Latin American Studies

[ major | minor | graduate program | courses | faculty ]

Room 1, Gildred Latin American Studies Building
Institute of the Americas Complex
http://las.ucsd.edu

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Latin American Studies Program

UC San Diego’s program in Latin American studies has attained national and international distinction for its excellence in teaching, research, and public service. Each year its faculty offers approximately one hundred Latin America-related courses in fourteen academic departments, and the Latin American Studies Program offers three interdisciplinary degrees:

Bachelor of arts in Latin American studies
Minor in Latin American studies
Master of arts in Latin American studies

Latin American studies at UC San Diego offers distinct advantages:

At the undergraduate level, students may pursue a minor or a BA in Latin American studies. At the graduate level, students can obtain an MA in Latin American studies. In addition, various doctoral programs in academic departments across the social sciences and humanities offer a regional focus on Latin America.
Latin American studies integrates teaching, research, and policy analysis, encouraging students to develop interdisciplinary perspectives and to work actively with faculty on research projects and conferences.
Students participate in the activities of an outstanding array of research and teaching organizations, including the Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies, the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, the School of Global Policy and Strategy, the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, and the Institute of the Americas. The Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies (CILAS) sponsors multidisciplinary colloquia, conferences, projects, and publications. CILAS also awards fellowships and grants each year to promising graduate students.
Students are encouraged to interact with visiting Latin American scholars and to participate in Latin America-related internships, seminars, clubs, foreign exchange programs, and other extracurricular activities.
Students at UC San Diego have access to one of the largest and fastest-growing library collections on Latin America in the United States.

Degree programs in Latin American studies are supervised by an interdisciplinary faculty group under the direction of the director of Latin American studies.

The Curricular Program

Undergraduate Major in Latin American Studies

The bachelor of arts in Latin American studies blends coverage of methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of Latin America with an interdisciplinary formation in the humanities and social sciences. Students receiving this degree will be prepared for employment with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and in private sector activities related to Latin America. Many graduates pursue careers in education or go on for more advanced degrees in Latin American studies or other disciplines such as sociology, political science, anthropology, or history. The major also provides a valuable supplement for those interested in subsequent professional degrees in business, law, engineering, medicine, or other fields.

To satisfactorily complete the BA, students must complete fifty-six credit units taking a broad range of courses from UC San Diego’s humanities and social science departments. All students entering the major must enroll in LATI 10 and LATI 50, a lower-division interdisciplinary course that introduces them to Latin America and serves as a foundation for a core sequence of three required upper-division courses focused on Latin American history, society, politics, and culture. A course on digital oral history (LATI 150), a course on special topics (LATI 180), an elective research methods course, and five additional elective courses allow students to acquire research skills and pursue their interests in specific subregions, countries, and areas of study. During their senior year, students in the major are required to take LATI 190, a capstone research seminar in which they write a research paper of seven thousand words in length. As part of the overall requirements, students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese.

The requirements for the bachelor of arts in Latin American studies are as follows:

Lower-Division Requirements

LATI 10. Reading North by South: Latin American Studies and the US Liberation Movements (four units)
LATI 50. Introduction to Latin America (four units)
Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese. Students can fulfill this requirement through a placement test, studying abroad in a UC San Diego–approved program, or completing one of the following courses in Spanish or Portuguese literature (Spanish: LTSP 2A; Portuguese: LIPO 1D).

Upper-Division Requirements

Three of the following core courses (twelve units):
- HILA 102. Latin America in the Twentieth Century
- SOCI 188D. Latin America: Society and Politics
- POLI 146A. U.S.–Latin America: Political/Economic Relations
- LTSP 133. Contemporary Latin American Literature

LATI 150. Digital Oral History in Latin America (four units)
LATI 180. Special Topics in Latin American Studies (four units)
One elective course from the list of approved research methods courses (four units)
Five elective courses from the list of approved Latin American studies courses (twenty units)
LATI 190. Senior Seminar (four units)

Requirements for Majors in Latin American Studies with an Area of Concentration

Major in Latin American Studies with a concentration in Mexico

Lower-Division Requirements

LATI 10. Reading North by South: Latin American Studies and US Liberation Movements (four units)
LATI 50. Introduction to Latin America (four units)
Proficiency in Spanish. Students can fulfill this requirement through a placement test, studying abroad in a UC San Diego-approved program, or completing the course in Spanish literature (Spanish: LTSP 2A).

Upper-Division Requirements

Three of the following core courses (twelve units):
- HILA 102. Latin America in the Twentieth Century
- SOCI 188D. Latin America: Society and Politics
- POLI 146A. U.S.–Latin America: Political/Economic Relations
- LTSP 133. Contemporary Latin American Literature

LATI 150. Digital Oral History in Latin America (four units)
LATI 180. Special Topics in Latin American Studies (four units)
One elective course from the list of approved research methods courses (four units)
Four elective courses focusing on Mexico from the following list: ANSC 104, ANSC 151, ECON 162, HILA 131, HILA 132, HIUS 158/ETHN 130, HIUS 159/ETH 131, HIUS 167/267/ETHN 180, ETHN 116, ETHN 154, LTSP 135A, LTSP 135B, LTSP 172, POLI 134B, COMM 140, SOCI 125, SOCI 133, SOCI 188, SOCI 109M (sixteen units)
One elective course from the list of approved upper-division Latin American studies courses (four units)
LATI 190. Senior Seminar (four units)

Major in Latin American Studies with a concentration in Migration and Border Studies

Lower-Division Requirements

LATI 10. Reading North by South: Latin American Studies and the US Liberation Movements (four units)
LATI 50. Introduction to Latin America (four units)
Proficiency in Spanish. Students can fulfill this requirement through a placement test, studying abroad in a UC San Diego-approved program, or completing the course in Spanish literature (Spanish: LTSP 2A).

Upper-Division Requirements

Three of the following core courses (twelve units):
- HILA 102. Latin America in the Twentieth Century
- SOCI 188D. Latin America: Society and Politics
- POLI 146A. U.S.–Latin America: Political/Economic Relations
- LTSP 133. Contemporary Latin American Literature

LATI 150. Digital Oral History in Latin America (four units)
LATI 180. Special Topics in Latin American Studies (four units)
One elective course from the list of approved research methods courses (four units)
Four elective courses focusing on migration and border studies from the following list: ANSC 104, ANSC 151, ANSC 194, ETHN 116, ETHN 127, ETHN 130, ETHN 131, ETHN 154/HIUS 113, SOCI 125, SOCI 133, SOCI 188, SOCI 109M (sixteen units)
One elective course from the list of approved upper-division Latin American studies courses (four units)
LATI 190. Senior Seminar (four units)

All the elective courses (including the research methods course) must be upper-division courses and must be completed in at least three different departments. As part of their choice of electives, students are strongly encouraged to consider the possibility of enrolling in LATI 199: Individual Study with a member of the Latin Americanist faculty (four units), AIP 197: Academic Internship Program (four units), and/or the sequence of courses LATI 122A/B/C: Mexican Migration Field Research Program (twelve units).

All courses applied to the requirements of the major must be taken for a letter grade and students must earn at least a C– in each course counted for the major, with the exception of LATI 199 and the one-unit discussion seminars, which will be graded as Pass/Not Pass.

Honors in Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies Program offers an honors program for students who demonstrate excellence in the major. In order to receive Honors in Latin American studies a student must

Satisfy all lower-division requirements of the major program.
Complete thirty-six units of upper-division courses.
Complete twelve units in a three-course sequence in the senior year consisting of LATI 199: Individual Study, LATI 190: Senior Seminar, and LATI 191: Honors Seminar.
Produce an original thesis based on primary research under the direction of a mentor selected from the Latin Americanist faculty and defend this thesis during the spring quarter before an interdisciplinary faculty committee.
Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major.

Undergraduate Minor in Latin American Studies

The Latin American studies minor allows students to explore interdisciplinary approaches to the study of an important region of the world while pursuing a major in an academic discipline. Twenty-eight credit units are required to complete the minor. Students must enroll in the two lower-division interdisciplinary courses that introduce Latin America and provide background for two substantive core upper-division courses focused on Latin American history, society, and politics. Two elective courses allow students to pursue their interests in specific subregions, countries, and areas of study. As part of the overall requirements, students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese.

The requirements for the minor in Latin American studies are as follows:

Lower-Division Requirements

LATI 10. Reading North by South: Latin American Studies and the US Liberation Movements (four units)
LATI 50. Introduction to Latin America (four units)
Proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese. Students can fulfill this requirement through a placement test, studying abroad in a UC San Diego–approved program, or completing one of the following courses in Spanish or Portuguese literature (Spanish: LTSP 2A; Portuguese: LIPO 1D).

Upper-Division Requirements

Two of the following core courses (eight units):
- HILA 102. Latin America in the Twentieth Century
- SOCI 188D. Latin America: Society and Politics
- POLI 146A. U.S.–Latin America: Political/Economic Relations
- LTSP 133. Contemporary Latin American Literature

LATI 150. Digital Oral History in Latin America (four units)
LATI 180. Special Topics in Latin American Studies (four units)
One elective course from the list of approved Latin American studies courses (four units)

The elective courses must be upper-division courses and must be completed in at least two different departments. As part of their choice of electives, students are strongly encouraged to consider the possibility of enrolling in AIP 197: Academic Internship Program (four units). All courses applied to the requirements of the minor must be taken for a letter grade and students must earn at least a C– in each course counted for the major, with the exception of the one-unit discussion seminars, which will be graded as Pass/Not Pass.

Courses that Satisfy Undergraduate Degree Elective Requirements in Latin American Studies

Approved interdisciplinary courses: The following is a list of courses available in UC San Diego departments that are approved to satisfy the elective requirements of the major and minor in Latin American studies. Master’s students in the program may also take up to three of these courses, with the exception of the methods courses. Please note that these courses may not be offered every quarter or year and new courses may be added. Check the current Schedule of Classes or the Latin American studies website (http://las.ucsd.edu) for updated information.

The Departments of Linguistics and Literature and the School of Global Policy and Strategy offer language courses in Spanish and Portuguese. Language courses do not count toward the course requirements for Latin American studies degrees.

Anthropology

ANAR 100. Special Topics in Anthropological Archaeology (when Latin American content)

ANAR 153. The Mysterious Maya

ANAR 154. Aztecs and Their Ancestors

ANAR 155. Study Abroad: Ancient Mesoamerica

ANAR 156. The Archaeology of South America

ANAR 156-XL. The Archaeology of South America (FLD)

ANAR 157. Early Empires of the Andes: The Middle Horizon

ANAR 157S. Early Empires of the Andes: The Middle Horizon

ANAR 157-XL. The Andean Middle Horizon (FLD)

ANAR 158. The Inca: Empire of the Andes

ANSC 100. Special Topics in Socio-Cultural Anthropology

ANSC 104. The US-Mexico Border

ANSC 110. Societies and Cultures of the Caribbean

ANSC 116. Languages of the Americans: Mayan

ANSC 125. Gender, Sexuality, and Society

ANSC 135. Indigenous Peoples of Latin America

ANSC 142. Anthropology of Latin America

ANSC 151. US-Mexico Border Ethnographies

ANSC 194. Language, Migration, Borders

Critical Gender Studies

CGS 137. Latina Issues and Cultural Production

Communication

COMM 104G. Comparative Media Systems: Latin America and the Caribbean

COMM 140. Cinema in Latin America

COMM 155. Latino Space, Place, and Culture

COMM 168. Bilingual Communication

Education Studies

EDS 113. Chicanas/os and Latinos in Education: Policy, Practice, and Challenges to Equity

Economics

ECON 162. Economics of Mexico

Ethnic Studies

ETHN 116. The United States-Mexico Border in Comparative Perspective

ETHN 117. Organic Social Movements

ETHN 118. Contemporary Immigration Issues

ETHN 119. Race in the Americas

ETHN 129. Asian and Latina Immigrant Workers in the Global Economy

ETHN 130. Social and Economic History of the Southwest I

ETHN 131. Social and Economic History of the Southwest II

ETHN 132. Chicano Dramatic Literature

ETHN 133. Hispanic American Dramatic Literature

ETHN 135A. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production, 1848–1960

ETHN 135B. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production, 1960–Present

ETHN 136. Topics in Chicano/a-Latino/a Cultures

ETHN 137. Special Topics: Latina Issues and Cultural Production

ETHN 143. Chicano Film and Media Studies

ETHN 154. History of Mexican America

ETHN 180. Special Topics in Mexican American History

ETHN 187. Latina/o Sexualities

ETHN 189. Special Topics in Ethnic Studies

History

HILA 100. Latin American Colonial Transformation

HILA 101. Latin American Independence, 1810–1898

HILA 102. Latin America in the Twentieth Century

HILA 103. Revolution in Modern Latin America

HILA 104. Modern US-Latin America Relations

HILA 112. Economic and Social History of the Andean Region

HILA 113. Lord and Peasant in Latin America

HILA 114. Dictatorship in Latin America

HILA 115. Latin American City, A History

HILA 118. Subverting Sovereignty: US Aggression in Latin America, 1898–Present

HILA 120. History of Argentina

HILA 121. History of Brazil

HILA 121A. History of Brazil, 1808–1904

HILA 121B. History of Brazil, 1889–Present

HILA 122. Cuba: From Colony to Socialist Republic

HILA 123. The Incas and Their Ancestors

HILA 124A. History of Women and Gender in Latin America

HILA 126. From Columbus to Castro: Caribbean Culture and Society

HILA 131. History of Mexico

HILA 132. History of Contemporary Mexico

HILA 144. Topics in Latin American History

HILA 161. History of Women in Latin America

HILA 162. Special Topics in Latin American History

HILA 163. History of Chile, 1880–Present

HILA 164. Women’s Work and Family Life in Latin America

HILA 167. Historical Scholarship on Latin American History

HILA 168. Historical Scholarship on Latin American History

HILA 169. Historical Scholarship on Latin American History

HIUS 117. History of Los Angeles

HIUS 158. Social and Economic History of the Southwest I

HIUS 159. Social and Economic History of the Southwest II

HIUS 167. Topics in Mexican American History

Latin American Studies

LATI 10. Reading North by South: Latin American Studies and the US Liberation Movements

LATI 50. Introduction to Latin America

LATI 87. First-year Student Seminar

LATI 122A. Field Research Methods for Migration Studies: Seminar

LATI 122B. Field Research Methods for Migration Studies: Practicum

LATI 122C. Field Research Methods for Migration Studies: Data Analysis

LATI 150. Digital Oral History in Latin America

LATI 190. Senior Seminar

LATI 191. Honors Thesis Seminar

LATI 199. Independent Study

Literature

LTAM 100. Latino/a Cultures in the United States

LTAM 101. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultures, 1848–1960

LTAM 105. Gender and Sexuality in Latino/a Cultural Production

LTAM 106. Modern Chicana and Mexican Women Writings

LTAM 107. Comparative Latino/a and US Ethnic Cultures

LTAM 108. Chicano/a and Latino/a Cultures: Intellectual and Political Traditions

LTAM 109. Cultural Production of the Latino/a Diasporas

LTAM 110. Latin American Literature in Translation

LTAM 111. Contemporary Caribbean Discourse

LTAM 130. Reading North by South

LTEN 169. Topics in Latino/a Literature

LTEN 171. Comparative Issues in Latino/a Immigration in US Literature

LTEN 180. Chicano Literature in English

LTEN 188. Contemporary Caribbean Literature

LTSP 119A-B-C. Cervantes

LTSP 123. Topics in Modern Spanish Culture

LTSP 130B. Development of Latin American Literature

LTSP 133. Contemporary Latin American Literature

LTSP 134. Literature of the Southern Cone

LTSP 135A. Mexican Literature before 1910

LTSP 135B. Modern Mexican Literature

LTSP 136. Andean Literature

LTSP 137. Caribbean Literature

LTSP 138. Central American Literature

LTSP 140. Latin American Novel

LTSP 141. Latin American Poetry

LTSP 142. Latin American Short Story

LTSP 150A. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production, 1848–1960

LTSP 150B. Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production, 1960–Present

LTSP 151. Topics in Chicano/a-Latino/a Cultures

LTSP 154. Latino/a and Chicano/a Literature

LTSP 162. Spanish Language in the United States

LTSP 170. Contemporary Theories of Cultural Production

LTSP 171. Studies in Peninsular and/or Latin American Literature and Society

LTSP 172. Indigenista Themes in Spanish American Literature

LTSP 174. Topics in Culture and Politics

LTSP 175. Gender, Sexuality, and Culture

LTSP 176. Literature and Nation (when Latin American content)

LTSP 177. Literary and Historical Migrations

Music

MUS 111. Topics/World Music Traditions (when Latin American content)

Philosophy

PHIL 155. Mexican Philosophy

PHIL 156. Latinx Philosophy

Political Science

POLI 105A. Latino Politics in the U.S.

POLI 134AA. Comparative Politics of Latin America

POLI 134B. Politics in Mexico

POLI 134D. Selected Topics in Latin American Politics

POLI 134I. Politics in the Southern Cone of Latin America

POLI 145A. International Politics and Drugs

POLI 150A. Politics of Immigration

POLI 154. Special Topics in International Relations (when Latin American content)

Sociology

SOCI 109M. Research Reporting

SOCI 125. Sociology of Immigration

SOCI 127. Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity

SOCI 133. Immigration in Comparative Perspective

SOCI 163. Migration and the Law (when Latin American content)

SOCI 175. Nationality and Citizenship

SOCI 182. Ethnicity and Indigenous Peoples in Latin America

SOCI 185. Globalization and Social Development

SOCI 188M. Social Movements in Latin America

Theatre and Dance

TDMV 140. Beginning Dances of the World

TDMV 141. Advanced Dances of the World

TDMV 142. Latin Dance of the World

TDHT 108. Luis Valdez

TDHT 110. Chicano Dramatic Literature

TDHT 111. Hispanic American Dramatic Literature

Urban Studies and Planning

USP 135. Asian and Latina Immigrant Workers in the Global Economy

Visual Arts

VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanization

VIS 126AN. Pre-Columbian Art of Ancient Mexico and Central America

VIS 126BN. Art and Civilization/Ancient Maya

VIS 126C. Problems in Meso-American Art History

VIS 126D. Problems in Ancient Maya Iconography and Inscriptions

VIS 126E. Indigenisms I: The Making of the Modern, Nineteenth Century to Mid-Twentieth Century

VIS 126F. Indigenisms II: Contemporary Disseminations, Neo-Avantgarde to the Present

VIS 126P. Latin American Art: Modern to Postmodern, 1890–1950

VIS 126Q. Latin American Art: Modern to Postmodern, 1950–Present

VIS 128D. Topics in Art History of the Americas

VIS 152. Film in the Social Context (when Latin American content)

VIS 156. Latino American Cinema

Methods Courses

Undergraduate majors should take one of the following methods courses:

ANSC 169. Culture and Environment: Research Seminar and Practicum

ANSC 171. Multimodal Methods in Ethnography

CGS 100B. Conceptualizing Gender: Methods and Methodologies

COMM 101E. Media Production Lab: Ethnographic Methods for Media Production

ETHN 107. Fieldwork in Racial and Ethnic Communities

ETHN 190. Research Methods: Studying Racial and Ethnic Communities

LTCS 100. Theories and Methods in Cultural Studies

LTCS 102. Practicing Cultural Studies

LTSP 159. Methodological Approaches to the Study of History and Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean

POLI 170A. Introductory Statistics for Political Science and Public Policy

SOCI 104. Field Research: Methods of Participant Observation

SOCI 104Q. Qualitative Interviewing

SOCI 105. Ethnographic Film: Media Methods

SOCI 106. Comparative and Historical Methods

SOCI 108. Survey Research Design

SOCI 188. Field Research in Migrant Communities

VIS 135. Design Research Methods

Education Abroad

Students in Latin American studies are encouraged to participate in the Education Abroad Program (EAP) in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, or Mexico, or in other study abroad programs offered by the Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP). Subject to approval by petition after courses have been completed (based on syllabi and course work), courses taken through EAP/OAP will be accepted for credit toward the major or minor. Up to six upper-division courses in the major and up to two upper-division courses in the minor can be petitioned for credit. Students interested in studying abroad should see the Latin American studies student affairs coordinator to discuss appropriate courses and programs for their plan of study before they leave. Information on EAP/OAP is given in the “Education Abroad Program” section of the UC San Diego General Catalog. Interested students should contact the Study Abroad UC San Diego office near Matthews Quad. Financial aid can be used for EAP/OAP study, and special study abroad scholarships are also available.

Academic Internship Program (AIP)

In partnership with the Academic Internship Program (AIP), the Latin American studies program offers opportunities for practical learning through internships in community settings, nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, and businesses with activities related to Latin America, immigration, or Latino/a groups in the United States. To participate in the program, students enroll in the upper division course AIP 197. Internships usually require an availability to intern ten hours per week for the entire quarter. Interns work closely with faculty who supervise the research paper/project. AIP 197 can be counted as one of the elective courses required by the Latin American studies major or minor. For detailed information, interested students should seek advice from the Latin American studies student affairs coordinator. They can also visit the website of the Academic Internship Program at http://aip.ucsd.edu.

Mexican Migration Field Research Program (MMFRP)

Latin American studies majors can participate in an in-depth, hands-on research experience through the Mexican Migration Field Research Program (MMFRP). To participate in the program, students enroll in the upper-division sequence of elective courses LATI 122A/B/C. They work closely with faculty who are responsible for teaching the courses, guiding the students’ research and writing, and supervising the teams’ fieldwork in Mexico and the United States Scholarships are available to cover travel and other expenses during fieldwork. LATI 122A/B/C can be counted as part of the elective courses required by the major in Latin American studies. For detailed information about the program’s conditions and requirements, interested students should seek orientation from the Latin American studies student affairs coordinator. They can also visit the website of the Mexican Migration Field Research Program at http://ccis.ucsd.edu/programs/migration-research-and-training.html.