This publication is a collection of the presentations made at the 1977 National Seminar of the Latin American Studies Association. Each article or presentation can stand alone; together they provide a sweeping view of the complexities of Latin America and suggestions for more effective secondary and college teaching about the area. There are three sections to the publication. The first section deals with Latin American studies. Articles in this section deal with a variety of topics including Latin American economic life, the city, Cuban literature from 1608 to 1959, symbols in two Afro-Brazilian literary works (Jubiaba and Sortilegio), the historical roots of Latin America's underdevelopment, and world resources and their significance to Latin America. The second section deals with pedagogy. Articles deal with topics such as reasons for studying about Latin America, teaching, the visual history technique of teaching, using the radio to bridge the information gap about Latin America, and making films about Latin America. The third section contains bibliographies. There is an annotated listing of English language books on Latin American societies and cultures. Another listing cites books in English on the history of Mexican art. Also included is a film bibliography and an annotated list of sources for the selection of current materials on Latin America. (Author/RM)