Latin American Studies

Monique Balbuena, Program Director
541-346-2311
101G Chapman Hall

The University of Oregon offers a bachelor of arts degree in Latin American studies. A minor in Latin American studies is also available. An emphasis on Latin America is available for master of arts (MA) degrees with majors in anthropology, history, international studies, and Spanish. See the Anthropology , History , International Studies , and Romance Languages sections of this catalog.

Study Abroad

Students in University of Oregon overseas study programs enroll in courses with subject codes that are unique to individual programs. Special course numbers are reserved for overseas study. See the Study Abroad section in the Supplementary Academic Programming section of this catalog.

Participating Faculty

Michael B. Aguilera, sociology

Carlos Aguirre, history

Monique Balbuena, honors college

Erin Beck, political science

Mark Carey, honors college

Cecilia Enjuto Rangel, Romance langauges

Juan A. Epple, Romance languages

Linda O. Fuller, women’s and gender studies

Leonardo García-Pabón, Romance languages

Spike Gildea, linguistics

Amalia Gladhart, Romance languages

Michael Hames-García, ethnic studies

James Harper, history of art and architecture

Robert S. Haskett, history

Derrick Hindery, international studies

Craig Kauffman, political science

Linda Kintz, English

Kathryn A. Lynch, environmental studies

Gabriela Martinez, journalism and communication

Michelle McKinley, law

Katharine Meehan, geography

Lise Nelson, geography

Priscilla P. Ovalle, English

Amanda W. Powell, Romance languages

Gerardo Sandoval, planning, public policy and management

Irmary Reyes-Santos, ethnic studies

Philip W. Scher, anthropology

Lynn Stephen, anthropology

Analisa Taylor, Romance languages

Alejandro Vallega, philosophy

David J. Vazquez, English

Peter B. Wetherwax, biology

Kristin Yarris, international studies

Reuben Zahler, history

Rocio Zambrana, philosophy

Preparation

High school students who have taken courses in economics, history, political science, or other approaches to international affairs, or who have participated in extracurricular activities (such as the Oregon High School International Relations League) may be interested in Latin American studies.

Community college students who have taken courses in international relations may be interested in specializing in Latin American studies.

Careers

Career opportunities for students completing Latin American studies are available through such avenues as the Peace Corps, the U.S. Foreign Service (including the Information Agency), the foreign-aid programs of the United States government, the United Nations and other international organizations, private foundations, international businesses, and international nongovernmental organizations (including church, human-rights, and environmental organizations).

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

LAS 200	Introduction to Latin American Studies	4
LAS 211	Latin American Humanities: [Topic]	4
or LAS 212	Latin American Social Sciences: [Topic]
Two courses chosen from the following:		8
SPAN 342	Hispanic Cultures through Literature II
SPAN 343	Hispanic Cultures through Literature III
SPAN 344	Hispanic Cultures through Literature IV
HIST 380–382	Latin America (choose two courses for a total of 8 credits)	8
LAS 407	Seminar: [Topic] 1	4
Elective courses related to Latin America		20
Total Credits		48

1	In exceptional cases, Seminar: [Topic] (LAS 407) may be substituted with an equivalent seminar focusing on Latin America that is offered by another department or program.

Additional Requirements

• Courses must be passed with grades of C– or better or P
• No more than 16 credits may be taken in a single department
• No more than 12 credits may be in lower-division courses
• At least 28 credits must be taken on the Eugene campus
• A maximum of 8 credits may be used in independent studies or internships
• At least 8 credits must be taken in courses covering the pre-1800 period
• As many as 16 credits may be from courses related to Latino studies or studies of Hispanics in the United States
• No more than 8 credits may be taken pass/no pass (P/N)
• At least 8 credits must be taken in social sciences departments other than history (e.g., anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, geography, international studies, political science, or sociology)
• Students are strongly encouraged to study in (or enroll in an internship in) a Latin American country at least for one term

Language Requirements

In addition to the minimum of 48 credits in required and elective courses, all majors are required to demonstrate a third-year level of proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese. This will entail completing (with a grade of C– or better or P) the basic two years of college-level language courses and taking at least four 300-level courses taught in the respective foreign language (such as Cultura y lengua: identidades hispanas (SPAN 301), Cultura y lengua: expresiones artisticas (SPAN 303), Cultura y lengua: cambios sociales (SPAN 305), Hispanic Cultures through Literature III (SPAN 343), or Hispanic Cultures through Literature IV (SPAN 344)).

Minor Requirements

LAS 200	Introduction to Latin American Studies	4
Select one of the following:		4
LAS 211	Latin American Humanities: [Topic]
LAS 212	Latin American Social Sciences: [Topic]
LAS 407	Seminar: [Topic]
Elective courses		20
Preapproved courses in overseas program 1		8
Total Credits		36

1	At an accredited Latin American college or university.

Language Requirements

Students must satisfactorily complete, with grades of C– or better or P, two years of college-level Spanish- or Portuguese-language courses.

Language credits may be earned at the University of Oregon through an approved overseas program or transferred from another accredited college or university. As an alternative, students may satisfy the language requirement by examination, demonstrating a level of competence equivalent to two years of college-level Spanish or Portuguese. Students whose native language is either Spanish or Portuguese may substitute equivalent competence in English in lieu of this requirement.

Additional Requirements

• Transfer credits from universities outside Latin America are considered individually, following existing procedures in appropriate departments for determining their equivalence to UO courses
• A minimum of 20 credits must be in upper-division (300- or 400-level) courses
• A minimum of 20 credits must be taken for letter grades
• A minimum of 4 credits must be earned through completion of a course or courses whose focus is on pre-20th-century Latin America
• A maximum of 4 credits can be in comparative, global, ethnic, and similar courses that are relevant to Latin American studies but lack a minimum of 50 percent content directly related to Latin America
• No more than 12 credits from any one department can count toward the minor
• Courses from no more than four departments, disciplines, or programs can count toward the minor
• Courses must be passed with grades of C– or better or P for 28 credits of course work in Latin American studies; 8 of those credits must be completed in courses with the LAS subject code

In Spanish, only upper-division literature and culture courses count toward satisfaction of the 28-credit requirement.

Advising

Students who want a major or a minor in Latin American studies should frequently consult a Latin American studies advisor to determine which courses offered during any given academic year may be applied to requirements for the degree or minor.

Sampling of Courses from Other Departments that Satisfy Major and Minor Requirements

Anthropology
ANTH 434	Native South Americans	4
History
HIST 380–382	Latin America	12
HIST 482	Latin America's Indian Peoples	4
HIST 483	Latin America: [Topic]	4
Political Science
PS 463	Government and Politics of Latin America	4
Spanish
SPAN 318–319	Survey of Spanish American Literature	8
SPAN 348	United States Latino Literature and Culture	4
SPAN 450	Colonial Latin American Literature: [Topic]	4
SPAN 490	20th-Century Latin American Literature: [Topic]	4
Any Department, Program with Latin America Focus
Seminar (407)

Periodically, other departments and programs such as ethnic studies, geography, history of art and architecture, international studies, sociology, and women’s and gender studies offer courses that may satisfy degree and minor requirements.