About the education
The course comprises two thematic blocks. The first has a political science approach, with a focus on the democratic system and its institutions. The other has a legal sociological perspective, with a focus on the influence of social movements on the political and legal development. The course gives an introduction to the central discussions concerning democratization in Latin America, with an emphasis on political developments since the 1980s. The course regards democratization as mainly an institutional and legal sociological process of change (the social movements rights based struggle), but also includes its relation to economy and culture in the following areas:
-theories about democratic transitions and phases of consolidation
-state and civil society
-social movements
-legal pluralism
-women's rights
-globalization, democratization and citizenship
Subject: Latin America Studies
Latin America is changing. New movements and ideas are gaining ground; patterns of trade are altered; poverty decreases. While the continent seeks a place in today’s globalized world, political and economic developments offer opportunities for previously marginalized groups to demand acceptance and rights. Progress notwithstanding, several of the countries on the continent continue to be marked by the inequality and instability that has plagued their pasts.
The interaction between past, present and current tendencies is at the centre of Latin American Studies. It is a multidisciplinary subject, whose methods and theories are primarily derived from the social sciences. Apart from the general study of the continent, students are given the opportunity to concentrate on specific themes and sub-regions. At advanced levels, the question of how the study of social sciences and the humanities can be enriched by examples and insights from Latin America is addressed.
The Institute of Latin American Studies is responsible for the courses. Research at the institute spans a multitude of subjects, such as economic integration, the interaction between gender-ethnicity-class, human rights, and social movements.
Area of interest: Human, Social and Political Sciences, and Law
Are you interested in human beings and society? How we function individually and together, what drives us, our learning processes, how rules and laws have been established, and how we interact with each other? If that is the case we have a lot to offer.
This area of interest covers anything from Pedagogy, Psychology and Gender Studies, to Statistics, Political Science, Law and many other subjects. Their common denominator is the relation between human beings and society, independent analytical thinking and often an international perspective.