What has changed in Latin America since the beginning of the XXI century? This course examines the political, social, and economic dimensions of contemporary Latin America identifying the region’s major challenges for the next decades and showing how global processes impact local realities and shape what’s at stake. In the first three sessions, we will review the history and basic theories to understand modern Latin America, comparing different theoretical perspectives. State formation and classic populism will also be covered. Then, the seminar will focus on five major topics that strike the core of the region’s social and political problems: the “Pink Tide” of the early 2000s, parties, and party systems, new social movements, corruption, and organized crime, and the region in the US-China rivalry. A closing session will be dedicated to discussing the region’s future challenges and prospective scenarios. The course is addressed to both graduate and undergraduate students with or without previous knowledge about Latin America.