Argentina: Regional Integration, Development, and Social Change

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Examine the challenges social actors are facing in developing countries by examining a process of regional integration through the experience of MERCOSUR (Mercado Común del Sur/Southern Common Market), which includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Each student is presented with social, political, and economic problems as it deals with internal, regional, and global shifts.  Based in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, students travel on educational excursions to three of the four MERCOSUR member nations. Each country is like a distinct "lens" through which to examine the process of integration in the Southern Cone.

Lectures encompass each country's political and economic history while looking at salient social issues sets the stage for a deeper understanding on educational excursions. Field visits cover relevant issues such as alternative development, participatory democracy, grassroots movements and cultural identity. Students also gain insight into the different countries' view of MERCOSUR, its benefits and its problems.

Argentina: Regional Integration, Development, and Social Change alum featured on KPFA in Berkeley, CA
Moira Birss (University of Michigan) was featured in La Raza Chronicles on KPFA in Berkeley, CA, about her work on human rights in Colombia.
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