Latin America has experienced dramatic political and economic changes over the past 50 years. Politically, it has witnessed swings between democratic and military rule. Economically, it has moved from state-led market-driven development policies. Socially, it has evolved from a society with strong and powerful labor unions and even revolutonary movements, to one in which tradtional social movements have lost much of their momentum but ethic movements have become increasingly consequential. This course will analyze and explain these political, economic, and social developments by focusing on two themes: democracy and development. We will evaluate competing theoretical approaches to the region by analyzing these theories in light of the political trajectories of six Latin American cases: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru.