History 389 - Agrarian America

Explores societies generated in the Americas by several widely distributed export crops. Multinational and cross-cultural comparisons holding constant the crop itself allows a focus on the possible variations by time and place in each commodity's technologies, labor systems, farm sizes, and social structure; their political and social dynamics; the problematic features of capitalism in agriculture, or if, how, and when do peasants become farmers and farming agribusiness? Particular focus on family and household relations under so-called "peasant to farmer" agricultural transitions and environmental implications of single-crop and export agriculture.

This course is open to juniors and seniors; Prereq: 8 credits in Latin American Studies or related field.