Overview of changing social structure in the Third World.

Introduction to present-day Latin American politics and society with a focus on drug-trafficking and urban destitution in Brazil; party politics, protest, and collective violence in Argentina; the current political situation in Venezuela; and migration from Central America and the Caribbean to the United States. Also includes a general overview of revolutions and revolutionary movements in Latin America, and the effects of United States intervention in the region during the twentieth century.

Study of the role consumption plays in social, economic, and political relations in Latin America, as well as contesting ideas about this role.

Explore how institutions have shaped the gendered, racial, and class-based experiences of Latinxs from a sociological perspective, including historical patterns of Latinx migration to the United States, contestations over racial classifications, and problematic issues surrounding the term Latino. Review more recent studies that show how different institutions shape the Latinx experience and demonstrate how gendered, racial, and classed forces have shaped various Latinx communities. Examine Latinx agency and how Latinx communities have sought to reconfigure and push back on these social forces.