Description:Examines the historic role of the Catholic Church in Latin America. Major themes include the conversion of New World peoples to Catholicism, syncretism, Church and State, and Liberation Theology. Other units include indigenous religions and beliefs, Protestantism and Judaism in Latin America.

Intended Audience:(200 Level) Aimed at lower-division undergraduate students of any major who are interested in Latin America. The course will also seek to meet the General Education goals and objectives for cultural humanities and diversity. 

Prerequisites:Any 100 level history course.

Format: Lectures, discussions, reaction papers, tests.

Required books:

Cook, Alexandra Parma and David Noble Cook. Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance: A Case of Transatlantic Bigamy. Duke, 1991.

Garrard-Burnett, Virginia, ed. On Earth as It is in Heaven. Scholarly Resources, 2000.

Schwaller, John F., ed. The Church in Colonial Latin America. Scholarly Resources, 2000.