Latin American Studies
The Latin American Studies Program provides a framework for studying the diverse societies of Latin America. With its cultural mosaic shaped by the meeting of Native American, European, African, and Asian peoples, and its profound geographic, social, and economic variations, Latin America presents rich opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study. By drawing upon the perspectives and methodologies of several disciplines, students are challenged to pursue a deeper understanding of the cultures, institutions, and experiences of Latin Americans. The program provides a forum for examining the intersection of issues of politics, economic development, ethnicity, gender, religion, and cultural expression.
Students interested in exploring Latin American Studies as a possible major are strongly encouraged to enroll in at least one of several gateway courses early in their career at Carleton. Those designated courses are: History 170 Modern Latin America, 1810-present, Political Science 221 Latin American Politics, Sociology/Anthropology 250 Ethnography of Latin America, and Spanish 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature.
Requirements for a Major
Students complete a minimum of sixty-six credits in approved courses for the major. Majors must also demonstrate competence in Spanish by completing Spanish 205 or equivalent.
Required Courses: (The following core courses are required of all majors):
- HIST 170 Modern Latin America, 1810-present
- LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies
- LTAM 400 Integrative Exercise
In addition, majors are required to complete:
- Two 300-level Latin America-focused courses offered in the Spanish department
- One 300-level history, or sociology/anthropology, or political science course focused on Latin America
- 30 additional credits of electives from the list below. The 300-level courses in the Spanish department that are required are always taught in the language.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete the non-Spanish 300-level course prior to writing their integrative exercise, and to select a 300-level course in a discipline appropriate to the focus of their anticipated comps topic. Students who complete this requirement with a 300-level history course must take at least one approved sociology and anthropology or political science course as an elective.
Up to 27 credits from work in approved off-campus programs may be counted as electives for the major. Credits in natural science courses taken in Latin America may be applied toward the electives requirement if the director approves. Up to twelve elective credits may be comparative or Latino in focus (Economics 240, 241, Music 141, Religion 227, Sociology/Anthropology 203, 233, 234, 259, 302). No more than four courses (twenty-four credits) in any one discipline may apply to the major.
Latin American Studies Courses
Other Courses Pertinent to Latin American Studies
- ARTH 142 Art of the Ancient Americas
- CAMS 295 Cinema in Chile and Argentina: Representing and Reimagining Identity
- CAMS 296 Cinema and Cultural Change in Chile and Argentina
- ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
- ECON 241 Growth and Development
- HIST 272 The Mexican Revolution: History, Myth and Art
- POSC 221 Latin American Politics
- POSC 322 Neoliberalism and the New Left in Latin America*
- SOAN 203 Anthropology of Good Intentions
- SOAN 234 Ecology, Economy, and Culture
- SPAN 222 Two Voices: Gabriel García Márquez and Laura Restrepo
- SPAN 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature
- SPAN 265 Peru Program: Cultures in Transition: The Old and the New in Contemporary Peru
- SPAN 344 Women Writers in Latin America: Body and Text
- SPAN 356 The Political and Cultural History of the Cuban Revolution
- SPAN 371 Yours Truly: The Body of the Letter