Latin-American Studies, B.A.

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The Latin American Studies Program offers interdisciplinary degrees with a focus on the history, economies, politics, cultures, art and literature, and social movements of Latin America and the transnational experiences of Latin American populations in diaspora . The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Latin American Studies affords the student a wide range of career opportunities in the U.S. and abroad, including work in government, teaching, not-for-profit organizations, business, and other fields.

The total number of units required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies Program is 120 units, of which 48-57 units are in the major. Consult with an advisor for the specific number of units required in all areas of the degree including GE and free electives.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree ( 48-57 units)

Lower Division Required Courses (6 units)

Language Requirement (3-12 units)

All Latin American Studies students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish. The language requirement for Latin American studies is based on competency. Students can demonstrate proficiency in Spanish by placing into a 300-level Spanish course after taking the placement exam in the Department of Modern Languages. Students who are unable to place into a 300-level Spanish course must complete a 200-level Spanish sequence successfully. Students who have completed a high school Advanced Placement Exam in Spanish with a score of 5 will be considered proficient in Spanish. Students who demonstrate proficiency in Spanish either by placing into a 300-level Spanish course after taking the placement exam in the Department of Modern Languages or by earning a 5 on a high school Advanced Placement Exam, will need to either take an elective taught in Spanish or take a language course in Portuguese or in another indigenous language of Latin America.

Spanish language sequence (0-12 units)
SPAN 1001 - Elementary Spanish for Non-Heritage Speakers 1 (4)
SPAN 1002 - Elementary Spanish 2 for Non-Heritage Speakers (4)
SPAN 2001 - Intermediate Spanish for Non-Heritage Speakers 1 (4)
SPAN 2002 - Intermediate Spanish for Non-Heritage Speakers 2 (4)
or
SPAN 1050 - Elementary Spanish for Heritage Speakers (4)
SPAN 2050 - Intermediate Spanish for Heritage Speakers (4)
or
SPAN 3150 - Spanish-American Civilization (3)
SPAN 4130 - Spanish-American Literature II (3)
SPAN 4541 - Special Topics - Latin America (3)

Upper Division Courses (39 units)

Students must complete a total of 13 classes for a total of 39 semester units.

Upper Division Required Courses (9 units)

History (6 units)

Students must select any two courses from the list below.

HIST 4610 - Early Latin America: Conquest to 1850s (3)
HIST 4620 - Modern Latin America: 1860s to the present (3)
HIST 4640 - History of Central America and the Caribbean (3)
HIST 4650 - Brazil (3)
HIST 4660 - Colonial Mexico (3) also listed as
CLS 4660 - Colonial Mexico (3)
CLS 4665 - Modern Mexico (3) also listed as
HIST 4690 - Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (3)

Latin American Studies (9 units)

Students must select any three courses from the list below.

LAS 3020 - Black and Latino and Latin American Relations (3) also listed as
PAS 3020 - Black and Latino and Latin American Relations (3)
LAS 3350 - Race and Culture in the Americas, Race Culture Americas (3)
LAS 3420 - Cultural Impact of Development (3) also listed as
PAS 3420 - Cultural Impact of Development (3)
LAS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3) also listed as
PAS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3) also listed as
POLS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3)
LAS 3700 - Introduction to Central America (3)
LAS 3800 - Latin American Cities: Between Development and Exclusion (3)
LAS 3950 - Community Service in Latin American Studies (1-3)
LAS 4040 - Central Americans in Diaspora (3)
LAS 4280 - Migration, Identity, and Religion (3) also listed as
RELS 4280 - Migration, Identity, and Religion (3)
CLS 4280 - Migration, Identity, and Religion (3)
LAS 4250 - Latin American Responses to Imperialism and Globalization (3)
LAS 4300 - Cuba and the World (3)
LAS 4350 - Philosophy and Praxis of Liberation in Latin America (3)
LAS 4400 - Indigenous Movements in Latin America (3)
LAS 4500 - Special Studies in Latin American Studies (3)
LAS 4600 - Food Justice in Latin America (3)
LAS 4650 - Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration (3) also listed as
WGSS 4650 - Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration (3)
LAS 4700 - Labor and Social Movements in the Americas (3)
LAS 4800 - Afro-Latin America (3) also listed as
PAS 4800 - Afro-Latin America; Afro-Latin America (3)
LAS 4820 - Latin American Women’s Movements (3) also listed as
WGSS 4820 - Latin American Women’s Movements (3)
LAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3) also listed as
AAAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3)
PAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3)

Electives (15 units)

Select 15 units in Elective Courses (at least 12 units should be taken at the 4000s level) from the list below.

ANTH 4040 - Peoples of South America (3)
ANTH 4280 - Civilizations of Western Mesoamerica (3)
ANTH 4290 - Maya Civilization (3)
ART 4460 - Art of Latin America (3)
ART 4470 - The Art of Mesoamerica and the Southwest (3)
ART 4500 - The Colonial Art of Mexico and Guatemala (3)
ART 4530 - Aztec Art and Culture (3)
* ART 4541 - Special Topics in Art (3)
ART 4560 - Art of the Ancient Andes (3)
ART 4570 - Mexican Muralists and Frida Kahlo (3)
CLS 3200 - Mediterranean and Pre-Columbian Myths in Latin American Literature (3)
CLS 3320 - Remittances, the Immigrant Economy, and Globalization (3)
CLS 4000 - Mesoamerican Civilizations (3)
CLS 4100 - Latina/o Communities in U.S. Society (3)
CLS 4110 - Chicanas/os, Latinas/os and Immigration Policy (3)
CLS 4240 - Exploring Afro-Latino/a Identities (3)
CLS 4250 - Chicanas & Latinas: Social Movements in the Americas (3)
CLS 4270 - Modern Mexico and the Chicano People (3)
ECON 4600 - Economics of Developing Countries (3)
ECON 4650 - Current Issues in Latin American Economies (3)
ENGL 4692 - U.S. Latino/a Literature (3)
* HIST 4000 - Special Lectures in History (3)
HIST 4090 - Sexuality in the Americas (3)
HIST 4600 - The Chicano Movement (3)
HIST 4610 - Early Latin America: Conquest to 1850s (3)
HIST 4620 - Modern Latin America: 1860s to the present (3)
HIST 4640 - History of Central America and the Caribbean (3)
HIST 4650 - Brazil (3)
HIST 4660 - Colonial Mexico (3) also listed as
CLS 4660 - Colonial Mexico (3)
HIST 4665 - Modern Mexico (3) also listed as
CLS 4665 - Modern Mexico (3)
HIST 4670 - Modern Mexico and the Chicano People (3)
HIST 4690 - Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (3)
LAS 3020 - Black and Latino and Latin American Relations (3) also listed as
PAS 3020 - Black and Latino and Latin American Relations (3)
LAS 3350 - Race and Culture in the Americas, Race Culture Americas (3) also listed as
PAS 3350 - Race and Culture in the Americas, Race Culture Americas (3)
LAS 3420 - Cultural Impact of Development (3) also listed as
PAS 3420 - Cultural Impact of Development (3)
LAS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3) also listed as
PAS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3) also listed as
POLS 3600 - Dynamics of Change in the Developing World (3)
LAS 3700 - Introduction to Central America (3)
LAS 3800 - Latin American Cities: Between Development and Exclusion (3)
LAS 4040 - Central Americans in Diaspora (3)
LAS 4280 - Migration, Identity, and Religion (3) also listed as
RELS 4280 - Migration, Identity, and Religion (3)
LAS 4250 - Latin American Responses to Imperialism and Globalization (3)
LAS 4300 - Cuba and the World (3)
LAS 4350 - Philosophy and Praxis of Liberation in Latin America (3)
LAS 3950 - Community Service in Latin American Studies (1-3)
LAS 4400 - Indigenous Movements in Latin America (3)
LAS 4500 - Special Studies in Latin American Studies (3)
LAS 4600 - Food Justice in Latin America (3)
LAS 4650 - Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration (3) also listed as
WGSS 4650 - Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Migration (3)
LAS 4700 - Labor and Social Movements in the Americas (3)
LAS 4800 - Afro-Latin America (3) also listed as
PAS 4800 - Afro-Latin America; Afro-Latin America (3)
LAS 4820 - Latin American Women’s Movements (3) also listed as
WGSS 4820 - Latin American Women’s Movements (3)
LAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3) also listed as
AAAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3)
PAS 4850 - Anti-colonial Movements (3)
LAS 4990 - Undergraduate Directed Study (1-3)
RELS 3500 - Religion, Spirituality, and Ethnic Identity (3)
ML 4100 - Chicana and Mexican Women Writers (3)
ML 3009 - Mexico City in Contemporary Mexican Cinema (3)
MUS 3580 - Music of the Oppressed in Latin America (3)
MUS 4580 - Music of Latin America (3)
PAS 4120 - Third World Women and Development (3)
PAS 4160 - Pan Africanism and World Politics (3)
PAS 4560 - Politics of the Caribbean and Central America (3)
PHIL 4330 - Latin American Philosophy (3)
POLS 4510 - Latin American Politics (3)
* POLS 4540 - Selected Topics in Comparative Politics (1-3)
SOC 4230 - Sociology of Globalization and Resistance (3)
SOC 4830 - Sociology of Human Rights (3)
SPAN 3150 - Spanish-American Civilization (3)
SPAN 3400 - Hispanic Film (3)
SPAN 4130 - Spanish-American Literature II (3)
SPAN 4170 - Spanish-American Short Story (3)
SPAN 4210 - Mexican Literature of Twentieth Century (3)
SPAN 4310 - Spanish-American Testimony (3)
SPAN 4441 - Masterworks of Spanish American Literature (3)
SPAN 4541 - Special Topics - Latin America (3)
SPAN 4750 - Spanish American Theater (3)
SPAN 4830 - Intellectuals and Ideas in Latin America (3)
SPAN 4850 - Southern Cone Fiction (3)
*when topic is Latin America

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