Perspectives on El Salvador's Civil War (INTL 132)5 upper-division quarter units Instructor: Gene Palumbo Language of Instruction: English Description: The war was a turning point in Salvadoran history. It tore apart the country, and led to changes which previously had been unthinkable. To understand today’s El Salvador, it is imperative to understand the historical, political, and social aspects of the war. This course will look at its causes, its different stages, and its outcome. It will consider the various actors, both inside El Salvador and in the international community. It will begin with the pre-war period, noting the events and trends which led many Salvadorans to conclude that change would not come through traditional methods, and that armed struggle was the only alternative left to them. It will examine how the two sides – each of which, earlier on, was willing to settle for nothing less than total victory – were finally brought to the negotiating table. It will study the two-year negotiating process, and the peace accords which emerged from it. It will also look at the extremely varying evaluations of the war and its results. Required Texts Whitfield, Teresa. Paying the Price: Ignacio Ellacuría and the Murdered Jesuits of El Salvador, Temple University Press, 1994. Byrne, Hugh. El Salvador's Civil War: A Study of Revolution, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1996. |
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