University Bulletin 2002-03: Latin American Studies

University Bulletin 2002-03

An interdepartmental program
Latin American Studies

Courses of Study:
Minor
Major (B.A.)

Program website: http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/latinam/

Latin American Studies provides a major and a minor (open to students in any major) for those who wish to structure their studies of Latin America. It offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and the Latin American diaspora in the United States. Students with widely ranging interests are welcome.

How to Become a Major or Program Member (Minor)

Students in the major and the minor work closely with an advisor to develop an individualized plan of study that combines breadth with a focus in one discipline (usually history, politics, or Spanish). Students whose interests do not easily fit the courses available at Brandeis may arrange independent study with members of the staff. Students may also take advantage of the resources of neighboring institutions through the Boston Area Consortium on Latin America. Courses may be taken at Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University, and Wellesley College. Study in Latin America for a term or a year is encouraged. In the past, majors have studied at universities in Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Brazil, and other possibilities are available. Credit may also be obtained for internships in Boston-area organizations related to Latin America. Transfer students and those studying abroad may obtain credit for up to half the required courses from courses taken elsewhere, with the approval of the program chair.

Committee

Silvia Arrom, Chair
(History)

Roxanne Dávila
(Romance and Comparative Literature)

Ricardo Godoy
(Heller School)

Donald Hindley
(Politics)

James Mandrell
(Romance and Comparative Literature)

Wellington Nyangoni
(African and Afro-American Studies)

Dora Older
(Romance and Comparative Literature)

Angela Pérez
(Romance and Comparative Literature)

Laurence Simon
(Heller School)

Faith Smith
(African and Afro-American Studies/English and American Literature)

Mireya Solís
(Politics)

Eva Thorne
(Politics)

Javier Urcid
(Anthropology)

O. Miguel Villanueva
(Economics)

Dessima Williams
(Sociology)

Requirements for the Major

A. Passing grade in any 30-level Spanish course or the equivalent, or reading competency examination in Spanish or Portuguese (administered by LAS). Another foreign language spoken in Latin America or the Caribbean may be substituted with the permission of the Latin American Studies Committee.

B. HIST 71a or b; POL 144a or b; and one semester course on Latin American or Caribbean Literature.

C. An upper-level writing-intensive seminar that may be LAS 100a (Seminar: Topics in Latin American Studies) or another advanced seminar to be designated as fulfilling the seminar requirement.

D. At least six additional semester courses from the listing provided below.

E. No more than five of the 10 required courses may be from the same department.

F. Candidates for the degree with honors in Latin American studies must be approved by the committee and complete LAS 99d, a two-semester senior thesis.

Requirements for the Program (Minor)

A. At least two courses from HIST 71a or b, POL 144a or b, or the offerings on Latin American or Caribbean literature.

B. An upper-level writing-intensive seminar that may be LAS 100a (Seminar: Topics in Latin American Studies) or another advanced seminar to be designated as fulfilling the seminar requirement.

C. Two additional semester courses from the list provided below.

D. No more than two of the five required courses may be from the same department.

Courses of Instruction

LAS 92 Internship a and b
Signature of the instructor required.
Combines off-campus experience in a Latin America-related internship with written analysis under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. Students arrange their own internships. Counts only once toward fulfillment of requirements for the major or the minor.
Staff

LAS 98a Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAS 98b Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAS 99d Senior Research
Signature of the instructor required.
Independent research and writing, under faculty director, of a senior thesis. Usually offered every year.
Staff

LAS 100a Seminar: Topics in Latin American Studies
[ wi ]
Signature of the instructor required. May be repeated for credit. A library intensive course.
Examines major themes and problems in Latin American studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Topics vary from year to year. Topic for 2002-03: Latinos in the United States: Perspectives from History, Literature, and Film. Usually offered every year.
Staff

Cross-Listed Courses

POL 131b
Social Movements in Latin America

SPAN 155b
Latin America between Baroque and Kitsch

Elective Courses

The following courses may be counted toward the major or minor if approved by the student's advisor as fitting into the individualized plan of study. Courses marked with an asterisk (*), which include Latin America or the Caribbean as one of the several areas studied, normally count toward the major or minor only if students write a paper on Latin America or the Caribbean. Courses marked with a double asterisk (**) count toward LAS only in those years when they analyze films or texts from Latin America, the Caribbean, or the Latin American diaspora. Students may apply no more than two single-starred courses to their Latin American Studies major or minor.

The following courses are approved for the program. Not all are given in any one year. Please consult the Course Schedule each semester.

AAAS 116b*
Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations

AAAS 123a*
Third World Ideologies

AAAS 126b*
Political Economy of the Third World

AAAS 133b
The Literature of the Caribbean

AAAS 134b*
Novel and Film of the African Diaspora

AAAS 158a*
Theories of Development and Underdevelopment

AAAS 167a*
African and Caribbean Comparative Political Systems

ANTH 55a*
Models of Development: Third World

ANTH 84b*
Cross-Cultural Art and Aesthetics

ANTH 147b
The Rise of Mesoamerican Civilization

ANTH 153a*
Writing Systems and Scribal Traditions