Latin American Studies Major

Learning outcomes for the Latin American Studies Major

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Major

The Latin American Studies major requires a minimum of nine units in at least three departments. Before declaring a major, students should consult with a faculty advisor and the Director of Latin American Studies; both must approve the major plan. Requirements include:

Honors in Latin American Studies

The only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis on Latin America and passing an oral examination. To be admitted to the honors program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100-level; the program may petition on behalf of a student whose GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. If a student is eligible and intends to complete a thesis, she should meet with her major advisor and the director during Spring Semester of her junior year.

International Study and Transfer Credit in Latin American Studies

Majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester studying in Latin America. Wellesley-in-Chile offers students the option of studying at several universities in Santiago or Valparaiso. Students should consult the Office of International Study for information on Wellesley-in-Chile and other approved study abroad programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to obtain major or minor credit for courses taken at another college or university, students must obtain the director’s approval. Majors and minors are advised to consult the director prior to choosing courses. In general, courses taken abroad will not be transferred at the 300 level. With the director’s permission, MIT courses may be counted for credit towards the major or minor.

Humanities Courses for Credit Toward the Latin American Studies Major and Minor

AFR 242 / REL 214 New World Afro-Atlantic Religions

1.0

AFR 256 / PORT 256 Cultures of the Portuguese-Speaking World through Film, Music and Fiction (In English)

1.0

ARTH 237 Seminar: Who Was Frida Kahlo? 1.0
ARTH 339 Seminar: Who Was Frida Kahlo?

1.0

CAMS 240 / WGST 240 Gendering the Bronze Screen: Representations of Chicanas/Latinas in Film

1.0

LAST 221H

Memories of Cuba: Intersections between History and Culture on the Island

0.5

LING 270 / SPAN 270 Language, Sociopolitics, and Identity: Spanish in the United States 1.0
MUS 314 / PORT 314 Brazilian Music and the Politics of Culture 1.0
PORT 241 Introduction to Lusophone Studies

1.0

SPAN 257 The Word and the Song: Contemporary Latin American Poetry

1.0

SPAN 279 Female Fashion in Colonial Latin America 1.0
SPAN 299 Affect and Emotions in Latin American Literature and Film 1.0
SPAN 303 Seminar: Argentine Women Filmmakers

1.0

SPAN 309 Seminar: Between Paradise and Prison: Cuban Literature and Culture in Transition

1.0

SPAN 329 Seminar: Chile: Literature and the Arts

1.0

SPAN 335 Seminar: Asia in Latin America: Literary and Cultural Connections

1.0

Upon enrollment in the following courses for credit toward the major or minor, the student must notify the instructor that the course is to be counted for Latin American Studies and that, as such, the student will be required to write a paper with a focus on Latin America.

AFR 242

 

Social Science Courses for Credit Toward the Latin American Studies Major and Minor

AFR 299 Seminar: Caribbean Culture 1.0
AFR 341 Africans of the Diaspora 1.0
AMST 225 / SOC 225 Life in the Big City: Urban Studies and Policy

1.0

AMST 323 Seminar: Bad Bunny; Race, Gender, and Empire in Reggaeton

1.0

ANTH 231 / PEAC 231 Anthropology In and Of the City

1.0

ANTH 346 Seminar: Doing Well, Doing Good?: The Political Lives of NGOs

1.0

ECON 241 / LAST 241 Poverty and Inequality in Latin America

1.0

EDUC 321 / PEAC 312 / SOC 312 Seminar: De-Centering and Re-Centering: Social Theory Across the Globe

1.0

HIST 207 / LAST 207 Contemporary Problems in Latin American History

1.0

HIST 244 History of the American West: Manifest Destiny to Pacific Imperialism

1.0

HIST 358 Seminar: Pepper, Silver, and Silk: The Political Culture of Early Commodity Circulation

1.0

LAST 217 / POL2 207 Politics of Latin America

1.0

POL4 345 Seminar: Black Liberation from Haiti to Black Lives Matter

1.0

Upon enrollment in the following courses for credit toward the major or minor, the student must notify the instructor that the course is to be counted for Latin American Studies and that, as such, the student will be required to write a paper with a focus on Latin America.

AFR 341, AMST 225/SOC 225, ANTH 231/PEAC 231, ANTH 346, EDUC 321/PEAC 312/SOC 312, HIST 244, POL4 345

 

Other Courses for Credit Toward the Latin American Studies Major and Minor

ENGR 120 Making a Difference through Engineering

1.0

Upon enrollment in the following courses for credit toward the major or minor, the student must notify the instructor that the course is to be counted for Latin American Studies and that, as such, the student will be required to write a paper with a focus on Latin America.

ENGR 120