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Program Requirements

Latin American Studies

Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program that combines subject matter and modes of inquiry from several academic disciplines to give the student a broad background encompassing the historical, political, social, and cultural aspects of the region. Students are encouraged to develop the analytical and evaluative skills that will enable them to gain a systematic understanding of the region. Majors demonstrate language proficiency in Spanish and are strongly encouraged to participate in a Willamette-sponsored program in Latin America.

The degree program in Latin American Studies affords the student a wide range of career opportunities in the United States and abroad. The rapid growth of the Latino population in the United States produces an increasing need for trained persons with a knowledge of the Latin American region to work in teaching, government, the nonprofit sector, journalism, business, and other fields. The major is also well-suited to students who wish to pursue graduate work in Latin American studies or other disciplines in which a Latin American specialization is helpful.

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Major (11 Credits)

Eleven credits are required in the Latin American Studies major. These should be determined in consultation with a Latin American Studies academic advisor by the end of the sophomore year. A service learning component is also required for the major; it may be met by satisfactory completion of LAS 251 or (subject to prior faculty approval) by a service learning component in an approved study-abroad program. A minimum of six credits must be earned in residency at Willamette University. Credits that students earn in a Willamette-sponsored Latin American program may be substituted for course requirements listed below, subject to faculty approval. Credits to be earned abroad should be approved by the Latin American Studies faculty before the foreign study program begins.

Core course

• LAS 251 Latin American Cultures(1)

Three credits from Group A

• HIST 256 Colonial Latin America (1)
• HIST 258 Modern Latin America (1)
  LAS 330 Landscapes and Cultures of South America (1)
  LAS 331 Landscapes and Cultures of Middle America (1)
• POLI 362 Latin American Politics (1)
• POLI 379 Latinos in US Politics (1) [Crosslisted LAS 379]

Two credits from Group B

• ANTH 235 Cultures of Mexico and Ecuador
• REL 334 Liberation Theology and Social Change (1)
• LAS 380 Latin American Cinema [Crosslisted SPAN 380] (1)
• LAS 350 (IT; TH) Mesoamerican Civilizations (1)
• SPAN 333 (TH) Hispanic Civilization (1)

Two credits from Group C

• SPAN 355 (IT) Latin American Literature I: Conquest to Modernismo (1)
• SPAN 356 (IT) Latin American Literature II: Modernismo to the Present (1)
• SPAN 427 Topics in Latin American Literature (1)
• SPAN 428 Contemporary Mexican Literature (1)
• SPAN 430 History of Hispanic Thought (1)
• SPAN 431 Contemporary Latin American Novel and Short Story (1)

• SPAN 435 Contemporary Latin American Women Writers (1)

Two additional courses to be chosen from Group A, B, or C

• LAS 497 (W) Senior Thesis in Latin American Studies (1)

Double majoring in Latin American Studies and International Studies (Latin American regional focus) is not permitted.

LAS Honors: Given to the graduating senior(s) with the highest GPA in the major (minimum: 3.7). No more than two students will receive LAS honors in a given year.

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Minor (5 Credits)

Core course

• LAS 251 Latin American Cultures (1)

Groups A, B and C (4)

Students must take four credits in each of the three groups (A, B and C) but no more than two credits from any given group.

Minors will not take LAS 497 Senior Thesis in Latin American Studies.

Faculty

• Peter Wogan, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Chair
• Maria Blanco-Arnejo, Professor of Spanish
• Kimberlee Chambers, Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies and Environmental Studies
• Nathaniel Cordova, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies
• Jennifer Jopp, Assistant Professor of History
• William Smaldone, Professor of History
• Kelley Strawn, Assistant Professor of Sociology
• John Uggen, Professor of Spanish
• Patricia Varas, Professor of Spanish
• Charles I. Wallace Jr., Associate Professor of Religious Studies and University Chaplain