Institutions

Classes will be administered and evaluated by the Centro de Estudios Políticos y Sociales de América Latina (CEPSAL) of the Universidad de Los Andes (ULA), Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas. All classes will be given by ULA professors with the exception of community visits and guest lecturers who are experts in topics relevant to the curriculum. The ULA, through a legal agreement with Global Exchange, will grant academic credits for successful completion of course requirements. An official transcript with grades on a 4-point scale will be made available to students' home universities for transfer credit.

Courses

Venezuelan Social Movements (50 hours, 3 credits)

This course provides students with detailed knowledge of contemporary and historical social movements in Venezuela. Theories of popular organization and political participation will be analyzed in the context of grass-roots mobilization as well as state-led initiatives at the juridical-constitutional level. The interplay between state forces and autonomous social movements will be emphasized with particular attention being paid to historical class antagonisms and the role that civil society currently plays in the transformation of Venezuela from a representative to what has been called a "participatory" or "protagonistic" democracy. The course will focus on the labor movement and the current tensions playing out between radical and statist organizations; the rise of cooperativism in Venezuela as an endogenous development strategy; the women's movement and the class-based interests that shape the direction of this movement; grass-roots democracy and the spread of community councils as a method of encouraging citizen participation in local and national decision-making processes; the farmers movement and the new agrarian reform in Venezuela; community media initiatives and the democratization of the airwaves.

This course combines classroom teaching by university professors and guest lectures with community engagement and experiential learning. Classes will be held at the Universidad de Los Andes and complimented by visits with community members shaping the movements being studied. In addition to lectures and talks, students will be given the opportunity to dialogue with community leaders and visit the places where these movements are taking place. An important component of this course is a 10-day trip to the site of industrial labor struggles from Eastern to Western Venezuela where students will meet with workers in a range of industries. Students will also visit farms that have been occupied by landless farmers, ecological cooperatives in the Andes mountains, women's organizations, and community councils. Weekly reflection papers will be due every Friday.

Venezuelan History and Culture (45 hours, 3 credits)

This course focuses on the history of Venezuela from its pre-Colombian origins through colonization, the war for independence, representative democracy and puntofijismo, and the rise of Hugo Chavez Frias. Particular attention will be paid to the cultural manifestations of major social transformations which have occurred throughout Venezuelan history with emphasis being given to the move from an agrarian to urban society based largely on the discovery and exploitation of oil. Questions pertaining to concepts of modernity, the role of the state in society, and the contradictory nature of various discourses dominant in Venezuelan culture will be common threads running throughout the course. Different methodologies and perspectives from a range of academic disciplines will be incorporated including history, sociology, political science, economics, and anthropology. It will provide students with a well-rounded, accurate and holistic education on Venezuela society so that they are better suited to understand and interpret the current events in the country and engage with further academic research related to Venezuela and Latin America.

Each class will cover a specific theme and will carry along with it reading and/or video materials specific to that theme. Students are expected to read and/or view all the required material for the classes as each class will include a lecture given by a university professor who specializes in the topic followed by a discussion where students will be required to engage with the material at hand. Class participation is an important part of the grade for this course and will be based largely on these discussions. The language of instruction will be a mix of English and Spanish. Students are encouraged to use Spanish whenever possible and should try their best to discuss topics in Spanish rather than English. There will be interactive weekly assignments including ethnographic interviews and research projects intended to help stimulate students' integration in the community.

Intensive Spanish (90 hours, 6 credits)

The classes will be held twice weekly for a duration of three hours each. The Spanish component and homestays will be facilitated through the language extension unit of the University of the Andes, Fundaidiomas (www.fundaidiomas.ula.ve). The staff at Fundaidiomas are the most professional and qualified language instructors in Mérida who have experience working with foreigners and can assist in cultural integration strategies and/or problems.

The methodology used in this course is based in the communicative language learning with sociocultural elements which enrich the acquisition of Spanish as a second language. The course will also use authentic materials in order to provide opportunities to relate to real world situations where interaction with native speakers will play a pivotal role in the relationships established between the professor, student, and external community. The course will utilize grammatical explanations through the application of theoretical concepts, individual activities, group work, and homework.

Volunteer Work Internship (50 hours, 3 credits)

Students will have the option to pursue a volunteer work opportunity with an all women's organic worm composting cooperative in the mountain town of Mixteques, about an hour and half outside of the city of Mérida. Students will be given the chance to work 1 day a week for the duration of the program with the women of the cooperative, completing various tasks and learning about the methods employed in the production of both liquid and solid compost. This opportunity will provide program participants with first-hand knowledge regarding the practical, day-to-day challenges faced by small cooperatives in a rural impoverished area, accustomed to the use of chemical fertilizers to increase yields. Students will also have the chance to learn from the women of the cooperative and members of the community regarding community organizing and ecological consciousness building.

Independent Study (3 credits)

Students will have the option to pursue an independent research project in consultation with one of the professors of the program. This project should relate to one of the themes covered in class, or a separate theme approved by the professor advising the student. In the case that the research project should take the form of an essay, this essay should be no shorter than 5,000 words and exhibit a considerable amount of research on the topic at hand. All other projects, including audiovisual productions such as documentaries, will be carried out in consultation with the academic advisors and other professors who specialize in the area in question.

Evaluation

Venezuelan Social Movements

• 15% Attendance
• 25% Participation in class and community discussions
• 25% Weekly reflection papers
• 35% Final Written Exam

Venezuelan History and Culture

• 10% Attendance
• 20% Participation in class discussions
• 35% Weekly assignments
• 35% Final Written Exam

Intensive Spanish

• 20% Daily homework
• 20% Attendance and participation
• 30% Written tests
• 30% Oral Tests

Volunteer Work Internship

The internship evaluation will be based on the student's participation and successful fulfillment of work responsibilities of the cooperative. Upon completion of the internship, students will be required to author a short essay describing their experience and linking this experience to their overall understanding of Venezuela and other course materials.

Independent Study

Students will be required to meet on a regular basis with their advising professor to discuss their ideas, progress, and research strategies. The project will be due at the end of the course and evaluation will be based on the student's exhibition of commitment, continuous work throughout the program and the final research product. A qualitative assessment accompanied by a letter grade will be granted to the student upon successful completion for the project.

Course Materials

All course reading materials including articles related to specific lectures and/or seminars will be made available to students upon arrival in Venezuela.

Selected Bibliography of Courses

Bond, Robert D. ed. (1977) Contemporary Venezuela and its role in international affairs. New York University Press

Boudin, Chesa et al. (2006) The Venezuelan Revolution: 100 questions -- 100 answers. Thunder's Mouth Press.

Coronil, Fernando (1997) The magical state: nature, money, and modernity in Venezuela. University of Chicago Press

Ellner, S. and Hellinger, D. (eds.) (2003) Venezuelan politics in the Chavez era: class, polarization, and conflict.Lynne Rienner

Ewel, Judith (1984) Venezuela: A century of change. Stanford University Press

Ewel, Judith (1996) Venezuela and the United States: From Monroe's hemisphere to petroleum's empire. University of Georgia Press.

Friedman, Elisabeth J. (2000) Unfinished transitions: Women and the gendered development of democracy in Venezuela 1936 -- 1996. The Pennsylvania State University Press.

Global Exchange (2006) Realtiy Tours Venezuela: Current issues reader and resource guide. Unpublished reader compiled by Zach Hurwitz for Global Exhange, San Francisco.

Hellinger, Daniel C (1991) Venezuela: Tarnished democracy. Westview Press

Lombardi, John V. (1982) Venezuela: The search for order, the dream of progress. Oxford University Press.

McBeth, B S (1983) Juan Vicente Gómez and the oil companies in Venezuela, 1908 -- 1935. Cambridge University Press.

Otero Silva, Miguel (1955) Casas Muertas. CMR Producciones Culturales.

Rondón, Ceasar Miguel (2008) The Book of Salsa: A Chronicle of Urban Music from the Caribbean to New York City. University of North Carolina Press.

St. Aubin de Teran, Lisa (1999) The Hacienda: A MemoirBack Bay Books.

Tarver, M and Fredrick, J. (2006) The history of Venezuela. Palgrave Macmillan.

Tugwell, Franklin (1975) The politics of oil in Venezuela. Stanford University Press

Wilpert, Gregory (2007) Changing Venezuela by Taking Power. Verso.

Wright, Wintrop R. (1990) Café con leche: Race, class, and national image in Venezuela. University of Texas Press

For more information on specific classes and schedules, see our Study Abroad Overview