History of the Americas

The course covers the history of Americas from early 16th century to the present. It is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the history of Latin America, focusing on the evolution of Latin America’s position in the world system, the search of Latin American nations for the path to modernization, and some important thoughts and theories in this process. The second parts discusses the history of the United States from early 17th century to 1970s and explores how the US emerged from thirteen British colonies to a superpower. The special emphasis will be placed on American nation building and its democratic experience, social reforms and civil rights movement, and its contacts with outside world in the 20th century.