Latin American Studies, B.A.

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(120 UNITS)

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies come from diverse backgrounds and share a profound interest in studying the lands and cultures of LatinAmerica. Graduates of the program are capable of solving problems from different disciplinary perspectives, have a critical mind and produce creative solutions in response to issues related to Latin America and its relation to the U.S. and the world. They have a strong academic foundation, are able to engage in intellectual conversation, understand the importance of diversity and have a global outlook. Alumni have pursued careers in government, journalism, international law, museums and cultural institutions, K-12 education, higher education, tourism, social work and graduate work related to the field.

In addition to the requirements for the major, students must meet all other university requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Please consult the Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree section in this catalog for complete information.

Degree Requirements

Foundation Courses

All majors should develop a language proficiency level equivalent to SPAN 204 and PORT 102 . Students with no language background should take:

SPAN 101 - Fundamental Spanish-A (3)
SPAN 102 - Fundamental Spanish-B (3)
SPAN 203 - Intermediate Spanish-A (3)
SPAN 204 - Intermediate Spanish-B (3)
PORT 101 - Fundamental Portuguese-A (4) (usually offered in the Fall)
PORT 102 - Fundamental Portuguese-B (4) (usually offered in the Spring)

Additional Information

A student with knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese may be able to meet part or all of the foundation course requirements after evaluation by the coordinator of Latin American Studies.

Required Fields of Study

Upper-Division Writing Requirement (3 units)

ENGL 301 - Advanced College Writing (3)

Language (3 units)

History and Culture (9 units)

SPAN 316 - Introduction to Spanish-American Civilization (3) or
PORT 325 - Contemporary Brazilian Civilization (3)
LTAM 300 - Topics in Latin America (3)
Three units of upper-division Latin American History (3)

Social Science (6 units)

Electives (12 units)

Elective courses must have a Latin American emphasis and should be selected in consultation with the Latin American Studies coordinator. To gain greater depth, students are encouraged to focus their elective courses in one of the four categories below. In addition, students may enroll in LTAM 399 , a directed study course that allows students to pursue supervised individual or small group study within Latin American topics.

Culture

Visual Arts, Literature and Linguistics

History and Politics

Geography and Economics

ECON 333 - Economic Development: Analysis and Case Studies (3)
ECON 334 - Economics of Latin America and the Caribbean (3)
GEOG 333 - Latin America (3)
LTAM 399 may be added as an option to any of the above areas of study according to course content.