This course provides an in-depth examination of the geographies of violence in Central America. As a region frequently characterized as endemically prone to violence, it is vital to analyze and contextualize the violence. Approaching violence in Central America from a geographic perspective involves not only locating and "placing" the violence, but also thinking relationally about the multiple, overlapping scales of activity, both within and beyond the region. The course is divided into three parts. In the first section of the course we begin with an overview of the foundations for understanding violence in Central America. In addition to covering the physical and human geography of the region we also delve into various ways of defining violence, with a particular emphasis on how geographers conceptualize violence. In the second section, we delve into various theoretical approaches for understanding the nature of multiple types of violence and draw from historical and contemporary events in Central America. In the third section of the course we take a closer look at specific case studies in the region, covering topics such as genocide, alcoholism, immigration, gangs and drug-trafficking. Sophomore standing or above.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS LCD; AS SD I; AS SC
