Latin American Studies Major
Learning outcomes for the Latin American Studies Major
- Students will comprehend and speak either Spanish or Portuguese at an advanced level, as detailed in the ACTFL proficiency guidelines.
- Students will demonstrate foundational knowledge of Latin America's history, cultures, economies, and literatures. Students will demonstrate specialized knowledge in at least one discipline of the social sciences and one discipline of the humanities.
- Students will compare and critique the modes of inquiry - including theories, methods, and/or data - used by Latin Americanists in at least three disciplines of the social sciences and humanities.
- In at least two disciplines, students will apply modes of inquiry to evaluate existing research, synthesize its findings, and carry out new research on Latin American topics.
- Students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills in lucid writing and clear oral presentations.
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:
- Two language units at the level of SPAN 241 or higher, or PORT 241 or higher.
- Two regional survey units, chosen from ANTH 245/LAST 245, ECON 241/LAST 241, HIST 207/LAST 207, HIST 211/LAST 211, LAST 101, LAST 217/POL2 207, LAST 273/SPAN 273, or LAST 275/SPAN 275. When it is offered, students are strongly encouraged to take LAST 101. With the director’s permission, students may take one regional survey at MIT (chosen from 17.55J or 21H.171).
- Five elective units, including at least two units of approved humanities courses (at least one of which must be at the 300 level), and at least two units of approved social science courses (at least one of which must be at the 300 level). Some approved courses require students to complete a paper on Latin America as a condition of approval; students may take no more than two units of such courses.
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.
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.