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 353 Ethnography of Latin America, and Spanish 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature.

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Major

Students complete a minimum of 66 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):

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, Religion 227, Sociology/Anthropology 203, 233, 259). No more than four courses (twenty-four credits) in any one discipline may apply to the major.

Elective Courses:

  • AMST 130 Latinx Social Movements: From Bandits to the Young Lords (not offered in 2022-23)
  • AMST 396 Producing Latinidad
  • ARCN 111 Archaeology of the Americas (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ARCN 211 Coercion and Exploitation: Material Histories of Labor
  • CAMS 296 Cinema and Cultural Change in Chile and Argentina (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 242 Economy of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENGL 119 Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENGL 227 Imagining the Borderlands
  • ENGL 241 Latinx Voices in the Age of Trump
  • ENTS 250 Food, Forests & Resilence
  • HIST 170 Modern Latin America 1810-Present
  • HIST 179 Modern Latin America Through Music
  • HIST 272 The Mexican Revolution: History, Myth and Art (not offered in 2022-23)
  • HIST 275 Latin American Immigration to the US
  • HIST 279 Central American Revolutions
  • LTAM 110 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers (not offered in 2022-23)
  • LTAM 250 Indigeneity and Power in the Andes: Land, Labor, Knowledge (not offered in 2022-23)
  • LTAM 398 Latin American Forum
  • MUSC 241 Music of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship
  • POSC 221 Latin American Politics (not offered in 2022-23)
  • POSC 227 Contemporary Capitalisms
  • RELG 227 Liberation Theologies (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 203 Anthropology of Good Intentions (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 233 Anthropology of Food
  • SOAN 313 Woke Nature: Towards an Anthropology of Non-Human Beings
  • SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 333 Environmental Anthropology (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 343 Advanced Ethnographic Workshop (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 353 Ethnography of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 218 Introduction to Latin American Cinema
  • SPAN 220 Racism, Immigration, and Gender in Contemporary Latin American Narrative (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature
  • SPAN 245 On Cannibals, Witches, and Zombies (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 262 Myth and History in Central American Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 277 The Poem as Artifact: Art and Work in Contemporary Spanish American Poetry (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 319 Works on Work: Films and Literature on Labor in Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 321 Murder as a Fine Art: The Detective Novel in Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote
  • SPAN 358 The Spanish Civil War (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 360 Race and Nation in Caribbean Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 366 Jorge Luis Borges: Less a Man Than a Vast and Complex Literature
  • SPAN 376 Mexico City: The City as Protagonist (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 380 Dispossession, Gentrification, and Reoccupation in Latin America
  • SPAN 385 Riots, Rebellions & Revolutions in Latin America

 

Latin American Studies Minor

The Latin American Studies Minor provides students with a framework for developing a deeper understanding of Latin American history, society, and culture from an interdisciplinary perspective, and is intended to complement a disciplinary major. Minors pursue a program of study combining language training with courses in the humanities and social sciences, culminating in an integrative seminar.

Students interested in exploring Latin American Studies as a possible minor 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 353 Ethnography of Latin America, and Spanish 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature.

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Minor

  • HIST 170 Modern Latin America, 1810-present (not offered 2022-23)
  • LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies
  • LTAM 398 Latin American Forum
  • 6 credits in Latin American Literature (above Spanish 219 and not in translation) from the list below
  • 18 elective credits
    • 6 credits from the list below in an advanced course in the Social Sciences (200-300 level in Economics, Political Science, or Sociology/Anthropology)
    • 12 credits focusing on Latin American (and/or US. Latino Literature) from the list below or relevant off-campus studies programs (Carleton or non-Carleton affiliated).
  • Students must also complete Spanish 204 or equivalent

Electives may be chosen from the following list:

  • AMST 130 Latinx Social Movements: From Bandits to the Young Lords (not offered in 2022-23)
  • AMST 396 Producing Latinidad
  • ARCN 111 Archaeology of the Americas (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ARCN 211 Coercion and Exploitation: Material Histories of Labor
  • CAMS 296 Cinema and Cultural Change in Chile and Argentina (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 242 Economy of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENGL 119 Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • ENGL 227 Imagining the Borderlands
  • ENGL 241 Latinx Voices in the Age of Trump
  • ENTS 250 Food, Forests & Resilence
  • HIST 170 Modern Latin America 1810-Present
  • HIST 179 Modern Latin America Through Music
  • HIST 272 The Mexican Revolution: History, Myth and Art (not offered in 2022-23)
  • HIST 275 Latin American Immigration to the US
  • HIST 279 Central American Revolutions
  • LTAM 110 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers (not offered in 2022-23)
  • LTAM 250 Indigeneity and Power in the Andes: Land, Labor, Knowledge (not offered in 2022-23)
  • LTAM 398 Latin American Forum
  • MUSC 241 Music of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship
  • POSC 221 Latin American Politics (not offered in 2022-23)
  • POSC 227 Contemporary Capitalisms
  • RELG 227 Liberation Theologies (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 203 Anthropology of Good Intentions (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 233 Anthropology of Food
  • SOAN 313 Woke Nature: Towards an Anthropology of Non-Human Beings
  • SOAN 323 Mother Earth: Women, Development and the Environment (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 333 Environmental Anthropology (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 343 Advanced Ethnographic Workshop (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SOAN 353 Ethnography of Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 218 Introduction to Latin American Cinema
  • SPAN 220 Racism, Immigration, and Gender in Contemporary Latin American Narrative (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 242 Introduction to Latin American Literature
  • SPAN 245 On Cannibals, Witches, and Zombies (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 262 Myth and History in Central American Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 277 The Poem as Artifact: Art and Work in Contemporary Spanish American Poetry (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 319 Works on Work: Films and Literature on Labor in Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 321 Murder as a Fine Art: The Detective Novel in Latin America (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 330 The Invention of the Modern Novel: Cervantes' Don Quijote
  • SPAN 358 The Spanish Civil War (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 360 Race and Nation in Caribbean Literature (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 366 Jorge Luis Borges: Less a Man Than a Vast and Complex Literature
  • SPAN 376 Mexico City: The City as Protagonist (not offered in 2022-23)
  • SPAN 380 Dispossession, Gentrification, and Reoccupation in Latin America
  • SPAN 385 Riots, Rebellions & Revolutions in Latin America

    Latin American Studies Courses

    LTAM 110 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers This fast-paced introductory Portuguese language course focuses on developing communication skills and emphasizes speaking, reading, and writing. Previous knowledge of Spanish is assumed in presentation of grammar and vocabulary. Prerequisite: Spanish 204 or instructor permission. 3 credits; NE; Not offered 2022-23
    LTAM 250 Indigeneity and Power in the Andes: Land, Labor, Knowledge In this course, we will read, discuss, and engage with recent scholarship on colonialism, indigenous and communitarian feminism, and some of the issues and movements of indigenous peoples in the Andean region. We will examine the colonial and twentieth-century origins of the movements for indigenous rights in the Andes and seek an understanding of the varied meanings of indigeneity across time. We will emphasize the comparative study of Indigenous-State relations across the Andean countries, and highlight the role of indigenous women and other gender identities for the development of native agendas for autonomy and sovereign rights. Our primary materials will mainly focus on literature and visual arts authored by indigenous artists. Other readings will draw from scholarship in history, anthropology, and Indigenous Studies. This course will be taught in English. 6 credits; HI, IS; Not offered 2022-23
    LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies This is an advanced multidisciplinary research seminar on contemporary Latin America. New forms of political populism, indigenous understanding of the relationship between human and non-human forms of being, transformative urbanistic solutions at work in its largest cities, the political economy of migration, and vibrant cultures of protest, will be among our topics of study. Ideal for students going to or returning from study abroad in Latin America. Required course for minors and majors in Latin American Studies. Prerequisite: Latin American Studies gateway course. 6 credits; SI, IS; Fall; Silvia López
    LTAM 398 Latin American Forum This colloquium will explore specific issues or works in Latin American Studies through discussion of a common reading, public presentation, project, and/or performance that constitute the annual Latin American Forum. Students will be required to attend two meetings during the term to discuss the common reading or other material and must attend, without exception. All events of the Forum which take place during fourth week of spring term (on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning). A short integrative essay or report will be required at the end of the term. Intended as capstone for the Latin American Studies minor. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; HI, IS; Spring; Héctor Melo Ruiz
    LTAM 400 Integrative Exercise Satisfactory completion of the major includes the writing of a thesis which attempts to integrate at least two of the various disciplines studied. A proposal must be submitted for approval early in the fall term of the senior year. The thesis in its final form is due no later than the end of the first week of spring term. An oral defense of the thesis is required. 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring; Héctor Melo Ruiz