Latin American Studies Program

Introduction
Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Programs and Courses Offered

Program Coordinator

Sandra M. Pérez

Program Office/Website

Humanities 420A
657-278-3161
hss.fullerton.edu/latinamerican

Participating Faculty

Robey Callahan (Anthropology), James Dietz (Economics), Juan Carlos Gallego (Modern Languages), Ana Garza (Education), Joanne Gass (English), Erualdo González (Chicana/o Studies), Monica Hanna (Chicana/o Studies), James Hussar (Modern Languages), Juan Ishikawa (Modern Languages), David Kelman (English), Irene Lange (Marketing), Elisa C. Mandell (Art), Stephen Neufeld (History), Gabriela Núñez (Chicana/o Studies), Valerie R. O’Regan (Political Science), Patricia Perez (Chicana/o Studies), Denise Stanley (Economics), Robert Voeks (Geography), Carl Wendt (Anthropology), Phillipe Zacair (History)

Introduction

Latin America is our closest neighbor and a developing region with vast potential. Countries range in size from the Dominican Republic to resource-rich Brazil, which is larger than the continental United States.

By pursuing a broad, yet in-depth course of study, Latin American Studies students are well equipped to enter many fields and occupations as teachers in the United States or Latin America, as business people sensitive to Latin American history and culture, or as journalists, lawyers and doctors where contact with Latin America or Latin Americans in the United States is important.

The Latin American Studies major is designed to provide an in-depth, interdisciplinary understanding of Latin America. Majors develop language proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese, and have a broad range of courses from which to choose in anthropology, art, Chicana/o studies, economics, history, geography, political science, and modern languages and literatures. The major is well-suited for: (1) students who wish to pursue careers that require residence in or knowledge of Latin America (e.g., business, journalism, government); (2) those who plan to teach Spanish and/or social sciences in the secondary schools; and (3) students who wish to pursue graduate work in Latin American studies or other disciplines where a Latin American specialization would be helpful (e.g., political science, economics, history).

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

The following goals and learning outcomes apply to students pursuing a degree in Latin American Studies:

Write effectively

Write about Latin America’s geography, peoples, history, cultures, economies, societies, art history and institutions from an interdisciplinary perspective
Demonstrate appropriate use of sentence structure, content, organization, and purpose as is particularly relevant to argumentative writing in English, Spanish and Portuguese

Research

Demonstrate the ability to access written and electronic information about Latin America in different disciplines and follow appropriate formats in documenting resources
Gain the critical skills necessary to formulate arguments and demonstrate their validity through research-based essay papers and oral presentations following methodologies in the humanities and social sciences
Acquire and demonstrate foundational knowledge in anthropology, art history, Chicana/o studies, economics, geography, history, political science, Portuguese, or Spanish, as it pertains to Latin America and in accordance with the academic path followed in obtaining the bachelor of arts degree

Identify ideologies presented in various texts

Read resources from different historical moments, languages, and power structures in order to demonstrate an understanding of biases inherent in a text’s contents and how those ideologies have influenced Latin America’s economic and political dependence as well as its social institutions and cultural accomplishments

Language Proficiency

Develop and demonstrate in a variety of situations, and for diverse audiences, oral and written communication skills in English and Spanish or Portuguese
Demonstrate through writing assignments an understanding of the varying structures of English, Spanish and Portuguese in order to maximize understanding of authentic texts and access a multilingual and multicultural understanding appropriate to the interdisciplinary nature of the major

Latin America in a Global Context

Identify regional trends in Latin America that have marked its colonial past, economic dependency, political challenges and social inequality in order to understand its modern needs
Understand and interpret Latin America’s cultural contributions as a diverse, multilingual, ethnically diverse world region with significant influences from Amerindian, European, African and Asian peoples

Programs and Courses Offered

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Latin American Studies, B.A.

Non-Degree

Latin American Studies Minor

Courses

Latin American Studies

Course are designated as LTAM in the class schedule.