Teaching Latin American History I As a Hybrid Course

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Teaching Latin American History IAs a Hybrid
Course
William A. Paquette Professor of History MERLOT
History Editor wpaquette_at_tcc.edu
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Why Teach Latin American History?

• The Hispanic Population represented 14.8 of the
  United States Population in 2006 and remains the
  fastest growing minority group in the United
  States.
• United States History textbooks are Anglo-centric
  with the focus on England and the English
  settlements in the United States.
• The first European explorers in the 15th century
  to the United States were sent by Spain.
• The vast majority of exploration and successful
  colonization in the Americas was done by Spain
  and Portugal in the 16th century.
• The oldest city in the United States is St.
  Augustine, Florida and, yet colonial Americas
  focus remains the English settlements.
• The exploration and settlement of Florida, Texas,
  California, and the region between Texas and
  California was done by Spain and predates the
  westward expansion of the 19th century United
  States, but it is rarely emphasized in proper
  chronological context.
• The need for the Spanish (and Portuguese)
  perspective on the exploration, colonization, and
  settlement of the Americas.
• The Spanish encountered the Americas most
  advanced Pre-Columbian civilizations among the
  Aztec, Inca, and Maya peoples.

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Percent of Hispanics by Regionof the United
States (2006)

• In the Northeast 11.3 of the population is
  Hispanic.
• In the Midwest 5.3 of the population is
  Hispanic.
• In the South 14.5 of the population is
  Hispanic.
• In the West 26.6 of the population is Hispanic.

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Distribution of Hispanics by Place of Origin
(2006)

• 65.5 are from Mexico (28.3 million).
• 8.6 are from Puerto Rico (3.7 million).
• 8.2 are from Central America (3.5 million).
• 6.0 are from South America (2.6 million)
• 3.7 are from Cuba (1.6 million).
• 8.0 are Hispanic from other locations (3.4
  million).

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Why a Hybrid Course?

• Students are engaged in active learning.
• Blackboard becomes a tool permitting continuous
  discussion.
• Permits the use of videos whose running time are
  longer than the normal classroom meeting.
• Blackboard discussion board permits video content
  and commentary exchanges.
• MERLOT websites enhance content learning, which
  demand longer time allotments.
• Lectures permit introduction of key themes.
• Lectures direct active learning activities.
• Hybrid resources extend learning and offset
  limits of existing Latin American History
  textbooks.
• Permits the incorporation of student experiences
  in Latin America.
• Permits the incorporation of faculty study in
  Latin America.

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The Geography of Latin America

• Map 1 Pre-Columbian Civilizations in Latin
  America.
• Map 2 1780 Viceroyalties in Latin America.
• Map 3 Contemporary Latin America.

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Pre-Columbian Civilizations
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Viceroyalties of 1780 Latin America
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Latin America Geography and Population Centers
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The Olmec Video
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The Mysterious Olmec People

• Students watch The Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico
  produced by the National Gallery of Art,
  Washington, DC.
• The origins of the Olmec people remains a
  mystery.
• The National Gallery of Arts exhibition on the
  Olmec brought Shang Dynasty scholars to
  Washington who concluded that funeral shards
  contained Shang Dynasty Chinese calligraphy.
• Were the Olmec Chinese?
• If the Olmec were Chinese how would this change
  the record on the history of the Americas?
• The Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico engages the
  student in using art and archaeology to decipher
  clues to a cultures origin.
• Identifies the populations of Mesoamerica
  influenced by the Olmec.

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Central AmericaThe Burden of Time Video
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The Maya of Central America

• The Maya civilization was the only one in the
  Americas to develop a written language.
• The Maya excelled in mathematics and astronomy.
• Who were the Maya?
• What were their religious beliefs?
• How were they governed?
• Did they engage in bloodletting?
• What is their history timelines?
• How accurate is the Mel Gibson film Apocalypto?
• What sports did the Maya play?
• Why did their civilization collapse before the
  arrival of the Spanish?
• Why does the Maya calendar stop on December 23,
  2012?

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Mesoamerica Slides from Coba, Chichen Itza, and
Tulum
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Three Maya City StatesCoba, Chichen Itza, Tulum

• Coba, Late Classic Period, 200 B.C.E. to 900 C.E.
• Chichen Itza, Terminal and Early Post Classic
  Period, 800 to 1200 C.E.
• Tulum, Late Post Classic Period, 1200-1530 C.E.

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Tulum Chichen Itza Video
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The Mesoamerican BallgameMERLOT Assignment

• Provides information about the Maya culture.
• Provides information about Maya art.
• Provides information about major Maya
  city-states Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque,
  Tikal, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, and Copan.
• Explains the rules of the Maya ballgame.
• Introduces user to diagrams of play, game songs,
  uniforms, artwork associated with the sport.
• Discusses whether women could play.
• Presents what happened to the team that lost.
• The site self-tests by creating a animation that
  allows two teams to play the game and score
  points.

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Mesoamerican Ballgame
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Xcaret Mesoamerican Ballgames Video
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The Astronomy of Central and South AmericaMERLOT
Assignment

• The site introduces the user to the importance
  astronomy played in the Pre-Columbian
  civilizations of the Americas.
• Users are able to calculate dates according to
  the Maya calendar system.
• The site explains how the Maya calendar system
  was developed.
• The site explains how the movement of heavenly
  bodies determined religious celebrations, war
  declarations, political decisions.
• Introduces users to the Maya prophecy interpreted
  as the end of the world on December 23, 2012.
• Explains how the reign dates of Maya rulers are
  calculated.
• Compares Maya, Toltec, Aztec, Inca calendar
  systems.

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Astronomy of Central and South America
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Uxmal Video
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TeotihuacanAztec City of the Gods

• Review slides from Mesoamerica CD on Teotihuacan
• The Citadel
• The Temple of Quetzalcoatl
• The Avenue of the Dead
• The Pyramid of the Sun
• The Pyramid of the Moon
• The Quetzal-Papalotl
• Palace of the Jaguars
• Temple of the Feathered Conches

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Mel Gibsons Apocalypto Video
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Maya and Aztec ContributionsThe Accuracy of
Apocalypto

• The Maya writing system of glyphs for science and
  literature.
• The Maya calendar system.
• The legacy of the Maya.
• Olmec, Maya, and Toltec influences on the Aztec.
• The abandonment of Teotihuacan.
• Tenochtitlan, the Aztec Capital.

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Pre-Columbian Civilizations of South America

• Coastal Civilizations along the Andes.
• The geography of South America.
• The civilization known as Sipan.
• The Inca civilization.

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Sipan Video
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The Lord of Sipan

• Who were the Moche?
• Who was buried in the Moche tombs?
• Where did the Moche live?
• What is learned from the archeological tomb
  evidence?
• What was the level of civilization for the Moche?

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The Incas Video
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The Inca

• What caused the Inca to thrive?
• Where was the Incan Empire located?
• How did the Inca communicate without a written
  language?
• How was the Inca military organized?
• How did the geography of the Andes affect the
  development of the Inca Empire?
• How did a road system facilitate government
  functions?
• Who were the Nazca?
• What is the importance of Cuzco and Manchu
  Picchu?
• What food crops did the Inca grow?
• Describe the Inca system of terracing.
• What does mummification reveal about Inca
  religious beliefs?

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The Geometry of the IncaMERLOT Assignment

• Introduces user to the design of Manchu Picchu
  and how geometry was infused in this Inca city
  design plan.
• Examines the mysterious lines of Nazca using
  mathematical rules of geometry.
• Examines the layout of Cuzco by mathematical
  design and relates the design to other Inca
  cities.
• Permits new interpretations about the origins of
  ancient cities by the study of mathematics.

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The Geometry of the Inca
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Los IncosMERLOT Assignment

• The site explores the history of the Inca people.
• The site describes the political organization of
  the Incan Empire.
• The site examines the development of technology
  by the Inca and how this affected agriculture and
  warfare.
• The site presents an understanding about
  agriculture, terraced farming, and the variety of
  foods grown, e.g. the many varieties of potatoes
  and tapiocas.
• The site examines the critical function of roads
  and messengers in trying the Incan Empire into a
  unified state.
• The site presents specific artistic contributions
  by the Inca.
• The site presents specific scientific
  contributions by the Inca.
• The site examines the extensive network of trade
  and commerce.

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Los Incos
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The Mission Video
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The Mission Video

• What was the nature of the dispute between Spain
  and Portugal in the Amazon River region?
• How did the Portuguese Jesuits treatment of the
  native population compare with the treatment of
  the indigenous population by the Spanish Jesuits?
• What contributed to the indigenous populations
  acceptance of Roman Catholicism?
• Which European country was awarded the land in
  dispute?
• How did the Spanish treat the indigenous
  population?
• What does the film reveal about Spanish colonial
  policies toward the indigenous population?
• How did Roman Catholicism fail the indigenous
  peoples?

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The Buried Mirror SeriesVideo Series
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The Buried MirrorVideo Series

• Part I The Virgin and the Bull explores the
  symbolism of the two most misunderstood
  archetypes of Spanish culture the Virgin Mary
  and the bullfight.
• Part II Conflict of the Gods retraces the
  culture and society of the Aztecs.
• Part III The Age of Gold examines how gold,
  silver, chocolate, tomatoes, the potato, and
  Roman Catholicism contributed to the destruction
  of the pre-Columbian world.
• Part IV The Price of Freedom follows the
  independence movements of Bolivar and San Martin
  in 19th century Latin America.
• Part V Unfinished Business focuses on the
  contemporary problems facing Latin America.

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European Voyages of ExplorationSpain and
PortugalMERLOT Assignment

• Examines the history of Spain and Portugal before
  exploration.
• Discusses the political systems in place for both
  Spain and Portugal in the 15th century.
• Describes the economy, people, and urban
  population of Spain and Portugal.
• Explains why both Spain and Portugal became
  exploring nations.
• Identifies the key figures in Spain and Portugal
  who promoted exploration and colonization.
• Discusses the role of Spain and Portugals
  explorers, conquistadors, and Roman Catholic
  Church in the colonization of the Americas.
• Explains when and why African slavery was
  introduced into the Americas.
• Provides the opportunity to evaluate the Spanish
  and Portuguese legacy on the Americas indigenous
  populations.

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The European Voyages of Exploration
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The ConquistadorsMERLOT Assignment

• Offers theories for the fall of the Aztec Empire.
• Examines the role of Cortes as hero or villain.
• Explains why the Incan Empire succumbed to the
  Spanish.
• Traces the routes of Spanish and Portuguese
  explorers along the Amazon.
• Examines the critical role of Cabeza de Vaca in
  protecting the rights of indigenous peoples.
• Introduces theories about who were the first
  people to populate the Americas.
• Introduces users to key figures associated with
  European exploration of the Americas.
• Provides an effective timeline for the arrival
  and settlement of Europeans into the Americas.

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The ConquistadorsMERLOT Assignment
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16th Century Spanish Census of the
AmericasMERLOT Assignment

• The site provides the 50 item questionnaire
  developed by Juan Lopez de Velasco to provide the
  King of Spain with an understanding of the lands
  Spain acquired in the Americas.
• Questions ask the identification of native
  languages.
• Questions ask which conquistadores took which
  regions.
• Questions ask for the description of the
  geography.
• Questions ask for the description of the plant
  and animal life.
• Questions ask for the description of Spanish and
  indigenous villages.
• Questions ask for the description of how homes
  are built.
• Questions ask for the description of crops
  cultivated.
• Questions ask for the identification of plants
  for medical use.
• Questions ask about trade and commerce.
• Questions ask about the location of churches and
  monasteries.

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16th Century CensusMERLOT Assignment
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Builders of ImageLatin American Cultural
Identity Video

• Why is Latin America an important to
  understanding the history of the Americas and the
  United States?
• How does Art shape the cultural identity of Latin
  America?
• How does music shape the cultural identity of
  Latin America?
• How did the art and music of pre-Columbian
  civilizations blend with the art of African
  slaves and Catholic Spain and Portugal?

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Builders of Image Video
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Summary of Learning Toolsfor a Hybrid Course

• Slides
• Videos
• MERLOT assignments
• Readings
• Discussion Boards
• Maps
• Lectures
• Faculty/student travel experiences

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The End

• William A. Paquette
• Professor of History
• MERLOT History Editor
• wpaquette_at_tcc.edu