CLAS70: Introduction to Latin America

Purpose: to help other instructors teaching the same course

Common Course ID:  CLAS70: Introduction to Latin America
CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: Open source materials, journal articles, and articles from the Oxford Encyclopedia website were used in a multidiscipline course: Introduction to Latin American Studies for lower division undergraduate students. The course was taught by Dr. Annabella España-Nájera at CSU, Fresno. The open-source materials provide introductions and analysis appropriate for a lower-division course that could cover various topics about Latin America. The main motivation to adopt open-source materials was to keep costs down for students and to have flexibility about what topics the class would address. Most student access the materials in digital format through Perusall. 

Course Title and Number:  CLAS70: Introduction to Latin America
Brief Description of course highlights:  A basic overview of Latin America; its nations, history, problems, and realities. Theoretical paradigms utilized to analyze Latin American issues are discussed. https://www.fresnostate.edu/catalog/courses-by-department/chicano-latin-amer-studies/

Student population: This course is a required course for majors in Chicano Studies and Latin American Studies. It is also typical to have non-declared majors in the course. The course does not have any prerequisites.
Learning or student outcomes:  

1. Understand key trends and issues in Latin America.
2. Increase their capacity to think critically about Latin America.
3. Build their factual knowledge about Latin American history and how it shapes its current paths. 
4. Enhance their writing and communication skills.

Key challenges faced and how resolved: It was challenging to find open-source materials focused on Latin America that were appropriate for an introductory, lower-division undergraduate class. Using open-source materials from the Oxford Encyclopedia solved most of the problem as they make available short, insightful articles written by experts on the topic that cover a wide range of topics.
Syllabus and/or Sample assignment from the course or the adoption 

Submitted an assignment for Milestones 7-10 via Canvas.   

Textbook or OER/Low cost Title: 

Brief Description:  I rely on various readings for this class, using a combination of peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals and accessible through the University Library. I also use open-source articles from the Oxford Research Encyclopedias, which provide good introductions on relevant topics (they have content available through the Library subscription but also free content). With such articles, I can highlight a variety of topics, use current research, define and discuss concepts and theories, and provide students with examples of research. Below are 2 articles I use in this class as examples. The readings are central to one of the assessments I created as part of ZCCM. 

• Yashar, D. J. (2015). Does race matter in Latin America: How racial and ethnic identities shape the region's politics. Foreign Affairs, 94, 33.
• Hess, J. (2019). Singing our own song: Navigating identity politics through activism in music. Research Studies in Music Education, 41(1), 61-64.

Student access:  Students access the readings through the course Canvas page. 

Supplemental resources: I use Perusall to facilitate student-to-student discussions of the readings. 

Provide the cost savings from that of a traditional textbook.  The course is designed so that students do not have to purchase any materials for this course. A textbook would have probably cost students between $35-55 dollars.

OER/Low Cost Adoption Process

Provide an explanation or what motivated you to use this textbook or OER/Low Cost option. I want to save students money. I also want the flexibility to present them with cutting edge research on relevant topics. Relying on articles gives them the flexibility to add/remove topics, whereas using a textbook limit me to the chapters included.

How did you find and select the open textbook for this course? Searches on the Library database, Google Scholar searches, recommendations from colleagues.

Sharing Best Practices: How much more flexibility you have in selecting the topics you want do discuss in your classrooms. While it does require an investment of your time to search and evaluate OER options, the time invested is worthwhile.

Describe any challenges you experienced, and lessons learned. Finding academic articles that were appropriate for a lower-division class was difficult. 

Instructor Name:  Annabella España-Nájera
Political Science professor in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies at 
California State University, Fresno
I teach:  

CLAS70: Introduction to Latin American Studies
CLAS170: Latin American Studies
CLAS115: Mexico-US Relations after 1910
CLAS173: Latin American Politics
CLAS172S: Migration in the Americas
CLAS128: Latinx Politics
CLAS30: Critical Thinking in Chicano and Latin American Studies

Please provide a link to your university page.   https://directory.csufresno.edu/users/3425

Please describe the courses you teach.  My courses focus on the politics of Latin America, emphasizing the use of comparisons to better understand politics in Latin America and other parts of the world, including the US.

Describe your teaching philosophy and any research interests related to your discipline or teaching.  I strive to help students develop critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills that will help them succeed post-graduation. I hope to encourage students to learn more about the world around them and make connections between complex social developments.