Module manager: Dr Eline Van Ommen
Email: E.vanOmmen@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module is designed to introduce students to new historical approaches to twentieth-century Central America. Sandwiched between Mexico and the South American continent, the isthmus is often overlooked or treated as an afterthought by historians of Latin America. Central American agency and relations with the wider world have also been obscured by a tendency to characterise the region as the United States’ “backyard”. Nevertheless, Central Americans in the 20th century have played pivotal roles in shaping their own local, national, and regional histories. They also interacted with the wider world (including – but not limited to the United States) as they mobilised allies, challenged enemies, and exchanged ideas. This module focuses predominantly on how and with what consequences Nicaraguans, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans fought for social, political, and economic change in their own countries. However, students will also explore the historical trajectory of Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama, and discuss Central American interactions with the rest of Latin America, the United States, Europe, and the Global South. Primary sources are at the heart of this module and students will analyse posters, music, testimonials, memoirs, speeches, letters, and memoranda to come to a better understanding of Central America’s century of revolution and its present-day legacies.
The aim of this module is to provide students with the tools to analyse and critically engage with primary sources (translated if necessary) and the latest research into the domestic, regional, and international history of Central America’s twentieth century history.
Upon completion of this module, students will have:
Demonstrated deeper understanding of twentieth-century Central American history and its present-day legacies
Analysed connections between local, national, regional, transnational, international, and global histories of Central America
Critically engaged with the relevant historiography on twentieth-century Central America and the region’s connections with the wider world
Evaluated the different types of sources that historians can use to study 20th century Central American history
Developed the ability to apply fundamental standards and practices of historical study for research, discussion, and assessed work.
Indicative topics include themes such as revolution and resistance; race, gender, and indigeneity; violence and repression; anti-imperialism and intervention; dictatorship and democracy; counterinsurgency and anti-communism; struggles for social justice; the creation of the Panama Canal; the US occupation of Nicaragua; La Matanza in El Salvador; the Guatemalan Spring; the Nicaraguan Revolution; the Central American civil wars; peace processes and democratic transitions; migration and memories; and the drug trade.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 22 | 2 | 44 |
| Private study hours | 356 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
Students will receive formative feedback on their source commentaries, either as a group or individually, prior to final submission at the end of the year. They will also receive feedback on their presentation and on the essay due at the end of the first semester.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay or Dissertation | 4000 words | 50 |
| Portfolio | . | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 18/10/2024
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team