Transitional justice is an emerging field of law and inter-disciplinary academic study.  Latin America has been at the forefront of the transitional justice movement since the early 1980s, and countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Peru continue to serve as models for other societies seeking a peaceful post-conflict transition.  This course will introduce students to the study and application of transitional justice by exploring and analyzing the way South American societies have transitioned from dictatorship and war to democracy and peace.  Case studies of transitional justice mechanisms in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Peru will be supplemented with general discussions of the competing objectives present in post-conflict societies.  This will provide the foundation for understanding the possibilities and challenges inherent to transitional justice work.