratization, social organization and stratification, cultural production, race relations, and gender politics. Throughout the course, our goal is to make the connections between political economy, political culture, and identity politics to formulate historically-sensitive interpretations of modern Brazilian society.

The course meets twice a week for seventy-five minutes. Each meeting will be divided between lectures, multimedia presentations, and discussion.

Course Requirements

A pass/fail MAP QUIZ will be given in class on Monday, February 4, 2002. Seven or more correct identifications (out of a possible ten) will be considered a pass. If you do not pass on the first attempt, you will be able to retake the quiz twice. For more details, see Map Quiz Study Sheet.

A series of PRIMARY SOURCE CRITIQUES, four in total, will be assigned throughout the semester. Each critique will require a four-page analysis of an assigned primary text that explains key historical references, defines keywords, and locates the assigned document in its proper historical context. Complete instructions will be provided in the Primary Source Critique Guide.

A TAKE HOME MIDTERM will be distributed on Monday, March 18, 2002, and be due at the beginning of lecture on Monday, April 1. The open note, open-book take-home exam will be based upon the readings assigned during the first half of the semester.

A two-hour FINAL EXAMINATION will be given on Monday. May 20, 2002, at 8:00am. The final will be cumulative in scope. Study questions will be distributed prior to the exam.

Assigned Readings

The following reading assignments are mandatory. All assigned readings have been placed on reserve at the Reserve Room at McKeldin Library. All assigned books are available for purchase at the University Book Center as well as online and brick-and-mortar booksellers.

Fair warning: The reading load for this course is typical for a 400-level history course. Students unaccustomed to reading assignments in excess of 100 pages per week should carefully consider whether this course is appropriate.

The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Robert M. Levine and John J. Crocitti, eds. Durham: Duke University Press, 1999.

Carvalho, José Murilo de. "Political Elites and State Building: The Case of Nineteenth-Century Brazil," in Constructing Culture and Power in Latin America. Daniel H. Levine, ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1993, pp. 403-428.

Caulfield, Sueann. In Defense of Honor: Sexual Morality, Modernity, and Nation in Early Twentieth-Century Brazil. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000.

Costa, Emilía Viotti da. The Brazilian Empire: Myths and Histories. Revised Edition. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000.

Dunn, Christopher. Brutality Garden: Tropicália and the Emergence of a Brazilian Counterculture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.

Holston, James. The Modernist City: An Anthropological Critique of Brasília. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989.

Levine, Robert M. "Mud Hut Jerusalem: Canudos Revisited," in The Abolition of Slavery and the Aftermath of Emancipation in Brazil, Durham: Duke University Press, 1988, pp. 119-166. [reprinted from Hispanic American Historical Review, 68:3 (1988), pp. 525-572.] Available through J-Stor by clicking here.

Needell, Jeffrey. "The Revolta Contra Vacina of 1904: The Revolt Against 'Modernization' in Belle-Époque Rio de Janeiro," Hispanic American Historical Review, 67:2 (May 1987), pp. 233-269. Available through J-Stor by clicking here.

Schultz, Kirsten. Tropical Versailles: Empire, Monarchy, and the Portuguese Royal Court in Rio de Janeiro, 1808-1821. New York: Routledge, 2001.

Skidmore, Thomas E. Black Into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought. Durham: Duke University Press, 1983.

Skidmore, Thomas E. Brazil: Five Centuries of Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Williams, Daryle. Culture Wars in Brazil: The First Vargas Regime, 1930-1945. Durham: Duke University Press, 2001.

Grading

Final grades will be determined by the following formula:

Late work will not be accepted without prior consent. With the exception of legitimate excuses, late papers may be penalized up to one full grade for every day late.

*It is impossible to participate if you do not regularly attend class. Therefore, excessive absences will result in a failing grade for the discussion section component of your final grade, which will have a serious negative impact on your final grade. Regular attendance and active participation, conversely, will work in your favor should your final grade fall on a borderline.

The Code of Academic Integrity guides this and all other courses taught at the University of Maryland. Violations of the Code may result in a failing grade and/or referral to a University disciplinary committee.

Should you have ANY questions or doubts about Academic Integrity, including questions of citation and attribution, you should consult your professor, the Student Honor Council, and/or a full-text version of the Code of Academic Integrity.

The Honor Pledge

Under the provisions of the resolution adopted by the University Senate on April 9, 2001, and approved by President Mote on May 10, 2001, all students will be asked to write by hand and sign the following pledge on all written assignments and examinations, unless otherwise instructed:

"I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination."

For additional information on the Student Honor Pledge, visit http://www.umd.edu/honorpledge.

COURSE SCHEDULE

HIST 471 Homepage | Email: Professor Williams