Two-semester Graduate Seminar
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 am -12:00 pm
Fall Semester - North Gate Hall, Graduate School of Journalism
Spring Semester - CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street

Note: Class size will be limited to four or five each from Journalism and LAS.

"We must reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil." This is a favorite political mantra of politicians of all stripes. But what does it really mean? And what are the implications of a policy to increase foreign oil production in other parts of the world? This two-semester class will examine these questions on the ground in Latin America.

Four countries in Latin America -- Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico -- ship more oil to the U.S. than all the Persian Gulf countries combined. Few Americans are aware of this. Yet given major recent finds in Colombia (including a billion-barrel find by Occidental), the new heavy crude pipeline being built in Ecuador, and Venezuela's vast resources, South America may become even more crucial to U.S. energy demands, and to the strategic objectives of U.S. foreign policy. In addition, Mexico's high production, linked both to U.S. energy "independence" and Mexico's own notions of sovereignty, make it an extremely important player in Latin America.

Given the emphasis of the current administration to meet growing energy demands not with conservation, but with aggressive efforts to secure greater supplies of oil and gas worldwide, the Latin American connection, and its effects in the region, bears close watching.

This class will look at the Latin American countries described above- in teams of two or three, with each team including at least one student from both LAS and the J-School. Each student will be required to make a two-semester commitment. The teams will begin from a shared pool of knowledge based on readings, lectures and briefings from political, military, resource and environmental experts. Field reporting will be done early in the second semester.

The final product will be a major newspaper series for English and Spanish-language dailies, to run in the summer of 2003.

Registration: Interest in the class is expected to exceed space, so admission will be based on application. Students will need to send a resume and one-page letter to the instructor describing interest, qualifications, experience in natural resources and Latin American issues, and a willingness to share responsibilities for research, reporting and writing with fellow students. Familiarity with L.A. and proficiency in Spanish preferred but not essential.

Applications for the class are due on July 1, 2002. They should be sent via e-mail to sandytolan@yahoo.com. If you are interested in being a TA for the course, please send an e-mail ASAP.