SRJC Course Outlines

9/3/2025 8:30:20 AMHIST 8.1 Course Outline as of Fall 2026

Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION

Discipline and Nbr:  HIST 8.1Title:  LATIN AMERICA TO 1830  
Full Title:  History of Latin America from Pre-Columbian to 1830
Last Reviewed:8/25/2025

UnitsCourse Hours per Week Nbr of WeeksCourse Hours Total
Maximum3.00Lecture Scheduled3.0017.5 max.Lecture Scheduled52.50
Minimum3.00Lab Scheduled06 min.Lab Scheduled0
 Contact DHR0 Contact DHR0
 Contact Total3.00 Contact Total52.50
 
 Non-contact DHR0 Non-contact DHR Total0

 Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50 

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:
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In this introductory course, students will survey Latin American history from pre-Columbian times to the 1830s.  Students will examine the history of Indigenous societies, the development of the European colonial system, and subsequent independence movements.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:


Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1A), or eligibility for EMLS 10 (formerly ESL 10), or equivalent; or appropriate placement based on AB705 mandates

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description: Untitled document
In this introductory course, students will survey Latin American history from pre-Columbian times to the 1830s.  Students will examine the history of Indigenous societies, the development of the European colonial system, and subsequent independence movements.
(Grade or P/NP)

Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1A), or eligibility for EMLS 10 (formerly ESL 10), or equivalent; or appropriate placement based on AB705 mandates
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:Effective:Fall 2025
Inactive: 
 Area:D
L4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Social and Behavioral Sciences
 
CSU GE:Transfer Area Effective:Inactive:
 DSocial ScienceFall 2008
 D6History  
 DSocial ScienceFall 1981Fall 2008
 D5Geography  
 D6History  
 
IGETC:Transfer Area Effective:Inactive:
 4Social and Behavioral ScienceFall 1981
 4FHistory  
 
CSU Transfer:TransferableEffective:Fall 1981Inactive:
 
UC Transfer:TransferableEffective:Fall 1981Inactive:
 
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course



COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
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1. Analyze the Pre-Columbian era and the transformations Indigenous societies experienced during and after the European conquest.
2. Evaluate the impact of European colonization in the Americas and the foundations for the independence movements.
3. Distinguish between primary and secondary sources as historical evidence.
 

Objectives: Untitled document
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
 
1. Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills by utilizing methods of inquiry used by historians and other social and behavioral scientists.
2. Utilize and recognize that history is a process of interaction between factual sources and those who interpret them.
3. Integrate  geographical knowledge with cultural and historical knowledge to understand the development of modern day Latin American countries.
4. Examine, evaluate, and discuss the experiences, roles, achievements, and contributions of the Indigenous and African American people in Latin America from the Pre-Columbian era to the 19th-century wars of independence.
5. Examine and evaluate European colonial, social, political, economic, and cultural institutions in the shaping of Indigenous, Black, Mestizo, and Mulatto communities in Latin America.
6. Analyze the historical roots of racism, and the impact on ethnic conflict in Latin America.
7. Examine the role of Latin American women in their struggle for equality.

Topics and Scope
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I. Terms, Definitions and Methods of Analysis
   A. Primary source
   B. Secondary source
II. Historical Background
    A. Introduction to the Indigenous societies - Mexica (Aztec), Mayan, and Quechua (Inca) prior to European settlement
    B. Participation of women in Indigenous societies
III. Spanish Conquest
    A. European and Indigenous societies collide
    B. Establishment of the slave system in the Caribbean
    C. Hernan Cortez, Mexico, and history of Quetzalcoatl
IV. The Colonial Period
    A. Development of a caste socio-economic system
    B. Participation of Mulattoes and Mestizos in colonial Spain and Portugal
    C. Conversion to Christianity and the destruction of Indigenous institutions
V. Independence Movements
    A. Criollo discontent with the economic and political system
    B. Women's intellectual and societal participation within the Indigenous Mestizo, Black, and Mulatto communities
VI. Building New Societies in Latin America
     A. Internal political and economic conflicts between conservative and liberal ruling classes
     B. Emergence of the Mestizo middle class and the struggle for equality

Assignments:
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1. Reading Assignments consist of both primary and secondary sources (30 to 50 pages per week)          
2. Writing Assignments (2000-4000 total words) that will critically interpret primary and secondary sources, such as:
    a. Reaction papers
    b. Analytical essays
    c. Book reviews
    d. Research papers
3. Essay exams, including a final; exams may include objective questions
4. Participation in discussions
5. Additional assignments as determined by instructor may include: Objective quiz(zes)

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.
Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.Writing
30 - 50%
Writing Assignments
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.Problem Solving
0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.Skill Demonstrations
0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.Exams
40 - 60%
Essay exams
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.Other Category
0 - 10%
Attendance, participation, quiz(zes) (if assigned)


Representative Textbooks and Materials:
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Latin America: An Interpretative History. 10th ed. Charlip, Julie and Burns, Bradford. Prentice Hall. 2017. (classic).
Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, 5th ed. Casteen, John Charles. W. W. Norton and Company. 2024
Born in Blood and Fire: Latin American Voices, A Reader. Casteen, John Charles. W. W. Norton and Company. 2016. (classic).
A History of Latin America, Volume I. 9th ed. Keen, Benjamin and Haynes, Keith. Cengage Learning. 2012. (classic).
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. De las Casas, Bartolome. ReadaClassic.com. 2009. (classic).
The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Leon-Portilla, Miguel and Kemp, Lysander and Klor de Alva, J. Jorge. Beacon Press. 2006. (classic).
The Mangy Parrot: The Life and Times of Periquillo Sarniento Written by Himself for His Children. De Lizardi, Fernandez. Hackett Publishing Company. 2005. (classic).
Autobiography of a Slave. Manzano, Juan Francisco. Wayne State University Press. 1996. (classic).

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