CEDLA - UvA Bachelor courses

Politics and Protest: The Latin American State and Social Movements
Course lecturer: dr. B.B. Hogenboom (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
In this course we deal with the causes and consequences of political turmoil and change in Latin America, with an emphasis on democratization and democratic backsliding, economic development policy, and mobilization around 'old' and 'new' social and political issues, such as participation, (human) rights, (social) justice and violence.

The Identity of the City in Latin America
Course lecturer: dr. C. Klaufus (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
In this course students will explore the workings of urban identity formation and its roots, making use of geographical, sociological and anthropological studies. In the introductory part an overview will be given of Latin American urban studies and the history of urban development in the region. The attention will subsequently shift towards contemporary social movements, socio-spatial segregation, violence, urban policies and urban governance.
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Gender and Social Inequality in Latin America
Course lecturer: dr. JHJ Weegels (co-ordinator)
SEM 2 - Course load: 6 EC
Gender, class and ethnic relations in Latin America are being reshuffled and rapidly changing in the context of globalization, social transformations and political turmoil. The women’s movement received a new impetus as millions of women took to the streets to protest gendered violence. Restructuring labour markets, economic challenges and increasing (re)migration flows have produced additional effects and demands in the daily lives of women and men, but have also offered new opportunities.

Brazil: Democracy, Citizenship and Culture
Course lecturer: dr. F. de Castro (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
The aim of the course is to promote a thorough knowledge on current debates around societal transformation in Brazil, in regards to politics, culture and sustainability. The course will address political transformations, social and environmental struggles and cultural diversity such as class, ethnicity, race/colour, religion, and gender. As the fifth largest country in the world and one of the tenth largest economies, Brazil plays a major role in economic and social processes in Latin America and is an increasingly prominent player in regional and global politics.

Race, Place, and the Politics of Indigeneity
Course lecturer: dr. D.A. Brablecova PhD (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
How are race/ethnicity and colonisation connected, and in what ways have racialised populations been impacted by the workings of racism around the world? What are the implications of demanding the recognition of an Indigenous identity when living in the city? To what extent have those suffering the consequences of racism been able to organise resistance movements to defend their collective rights? And how do post-colonial states around the world have responded to the increasing demands articulated by racialised populations both nationally and internationally?

Research in Latin America
Course lecturer: dr. JHJ Weegels (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
In this course students learn about doing social science research, through learning by doing. You will learn about research design and methodology, but also conduct a small research of your own. The course can be seen as a preparation for your internship and/or field research in Latin America. It will start with a theoretical introduction in the form of lectures based on knowledge-transfer and -building.

Encountering the Americas: Latin America in the 21st Century
Course lecturer: dr. D.A. Brablecova PhD (co-ordinator)
Course load: 6 EC
By examining the most pressing and paradigmatic issues affecting the countries that conform contemporary Latin America, this course will provide a fresh look into the region's critical challenges and notable achievements. Drawing upon cutting-edge research, this course will dive into the region's distinct social, political, and economic realities from a range of disciplines and case studies, emphasising the commonalities found among countries while providing insight into regional differences and acknowledging the particularities of sub-regions and states.

Social Justice in Context
Course lecturer: dr. JHJ Weegels (co-ordinator)
SEM 1 - Course load: 6 EC
Social justice at large refers to the fair distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within a society, including equal access to these resources. While the law and international human rights frameworks often deem such resources universally available, there are many barriers to them on the ground. This course addresses different struggles for justice in their historical and political context.

Crime, Justice and Conflict Otherwise
Course lecturer: dr. JHJ Weegels (co-ordinator)
SEM 1 - Course load: 6 EC
This course provides insight into the realities of justice work and its tensions with the law, critically questioning the normative limitations of who and what we struggle for by looking closely at dynamics of conflict, exclusion and criminalization. These processes do not impact all eople equally. Instead, they tend to reproduce geographies of intersecting inequalities.

Democracy, Populism and Resistance
Course lecturer: dr. D.A. Brablecova PhD (co-ordinator)
SEM 2 - Course load: 6 EC
In this course, we examine the challenges that liberal democracies face today from various ideological currents. Populist authoritarian regimes are curbing the rule of law in many countries worldwide, while transnational conservative organizations, both official and grassroots, challenge progressive ideals about gender, the family, and climate change. Importantly, these challenges come not only from the political right but also from what is perceived as the political left.

Environmental and Climate Justice
Course lecturer: dr. F. de Castro (co-ordinator)
SEM 2 - Course load: 6 EC
This course will address inequalities and injustices emerging from different patterns of control, access and usage of natural resource. Based primary on the Global South context, students will get familiar with concepts of environmental and climate justice grounded in distributional, recognition and participation struggles faced by marginalized rural societies and the urban poor. Environmental and climate justice will be discussed and related to broader concepts of justice, violence and intersectionality between ethnicity, gender and class.

Spatial Justice across Cities
Course lecturer: mw. dr. C. Klaufus (co-ordinator)
SEM 2 - Course load: 6 EC
This course engages in academic debates on urban inequality in relation to spatialprocesses and limited access to urban infrastructures. Taking Latin American cities as a starting point, students will be familiarized with collective claims made under the banner of the Right to the City and with grassroots projects to occupy and re-use urban land and buildings, and claiming access to (trans-)urban services and infrastructures. Examples of these are contemporary forms of squatting and urban commoning, for example in community gardening projects.