Latina/o Studies Major

Effective WINTER 2019

Prerequisites

None. 

Requirements

Minimum Credits: 30

An interdisciplinary degree, the Latina/o Studies major consists of 30 credits. The objective of this major program is to engage students in a diversity of disciplinary approaches to the study of U.S. Latinas/os as well as to introduce them to the central intellectual questions and topics that have emerged in this field of inquiry. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Latino Studies, students interested in pursuing graduate study in a particular discipline should double concentrate in the respective department in order to have the needed background to enter graduate school. The major consists of:

1. Latino Studies Major Second Language Proficiency Requirement: Given the importance of second language proficiency to the study of Latina/o populations in the United States, the Latina/o Studies Program requires all majors to satisfy their 4th term proficiency in Spanish, or another relevant language approved by the program advisor.

2. AMCULT 213: Introduction to Latina/o Studies

3. Students will be required to take six additional Latina/o Studies courses. Two of the six courses must be at the 300 level or above. 

4. AMCULT 498: Capstone. Students will take AMCULT 498 (or an equivalent approved by the LS advisor). They will use this course to complete a major independent project on a topic relevant to Latina/o Studies. 

5. Tracks. When declaring the major, students will identify one of five primary tracks (comparative ethnic studies, gender and sexuality, migration and transnationalism, community engagement and social action, and arts and media). The LS director will consult with students, helping them to select courses to complete the track (and to confirm the completion at the time of the senior release). The expectation will be that at least 4 courses, but no more than 6, will combine to provide coherence for the selected track. Students may propose alternative tracks with the approval of the LS Director.

Prerequisites

LATINOAM/AMCULT 213, Introduction to Latino Studies (3 credits)

Requirements (27 Credits)

Students are required to take ONE 3-credit course that focuses on Latina/os in the U.S. in each of the following areas. The courses listed below are regularly offered through the Latina/o Studies program, but students are free to use other courses pending approval from the Program Advisor.

History and Society
LATINOAM/AMCULT 204, Latina/o Religions & Cultures
LATINOAM/AMCULT 315 or 312, History of U.S. Latinos
LATINOAM/AMCULT 301, Topics in Chicana/o History
LATINOAM/AMCULT 226, The Latin Tinge
LATINOAM/AMCULT 304, American Immigration
LATINOAM/AMCULT 313, Cuba and its Diaspora

Gender and Sexuality
LATINOAM/AMCULT 243, Latina Women in the U.S.
WOMENSTD 293, Women of Color

Language & the Arts
LATINOAM/AMCULT 327, Latino/Latina Literature in the US
LATINOAM/SPANISH 440, Literature and Culture of the Borderlands (Latina/o topic)

Media & Popular Culture
LATINOAM/AMCULT 381, Latinas/os and the Media
LATINOAM/AMCULT 226 The Latin Tinge
LATINOAM/AMCULT 380: Studies in Transnational Media
LATINOAM/AMCULT 420 Latin American & Latino/a Film Studies

Community Service Learning
Students may choose from the following courses taught in a Latino context:
AMCULT 388, 425 SPANISH 428; RCCORE 309.006; SOC 389; PSYCH 401; or WOMENSTD 425

Additional Components

Language Requirement

All majors must satisfy 4th term proficiency in Spanish or another relevant language approved by the Program Advisor.

Electives

Two 300- or 400-level courses in Latina/o Studies.

Cognates

Two courses outside the Latina/o Studies curriculum including advisor-approved courses offered by other departments, one each from the following areas: 

• Latin American culture, history, literature (may include courses in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, Anthropology, History, Sociology, Political Science);
• Asian Pacific Islander American Studies; African American Studies (may include courses offered through DAAS); Native American Studies; or Arab and Muslim American Studies.