The objective of this course is to provide graduate students of politics with an understanding of the past and contemporary issues  related to the political development of the major countries in Latin America ( Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico)  Students will relate the process of socio-economic modernization of the region to the democratization process . They will be analyzing the workings of the formal and informal institutions in Latin America. The course also aims at developing an awareness  of the complexities of  the dynamics of authoritarian interludes as well as the democratic transition processes in Latin America. At the end of the course they are also expected to apply the concepts and the theories of comparative political analysis to Latin America.