Latin American and Latinx Studies Concentration

Undergraduate Concentration

The cultural, economic and geopolitical impact of Latin America and Latinx in the U.S. is substantial Themes such as immigration, narco-cultures, indigenous movements, left- vs right-wing governments, perennial problems of inequality, and the rise of Brazil as a global economic power, are among the many issues which make the study of Latin America and Latinx in the U.S. interesting and important. Coupled with issues of political and economic significance is the growing popularity of Latin music, art, cinema and food along with the growing numbers of Spanish and Portuguese speakers across the U.S. and other parts of the globe. 2014 census data indicates that there are now 553 million Latinx in the U.S. or one sixth of the U.S. population so that Latinx are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population.

LALS is a multidisciplinary concentration designed to expose students to these complex issues. It offers courses which mark the diversity of historical, cultural and political experiences of Latin America, the interrelationships between Latin America and the U.S., and the growing influence of Latinx in the U.S. Students have the opportunity to take concentration-related courses in Art History, Communications, Economics, History, International Development, Political Science, and Spanish.

For more information, please visit the Latin American and Latinx Studies Concentration’s website.

Concentration Requirements

The concentration in Latin American and Latinx Studies requries six courses.  Two of the six courses must be taken at the 200-level. A student can take a maximum of three courses in Latin American Culture and Literature in Spanish:

• SPAN 131 - Social Change in Hispanic Literature  
• SPAN 133 - Hispanic Cultures  
• SPAN 136 - Women in Hispanic Literature & Art  
• SPAN 145 - Latin-American Short Story  
• SPAN 155 - Contemporary Cultural Issues in Latin America  
• SPAN 200 - Afro-Latinx Cultures in the Americas: Movement, Migration and Complex Identities  
• SPAN 243 - Latin American Essay and Thought  
• SPAN 245 - Latin American Short Genres  
• SPAN 296 - Capstone  

The other three courses can be chossen from the list of electives below, taken when particiapaing in Study abroad in Latin America(in consultation with adviosr), or carry the LALS attribute (special topics that are relevant will carry the LALS attribute for example, CRW 170 SP TP: LATINE MYTHOLOGY):

• ARTH 159 - Latin-American Art  
• ARTH 233 - Tropical Baroque: The Arts of Colonial Latin America  
• ARTH 234 - Art and Architecture of the Early Americas  
• CMLT 208 - Caribbean Women Writers  
• CRW 208 - Writing the Borderlands  
• ECON 248 - Living on the Edge? Latin America, Asia and the Global Economy since 1600  
• ENG 238 - Contemporary Latino/a Literature  
• GEOG 196 - Development and Environment in Latin America: Difficult Questions, Creative Responses  
• HIST 191 - Pirates and Smugglers in the Atlantic World  
• HIST 235 - The Atlantic World  
• PSCI 094 - Dictators and Revolutionaries in Latin America  
• PSCI 173 - Latin-American Politics  
• PSCI 217 - Latino Politics in the U.S.  
• PSCI 288 - Immigration, Identity, and Diversity Politics in the US  
• PSCI 290 - U.S. - Latin American Relations - Capstone Seminar  
• PSYC 232 - Research in Community  

Program Faculty

María Acosta Cruz (Language, Literature & Culture)
Belen Atienza (Language, Literature & Culture)
Anthony Bebbington (Geography)
Ramon Borges-Mendez (International Development, Community and Environment)
John Brown (Economics)
Esteban Cardemil (Psychology)
Diogenes Costa Curras, Ph.D. (Language, Literature & Culture)
Tim Downs (International Development, Community and Environment)
Odile Ferly (Language, Literature & Culture)
John Garton (Visual & Performing Arts)
Denise Humphreys-Bebbington (International Development, Community and Environment)
Willem Klooster (History)
Heather Silber Mohamed (Political Science)
Paul Posner, Director (Political Science)
Juan Pablo Rivera (Language, Literature & Culture)
Rinku Roy Chowdhury (Geography)
Rosalie Torres Stone (Sociology)
Lucila Valerio (English)