I have taught at the undergraduate and graduate level courses on comparative politics, international relations, research methods and resource politics. Here are some of my past syllabi:
Comparative Democratization (POLI 334). Fall 2020 (Available here)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Since the 1970s the world experienced an important expansion of democracies. By the start of the last century, more than 60% of the world population was governed by electoral regimes. Despite the expectations, however, the trajectory of the new democracies did not conform to one particular model. In several countries where electoral regimes were established, democracy did not consolidate, as authoritarian practices survived the transition. In other cases, democracy remained unstable or was reversed altogether. There were also cases where citizens developed different mechanisms of participation and accountability from those present in liberal democracies. These scenarios have challenged early theories on the drivers of democratization and its continuity. Moreover, issues that scholars traditionally associated with feeble democracies, such as inequality and populism, now seem to impact Western democracies as well. This situation urges us to revisit some old yet pressing questions. Are there some pre-requisites for the democratization of a country? What kind of conditions favor the resilience or, on the contrary, undermine democracy in the long run? Can we draw important lessons from the path of democratization of the Global South.
This course provides students with the analytical tools to address these questions. It focuses on Western democracies and Latin America and it is divided into three parts. The first part looks into competitive definitions of democracy and regime change. The second part examines key factors such as constitutional designs, development and foreign intervention, which shape the outcomes of democratization processes. The third part looks into more recent debates on democratic consolidation, hybrid regimes (illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarianism) and the challenges that these new definitions bring to the study of democracy. This final part of the course will also address systemic challenges of liberal democracies and the rise of new forms of participation in democracies from the Global South.
Politics and Government of Latin America (POLI 332). Summer 2020 (Available here)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the patterns of sociopolitical change in Latin America. Emphasis is placed upon the quest for socioeconomic inclusion and equality in the region and states’ responses to these demands over time. A major goal of this course is to assess how much Latin America has advanced in becoming more democratic based on the inclusion of marginalized sectors. The course is divided into two parts. The first part will use emblematic country-cases to cover the most important phenomena, concepts and theories that have shaped the study of the region, such as dependency and populism, revolutions, military and bureaucratic authoritarianism, economic liberalization, transitions to democracy, social movements and indigenous politics. The second part will examine the current challenges of the region in terms of development and resource governance, corruption and democratic deepening, and the return of the Right and conservative movements.
Other resources
Along with my students from POLI 332- 2021, we have created a playlist that speaks to our weekly topics. The list has songs from all Latin America and it is progressively growing.