https://at-ceu.studyguide.timeedit.net/modules/POLS5775?type=COREIt is not by coincidence that Latin America has contributed many scholars and much material to the field of comparative politics. The region has a long history with republicanism and modern democracy, one full of upheavals and reversals, as well. This course's first aim is to give students a background in Latin America's political history (and the history of a country of their choice) from independence to the 21st century through the experiences of regime change in Latin America. A second goal of the course is to explore the relationship between democracy, state-building and nation-making. The experiences of Latin American democracies in these regards are relevant well beyond the continent, in old and young democracies alike. For this course, students will be expected to pick at least one Latin American country to "specialize" in, will familiarize themselves with this country's history and politics through country-specific texts and by regularly following the news there over the course of the semester. These will be the subject of short assignments. For Political Science MA students the final assignment will be to produce, as final paper, a research paper along one of the following three options: i) a cross-regional comparison of a phenomenon, event or process involving at least one Latin American country and one country outside of Latin America, ii) a within-region or within-country comparison of an event, phenomenon or process within Latin America or iii) a theory-testing paper applying a regime-related theory coming from another region to Latin America (or vice-versa). For BA students and MA students from other programs the final assignment will be more flexible, but must focus on a historical or contemporary process related to regime chance in one or multiple countries of the region.