Terry Hoops, Director
The mission of the Latin American and Iberian Studies program is to provide students a liberally informed, comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to examining the cultural region made up of the societies of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula.
A major in Latin American and Iberian studies shall consist of nine course credit units of Latin American or Iberian content, with work completed in at least three disciplines (e.g., Spanish, history, anthropology, political science, or economics) including a minimum of three and a maximum of five courses in one discipline. One of the nine course credit units will be a directed study (Latin American and Iberian Studies 460), which must involve the approaches of several disciplines to an appropriate topic as an advanced, summative project. The major will demonstrate proficiency at the 236 level in Spanish or Portuguese.
A minor in Latin American and Iberian studies consists of a minimum of five approved course credit units with significant Latin American or Iberian content, with work completed in at least two disciplines, and two courses numbered 300 or above. Language competency in Spanish or Portuguese through the 202 level, or its equivalent, also is required.
Latin American and Iberian Studies courses are offered in History (123, 221, 225, 320, 322, 327 and 329), Anthropology (123, 263, and 265), and Spanish (255, 355, 356, and 481). Approved topics courses in these disciplines (250, 350 and 450) focusing on a Latin American or Iberian topic or issue may also count as part of the major. Additional courses that may count as part of the major, provided the student pursues a specific research focus related to Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula, include Economics 234, and Political Science 140, 432, and 440.
Students majoring in Latin American and Iberian studies are strongly urged to plan to spend an intensive January term, summer term, semester, or year abroad in Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, or Portugal. Students have many options for studying abroad in the region, including participating in regularly offered programs in one of the countries of the region (listed on the LAIS or Study Abroad webpages), or they may choose to do an Independent Study Off-Campus (ISOC) with a focus on Latin America, Spain, or Portugal.
Disciplinary courses approved for Latin American and Iberian Studies are listed collectively in the course schedule each term.
250 Topics in Latin American and Iberian Studies
260 Intermediate Directed Study
(Variable credit course)
450 Advanced Topics in Latin American and Iberian Studies
460 Directed Study
(Variable course credit)
490 Independent Study
492 Independent Study Off-Campus/ISOC
