A historical perspective on Mexico in view of its current situation

Organized by: The University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles (UDGLA) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Los Angeles extension program (UNAM-LA)

Coordinators: Dr. Samuel Schmidt, Dr. José Luis Talancón E.

Objectives

• To give students an overview of the present-day realities of Mexico from an interdisciplinary perspective, which will entail covering the interconnected historical factors in the social, economic, scientific, cultural, environmental, migratory and political spheres which have shaped contemporary Mexico.

• To analyze the complex situation that the country faces today in the context of modern world history and based on an assessment of categories and concepts traditionally used in the social sciences.

• To carry out a dynamic and novel examination of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries which emphasizes the legacies and events that contributed to the founding of the Mexican nation-state following the pre-Hispanic and colonial periods. A relative assessment of the country's expectations, realities, aspirations and opportunities, and how they may play out in the twenty-first century.

Methodology and support materials

The certificate program consists of 60 hours of instruction, given in 13 sessions of four hours each and based on four subject areas. A roundtable session and four hours of theoretical instruction will also be offered. Participants will be given a collection of mandatory readings which they are expected to have read before each session, hence enabling them to participate more effectively. The course's theoretical component will include the research and preparation of a final essay to obtain the course certificate, which will be awarded jointly by UDGLA and UNAM-LA.

Intended for: Staff of the Consulate General of Mexico, Los Angeles.

Location: Consulate General of Mexico, Los Angeles

Schedule: Tuesdays from 5 pm to 9 pm

Dates: January 18 - April 26

Participants will receive a certificate issued jointly by UDGLA and UNAM-LA

Syllabus

Session 1 (January 18). Present-day Mexico from the perspective of the struggles of the nineteenth century

Lecturer: José Luis Talancón, UNAM-LA

Session 2 (January 25). The political economy. From the Porfiriato and the emergence of nationalism to neoliberalism in the context of the hegemony of global transformations.

Lecturer: Gonzalo Santos. Department of Sociology, California State University, Bakersfield

Session 3 (February 1). The effects of the global economic crisis on US-Mexico border cities. The role of local governments.

Lecturer: Manuel Perlo. UNAM

Session 4 (February 8). International politics. From revolutionary nationalism to neoliberalism

Lecturer: Juan Carlos Mendoza, Consulate General of Mexico, Los Angeles

Session 5 (February 15). Violence. Defining the new context

Lecturer: Héctor Raúl Solís, CUCSH, UDG

Session 6 (February 22). Migration and remittances

Lecturer: Raúl Hinojosa, UCLA

Session 7 (March 1). The difficulties of an uneasy coexistence between Mexico and the US

Lecturer: Silvia Nuñez, CISAN-UNAM

Session 8 (March 08). Mexicans from the US. The Chicano movement

Lecturer: Juan Gómez Quiñones

Session 9 (March 15). Hispanic USA or Latino-American Dream?

Lecturer: María Lopes. College of Social Sciences,  California State University, Fresno

Session 10 (March 22). TV culture and national identity

Lecturer: Ana B. Uribe, University of Colima-LA

Session 11 (March 29). The weight of Mexican culture in defining history

Lecturer: Rubén Hernández, UCLA

Session 12 (April 5). Culture as an instrument of foreign policy

Lecturer: Alejandro Pelayo Rangel, Consulate General of Mexico, Los Angeles

Session 13 (April 12). Politics. From revolutionary nationalism to alternation

Lecturer: Samuel Schmidt, UDGLA

Session 14 (April 19). The construction of a new citizenry

Lecturer: Cesar Cansino, BUAP

Session 15 (April 26). Roundtable. Perspectives on 2012

Lecturers: Samuel Schmidt, UDGLA and José Luis Talancón, UNAM-LA

Gonzalo Santos,  Maria Lopes

Information:

(213) 785-1313 UDGLA

(213) 627-3930 UNAM-LA