Curriculum in Latin American Studies
LOUIS A. PÉREZ, Chair
Affiliated Faculty
Gustavo Angeles (Maternal and Child Health), Shrikant Bangdiwala (Biostatistics), Deborah Bender (Health Policy and Administration), Brian Billman (Anthropology), Richard Bilsborrow (Biostatistics), Kathryn Burns (History), Kia Caldwell (African and Afro-American Studies), Teresa Chapa (Latin American and Iberian Resources Bibliographer), John Chasteen (History), Fred Clark (Romance Languages), Richard Cole (Journalism and Mass Communication), Glynis Cowell (Romance Languages), Altha Cravey (Geography), Emilio Del Valle Escalante (Romance Languages), Arturo Escobar (Anthropology), Oswaldo Estrada (Romance Languages), Alfred Field Jr. (Economics), Kaja Finkler (Anthropology), Erica Fontes (Romance Languages), David Garcia (Music), Juan Carlos González-Espitia (Romance Languages), Jacqueline Hagan (Sociology), Sudhansa Handa (Public Policy), Jean Handy (Microbiology and Immunology), Jonathan Hartlyn (Political Science), Audrey Heining-Boynton (Education), Joanne Hershfield (Communication Studies), Evelyne Huber (Political Science), Flora Lu (Anthropology), Julia Mack (Romance Languages), Patricia McAnany (Anthropology), Cecilia Martínez-Gallardo (Political Science), Margarita Mooney (Sociology), David Mora-Marín (Linguistics), Harriet Nittoli (Romance Languages), William Peck (Emeritus, Religious Studies), Rosa Perelmuter (Romance Languages), Louis Pérez Jr. (History), Monica Rector (Romance Languages), Alicia Rivero (Romance Languages), Daniel Rodríguez (City and Regional Planning), María Salgado (Emerita, Romance Languages), Lars Schoultz (Political Science), Karla Slocum (Anthropology/African and Afro-American Studies), Christian Smith (Sociology), Lucila Vargas (Journalism and Mass Communication), Adam Versényi (Dramatic Art), Deborah Weissman (Law), Thomas Whitmore (Geography), Lyneise Williams (Art), Wendy Wolford (Geography).
Introduction
There are three main goals of the Curriculum in Latin American Studies: 1) to develop students’ basic knowledge and comprehension of key themes in Latin American and Caribbean history, cultures, and contemporary social, economic, and political issues; 2) to develop students’ abilities to think critically, in an interdisciplinary manner, about Latin American and Caribbean issues, past and present, and to locate them within broader global perspectives; and 3) to develop students’ proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese and other languages of the region as needed, as part of their program of study.
The curriculum is housed in the Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA), formerly the Institute of Latin American Studies, created in 1940 to coordinate campus activities on Latin America and the Caribbean. ISA and its counterpart at Duke, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), form the Consortium in Latin American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, or “the Carolina and Duke Consortium.” The Carolina and Duke Consortium is a National Resource Center under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, one of 15 such centers devoted to Latin America and the Caribbean in the United States. UNC–Chapel Hill and Duke offer more than 400 courses dealing with Latin America and the Caribbean in a range of departments and schools. Most of these are open to undergraduates. UNC–Chapel Hill students are encouraged to enroll in Latin American and Caribbean studies courses at Duke through inter-institutional registration with the registrar. Each semester, ISA publishes a list of courses on Latin America and the Caribbean at both universities. Further information about courses as well as the program in general can be found at the ISA Web site, isa.unc.edu, and the Carolina and Duke Consortium Web site, www.duke.edu/web/carolinadukeconsortium.
Program of Study
The degree offered is bachelor of arts in Latin American studies.
Majoring in Latin American Studies: Bachelor of Arts
All General Education requirements apply. First- and second-year students are strongly encouraged to enroll in LTAM 101, an interdisciplinary introductory course offered each year, usually in the spring.
The Curriculum in Latin American Studies recommends the following courses for fulfillment of the General Education requirements to students interested in majoring in Latin American studies:
Foundations, Foreign Language
Spanish or Portuguese should be used to satisfy the foreign language requirement. The foreign language 1 through 4 sequence (PORT 101–102 and 203–204 or SPAN 101–102 and 203–204) may be completed in two semesters by enrolling in intensive courses (PORT 111–212 and SPAN 111–212).
Approaches, Visual and Performing Arts
• DRAM 486 Latin American Theatre
• MUSC 146 Introduction to World Musics
Approaches, Literary Arts
• PORT 270 Modern Brazilian Literature in English Translation
• PORT 275 Portuguese and Brazilian Fiction in Translation
• SPAN 260 Introduction to Spanish and Spanish American Literature
• SPAN 270 Contemporary Spanish American Prose Fiction in Translation
• SPAN 373 Survey of Spanish American Literature
Approaches, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Two courses from different departments or curricula; one must be in historical analysis
• ANTH 130 Anthropology of the Caribbean
• ANTH 142 Local Cultures, Global Forces
• ANTH 320 Anthropology of Development
• ECON 101 Introduction to Economics
• GEOG 120 World Regional Geography
• GEOG 130 Geographical Issues in the Developing World
• HIST 142 Latin America under Colonial Rule
• HIST 143 Latin America since Independence
• PLCY 249 New Immigration and the South: Immigration Policy in the 21st Century
• POLI 231 Latin America and the United States in World Politics
• POLI 238 Contemporary Latin American Politics
The major in Latin American studies requires the completion of 10 courses, including an interdisciplinary core capstone seminar (LTAM 697), plus a minimum level of proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese.
The Curriculum in Latin American Studies is divided into two concentrations: humanities and social sciences. These concentrations are further divided into sequences: humanities into history and culture-literature sequences; social sciences into journalism-political science and anthropology-economics-geography sequences. To ensure depth in a single discipline of Latin American and Caribbean studies, four of the 10 courses required for the major must be selected from one of the sequences. To ensure breadth of exposure to other areas of Latin American and Caribbean studies, two courses must be selected from each of the other three sequences. LTAM 101 and 697 may count in any sequence.
In addition to the 10 required courses, each major must complete Spanish or Portuguese through the fifth-semester level (or higher), or equivalent, not including courses in translation. While this is the minimum requirement, majors are encouraged to work toward proficiency in both Spanish and Portuguese. Several courses in Spanish and Portuguese will satisfy this requirement while also fulfilling General Education requirements. There are also Language across the Curriculum (LAC) courses, which allow students to use their Spanish or Portuguese in select courses. Students taking LAC courses with Spanish or Portuguese recitation sections may receive one hour of additional credit by enrolling in SPAN 308 or PORT 308. For details on the LAC program see www.unc.edu/nrc/lac.
Listed below are the most commonly offered courses in each sequence. Please note that not all the courses on Latin American and Caribbean topics are listed here, and many other courses may satisfy the major requirements. Special topics courses, first-year seminars, undergraduate seminars, independent studies, and capstone courses taught by Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist faculty on Latin American and Caribbean topics may also count. Majors should check the consortium course list each semester for new offerings, as well as for a complete listing of Latin American and Caribbean courses at Duke.
Major Concentration and Sequences
I. Humanities Concentration
History Sequence
• AFAM 254 Blacks in Latin America
• AFAM/HIST 371 Emancipation in the New World
• HIST 142 Latin America under Colonial Rule
• HIST 143 Latin America since Independence
• HIST 278 The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
• HIST 530 History of Mexico
• HIST 531 History of the Caribbean
• HIST 532 History of Cuba
• HIST 533 History of Brazil
• HIST 534 The African Diaspora
• HIST/WMST 280 Women and Gender in Latin American History
Culture-Literature Sequence
Portuguese
• PORT 270 Modern Brazilian Literature in Translation
• PORT 275 Portuguese and Brazilian Fiction in Translation
• PORT 310 Composition and Conversation
• PORT 323 Luso-Brazilian Civilization
• PORT 503 Survey of Brazilian Literature I
• PORT 504 Survey of Brazilian Literature II
• PORT 535 Brazilian Drama
Spanish
• SPAN 270 Contemporary Spanish American Prose Fiction in Translation
• SPAN 330 Cultural History of the Hispanic World
• SPAN 344 Contemporary Latin America: Mexico, Central America, and the Andean Region
• SPAN 345 Contemporary Latin America: the Caribbean and the Southern Cone
• SPAN 350 Advanced Conversation and Composition
• SPAN 373 Survey of Spanish American Literature
• SPAN 381 Masterpieces of Spanish and Spanish American Poetry
• SPAN 385 Contemporary Spanish American Prose Fiction
• SPAN 388 Hispanic Film and Culture
• SPAN 613 Colonial and 19th-Century Spanish American Literature
• SPAN 614 Modernist and Contemporary Spanish American Literature
• SPAN/WMST 620 Women in Hispanic Literature
Other Courses
• COMM 658 Latin American Cinema
• DRAM 486 Latin American Theatre
• LTAM 411 Intensive Introductory Yucatec Maya
• LTAM 512 Intensive Continuing Yucatec Maya
II. Social Sciences Concentration
Journalism-Political Science Sequence
Journalism
• JOMC 446 International Communication and Comparative Journalism
• JOMC 490 Special Topics in Mass Communication
Political Science
• POLI 231 Latin America and the United States in World Politics
• POLI 238 Contemporary Latin American Politics
• POLI 434 Politics of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
• POLI 435 Democracy and Development in Latin America
• POLI 436 Democracy and Development in Latin America (LAC in Spanish)
• POLI 450 Contemporary Inter-American Relations
Anthropology-Economics-Geography Sequence
Anthropology
• ANTH 103 Anthropology of Globalization
• ANTH 142 Local Cultures, Global Forces
• ANTH 231 Archaeology of South America
• ANTH 262 Population Anthropology
• ANTH 453 Field School in South American Archaeology
• ANTH/FOLK 130 Anthropology of the Caribbean
• ANTH/INTS 320 Anthropology of Development
Economics
• ECON 450 Health Economics: Problems and Policy
• ECON 454 Economics of Population
• ECON 465 Economic Development
• ECON 560 Advanced International Economics
• ECON/EURO/PWAD 460 International Economics
Geography
• GEOG 130 Geographical Issues in the Developing World
• GEOG 259 Geography of Latin America
• GEOG 457 Rural Latin America: Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources
• GEOG 458 Urban Latin America: Politics, Economy, and Society
Other Courses
• AFAM 254 Blacks in Latin America
• LTAM 411 Intensive Introductory Yucatec Maya
• LTAM 512 Intensive Continuing Yucatec Maya
• SOCI 453 Social Change in Latin America
Honors in Latin American Studies
Latin American studies majors with an overall grade point average of 3.25 are invited to pursue a degree with honors by writing an honors thesis during the senior year. Each honors thesis is written under the direction of an appropriate faculty advisor; when completed, the thesis must be defended orally before an examining board of faculty members. Honors candidates enroll in the two honors courses (LTAM 691H and 692H). LTAM 691H counts as a course in the student’s concentration.
Special Opportunities in Latin American Studies
Experiential Education
Students who are particularly committed to field experience or experiential education in Latin America may be able to arrange for this through independent study credit. Students wishing to do so should have the academic support of a regular faculty member and contact the institute’s associate director well in advance of the semester in which the experience is to take place.
Intensive Yucatec Maya
Each summer the Carolina and Duke Consortium offers intensive instruction in modern Yucatec Maya, with a secondary focus on ancient, colonial, and modern Maya culture. The courses include classroom instruction in Chapel Hill (LTAM 411) or in Mérida, Mexico (LTAM 512), and a field study experience in Yucatán, Mexico. See the Maya program Web site at www.duke.edu/web/carolinadukeconsortium/yucatec_maya/index.html for current course information.
Independent Study
Any student may enroll in Independent Study (LTAM 396) with the permission of the curriculum faculty advisor and the agreement of a Latin American or Caribbean studies faculty member who will supervise the student’s study project. This course may be used to fulfill the requirements of the major, and it is often linked to undergraduate grants for summer research travel or to internships.
Study Abroad
Study abroad is not a requirement of the major; however, living and studying in Latin America or the Caribbean is highly recommended as an experience that majors should consider. The UNC–Chapel Hill Study Abroad Office offers a broad range of programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Visit the Study Abroad Office Web site at studyabroad.unc.edu. Thanks to a large Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endowment and the support of private donors, both ISA and the Study Abroad Office offer new competitive scholarships for majors wishing to undertake study in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Undergraduate Awards
Each year ISA designates funds from its endowment to recognize superior achievement by its students and to encourage them to travel and conduct research in Latin America or the Caribbean. One award, named in honor of the late Federico G. Gil, Kenan Professor Emeritus of Political Science and director of ISA from 1959 to 1983, is for the best honors thesis on a Latin American or Caribbean topic. Each year ISA also awards a modest travel and research grant, named in honor of the late Julia Crane, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, to an undergraduate student who plans to conduct original research in Latin America or the Caribbean. Funds from the institute’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Melvin A. Halpern and Maria Cristina Alfonzo Halpern endowment support additional awards for undergraduate study and research abroad. Contact the curriculum faculty advisor for information.
Undergraduate Research
Latin American Studies majors are eligible to develop a senior thesis project in their last year. The thesis may be related to a field work project the summer after the junior year. A small number of grants might be available for undergraduate field research in Latin America, especially in connection with a senior thesis.
Graduate School and Career Opportunities
The Institute for the Study of the Americas maintains a library of contact information for careers, internships, and advanced study. This information is in the ISA common area, and no appointment is necessary to come and browse between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Interested students should, however, contact the curriculum faculty advisor or the ISA office manager for an orientation to the materials and for questions concerning career and graduate school opportunities. Students are encouraged to subscribe to the Latin American and Caribbean studies listserv for current opportunities and program news. Simply write to las@duke.edu.
The Curriculum in Latin American Studies participates in a five-year cooperative B.A.-M.A. program with the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. The agreement allows qualified Latin American studies majors to earn an M.A. in Latin American studies from Georgetown in a year and a summer rather than the normal three to four semesters.
For details on the cooperative degree program see www.georgetown.edu/sfs/programs/clas/joint_cooperative.html and contact the curriculum faculty advisor.
Contact Information
Questions and requests regarding internships should be directed to the institute’s associate director, who has responsibility for advising and approval of all matters involving the major, including study abroad credits and overall requirements.
LTAM
101 [040] Introduction to Latin American Studies (3). A broad interdisciplinary introduction to the field of Latin American studies.
396 [080] Independent Study (1–3). Independent project to be arranged with an instructor.
411 [160] Summer Intensive Introductory Course in Yucatec Maya (6). A three-part intensive introduction to spoken and written modern Yucatec Maya including classroom instruction; culture, history, and linguistics workshops; and a four-week field study in Yucatán, Mexico.
512 [161] Summer Intensive Continuing Course in Yucatec Maya (6). Prerequisite, LTAM 411 or permission of the instructor. Continuing instruction in spoken and written Yucatec Maya. Classroom instruction; culture, history, and linguistics workshops; and field study. Taught in Yucatán, Mexico.
690 [199] Seminar in Latin American Issues (3).
691H [091] Honors in Latin American Studies (3). Directed independent research leading to the preparation of an honors thesis.
692H [092] Honors in Latin American Studies (3). Completion of the honors thesis and an oral examination of the thesis.
697 [090] Capstone Seminar (3). Interdisciplinary core seminar required of Latin American studies majors and open to other students. Topics vary by semester.