Curriculum in Latin American Studies
LOUIS A. PÉREZ, Chair
Beatriz Riefkohl-Muñiz, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Affiliated Faculty
Gustavo Angeles (Maternal and Child Health), Shrikant Bangdiwala (Biostatistics), Clare Barrington (Health Behavior and Health Education), 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 and Literatures), Richard Cole (Journalism and Mass Communication), Rudolf Colloredo-Mansfeld (Anthropology), Glynis Cowell (Romance Languages and Literatures), Altha Cravey (Geography), Emilio Del Valle Escalante (Romance Languages and Literatures), Eduardo Douglas (Art), Arturo Escobar (Anthropology), Oswaldo Estrada (Romance Languages and Literatures), David Garcia (Music), Juan Carlos González-Espitia (Romance Languages and Literatures), Jacqueline Hagan (Sociology), Sudhansa Handa (Public Policy), Jean Handy (Microbiology and Immunology), Jonathan Hartlyn (Political Science), Joanne Hershfield (Women's Studies), Evelyne Huber (Political Science), Miguel LaSerna (History), Julia Mack (Romance Languages and Literatures), Nina Martin (Geography), Cecilia Martínez-Gallardo (Political Science), Patricia McAnany (Anthropology), Margarita Mooney (Sociology), David Mora-Marín (Linguistics), Harriet Nittoli (Romance Languages and Literatures), Todd Ochoa (Religious Studies), Rosa Perelmuter (Romance Languages and Literatures), Louis Pérez Jr. (History), Krista Perreira (Public Policy), Cynthia Radding (History), Monica Rector (Romance Languages and Literatures), Alicia Rivero (Romance Languages and Literatures), Daniel Rodríguez (City and Regional Planning), Lars Schoultz (Political Science), Tanya Shields (Women's Studies), Karla Slocum (Anthropology/African and Afro-American Studies), Christian Smith (Sociology), Lucila Vargas (Journalism and Mass Communication), Zaragosa Vargas (History), Adam Versényi (Dramatic Art), Stephen Walsh (Geography), Deborah Weissman (Law), Lyneise Williams (Art).
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. Further information about courses as well as the program in general can be found at the ISA Web site, isa.unc.edu.
Program of Study
The degree offered is the bachelor of arts with a major in Latin American studies.
Majoring in Latin American Studies: Bachelor of Arts
Core Requirements
• LTAM 101 (recommended) and 697 (may count in any sequence)
• Four courses required in the declared primary sequence
• Two courses in each of the other three sequences
• Spanish or Portuguese at least through the fifth-semester course
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. LTAM 101 and 697 may count in any sequence.
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.
Humanities Concentration
History Sequence
• AFAM 254; AFAM/HIST 371; HIST 142, 143, 240, 241, 242, 278, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 574; HIST/WMST 280
Culture-Literature Sequence
Portuguese
• PORT 270, 275, 310, 323, 382, 388, 503, 504, 535
Spanish
• 270, 330, 335, 344, 345, 348, 350, 361, 373, 387, 381, 385, 389, 613, 614, 625; SPAN/WMST 620
Other Courses
• ART 157, 160, 267, 277, 352; CMPL 133; COMM 658; DRAM 288, 486; ENGL 685; LING 558, 560, 561; LTAM 411, 512; MAYA 101; MUSC 147
Social Sciences Concentration
Journalism-Political Science Sequence
• INTS 249/PLCY 349; JOMC 443, 446, 490; POLI 231, 238, 434, 435, 436, 450
Anthropology-Economics-Geography Sequence
Anthropology
• ANTH 103, 142, 231, 232, 239, 262, 360, 439, 453; ANTH/FOLK 130; ANTH/INTS 320
Economics
• ECON 450, 454, 465, 560; ECON/EURO/PWAD 460
Geography
• GEOG 130, 259, 430, 452, 457, 458
Other Courses
• AFAM 254, 530; ANTH/LING 303; LTAM 411, 512; RELI 245; SOCI 453
Listed above 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 members 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 University.
Additional Requirements
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.
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, 203, and 204 or SPAN 101, 102, 203, and 204) may be completed in two semesters by enrolling in intensive courses (PORT 111 and 212, or SPAN 111 and 212).
Approaches: Visual and Performing Arts
• DRAM 486; MUSC 146
Approaches: Literary Arts
• PORT 270, 275; SPAN 260, 270, 373
Approaches: Social and Behavioral Sciences
• ANTH 130, 142, 320; ECON 101; GEOG 120, 130; HIST 142, 143; PLCY 249; POLI 231, 238
Honors in Latin American Studies
Latin American studies majors with an overall grade point average of 3.35 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 independent study project. This course may be used to fulfill the requirements of the major, and it is often linked to internships or to undergraduate grants for summer research travel.
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 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. However, interested students should 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 facultyadvisor.
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 Introduction to Latin American Studies (3). A broad interdisciplinary introduction to the field of Latin American studies.
291 The Latino Experience in the United States (3). This is a reading and discussion seminar that will introduce students to topics in the history of Latinos in the United States from the 19th century to the present.
396 Independent Study (1–3). Independent project to be arranged with an instructor.
411 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 Summer Intensive Continuing Course in Yucatec Maya (6). Prerequisite, LTAM 411. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Continuing instruction in spoken and written Yucatec Maya. Classroom instruction; culture, history, and linguistics workshops; and field study. Taught in Yucatán, Mexico.
690 Seminar in Latin American Issues (3).
691H Honors in Latin American Studies(3).Directed independent research leading to the preparation of an honors thesis.
692H Honors in Latin American Studies(3).Completion of the honors thesis and an oral examination of the thesis.
697 Capstone Seminar(3).Interdisciplinary core seminar required of Latin American studies majors and open to other students. Topics vary by semester.