Latin American Studies Jump To: Jump To: Program Offerings Certificate Offering type Certificate The Program in Latin American Studies promotes interdisciplinary study and seeks to foster knowledge of and experience in Latin America. Courses are offered by the Departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Archaeology, Comparative Literature, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Economics, English, French and Italian (appropriate French courses only), History, Music, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, the Program in Latino Studies and the Program in Latin American Studies (PLAS). Through various approaches in the humanities and the social and natural sciences, the program seeks to guide students toward an understanding of Latin American arts, cultures, histories, socioeconomic conditions, politics and natural environments. The student's work is supervised by a departmental adviser and is combined with a departmental program in a regular major. Experience abroad is not required, but PLAS strongly encourages students to travel to and explore Latin America. Funds are available to support student travel to Latin America for research purposes. First- and second-year students are eligible for exploratory research grants, and juniors and seniors can apply for senior thesis research funding. Goals for Student Learning Latin America and the Caribbean are extraordinarily diverse areas, encompassing a wide variety of cultures, economies, political traditions, environments and languages. The Program in Latin American Studies brings a global perspective to campus, offering an opportunity to engage one of the world’s most rapidly changing regions. The program is designed to ignite new forms of scholarship, spark dialogue and promote first-hand engagement with leading scholars and creative thinkers. Coursework spans topics and disciplines and sheds new light on multiple facets of the region. The program aims to foster greater knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean and to explore the contributions of these areas to the global community. The key learning goals for a certificate in Latin American Studies are: To identify some of the main cultural, historical, political, environmental and social complexities of Latin American societies to expand and enrich students' views about the multicultural nature of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and to emphasize the interactions between Indigenous and introduced cultures and economies in this region. To compare perspectives, methodologies and theories from multiple disciplines to understand the diversity and specificities of Latin America’s sub-regions and countries. To critically evaluate Latin America’s position in the Americas and within a larger international context. To effectively apply interdisciplinary research methodologies and models of inquiry to understand cultural, historical, political, economic, environmental and social processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, including their diasporic communities. To acquire international experience in Latin America and the Caribbean through travel and fieldwork. To develop communication skills in Spanish, Portuguese, French and/or other Indigenous languages spoken in the region. Admission to the Program Students from all departments are welcome. There are no prerequisites to enroll. Interested students should complete our online enrollment form. Program of Study The Program in Latin American Studies offers two tracks of study: Latin American Studies and Brazilian Studies. For satisfactory completion of either program, a student must meet the following requirements: Completion of the requirements of a departmental major. Completion of the language requirement in Spanish, Portuguese or French (for students focusing on the French-speaking Caribbean). With the program director's permission, a maximum of two courses from study abroad may count toward fulfilling the course requirements. In agreement with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, only one course can be used toward both the certificate in the Program in Latin American Studies and a certificate in Spanish or Portuguese. Students pursuing science studies may fulfill program requirements by taking a number of approved courses in ecology and evolutionary biology and environmental studies. No course may be taken pass/D/fail or audit for program credit. Latin American Studies Track For students pursuing the Latin American Studies track, satisfactory completion of four courses across several disciplines, and at least one of the following four courses must be a seminar. One humanities course cross-listed with LAS or with strong Latin American content Three courses from any field cross-listed with LAS or with strong Latin American content For students pursuing the Latin American Studies track: Completion of a senior thesis on a Latin American subject. Normally it should be written under the supervision of a faculty member associated with the program. If this is not the case, students are encouraged to consult a faculty member associated with the program about available sources or professional contacts some time during their junior year. If the senior thesis is not devoted exclusively to a Latin American topic, the director and relevant program faculty will determine its acceptability. Ordinarily, at least half of the thesis content will deal with Latin America, or a substantial portion of the research for the thesis will require proficiency in a language—other than English—spoken in Latin America. Brazilian Studies Track For students pursuing the Brazilian Studies track, satisfactory completion of four courses across several disciplines, and at least one of the following four courses must be a seminar. One humanities course cross-listed with LAS or with strong Brazilian content Three courses from any field cross-listed with LAS or with strong Brazilian content For students pursuing the Brazilian Studies track: Completion of a senior thesis on a Brazilian subject. Normally, it should be written under the supervision of a faculty member associated with the program. If this is not the case, students are encouraged to consult a faculty member associated with the program about available sources or useful professional contacts some time during their junior year. If the senior thesis is not devoted exclusively to a Brazilian topic, the director and relevant program faculty will determine its acceptability. Ordinarily, at least half of the thesis content will deal with Brazil, and a substantial portion of the research for the thesis will be conducted in Portuguese. Students whose thesis cannot be devoted to a Latin American or Brazilian topic may complete the program requirements either by writing a research paper of sufficient complexity and length to substitute for the thesis requirement (the topic should be determined in consultation with the director and relevant program faculty) or by taking an additional approved course. Certificate of Proficiency Upon graduation, students who have met all the program requirements will receive a certificate of proficiency in Latin American studies along with their diploma. Faculty Director Gabriela Nouzeilles Executive Committee João Biehl, Anthropology Eduardo L. Cadava, English Vera S. Candiani, History Beatriz Colomina, Architecture Javier E. Guerrero, Spanish & Portuguese Hendrik Lorenz, Philosophy Gabriela Nouzeilles, Spanish & Portuguese Christina P. Riehl, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Deborah J. Yashar, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Associated Faculty Jeremy I. Adelman, History José L. Avalos, Chemical and Biological Eng Yarimar Bonilla, Effron Center Study of America Benjamin H. Bradlow, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Monica C. Bravo, Art and Archaeology Natalia Castro Picón, Spanish & Portuguese Matias D. Cattaneo, Oper Res and Financial Eng Miguel A. Centeno, Sociology Rafael Cesar, Spanish & Portuguese Fernando Codá Marques, Mathematics Susana Draper, Comparative Literature Patricia Fernández-Kelly, Sociology Agustin Fuentes, Anthropology Thomas Fujiwara, Economics Rubén Gallo, Spanish & Portuguese Mario I. Gandelsonas, Architecture Lorgia García Peña, Effron Center Study of America Filiz Garip, Sociology Maria E. Garlock, Civil and Environmental Eng Hanna Garth, Anthropology Reena N. Goldthree, African American Studies Dannelle Gutarra Cordero, African American Studies Bryan R. Just, Art Museum Thomas D. Kaufmann, Art and Archaeology Christina H. Lee, Spanish & Portuguese Nicole D. Legnani, Spanish & Portuguese John B. Londregan, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Rosina A. Lozano, History Pedro Meira Monteiro, Spanish & Portuguese Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Computer Science Isadora M. Mota, History F. Nick Nesbitt, French & Italian Stephen Pacala, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Dan-El Padilla Peralta, Classics Pamela A. Patton, Art and Archaeology Grigore Pop-Eleches, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Rachel L. Price, Spanish & Portuguese Alejandro W. Rodriguez, Electrical & Comp Engineering Irene V. Small, Art and Archaeology Garry Sparks, Religion Maria Micaela Sviatschi, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Rocío Titiunik, Politics Guadalupe Tuñón, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Corinna Zeltsman, History Sits with Committee Fernando E. Acosta-Rodriguez Lecturer Juan C. Ferre Danny Raoul Hirschel-Burns Olivia M. Lott Visiting Professor Michael M. Brescia For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website. Courses LAS 210 - Urban Sociology: The City and Social Change in the Americas (also LAO 210/SOC 210/URB 210) Fall SA LAS 221 - Art of Hispania (also ART 221) Not offered this year LA LAS 222 - Introduction to Latin American Cultures (also LAO 222/SPA 222) Fall CDLA LAS 223 - Introduction to the Literature and Culture of the Portuguese-Speaking World (also POR 221) LA LAS 248 - Modern Mexican Society (also SOC 248) Not offered this year SA LAS 267 - Mesoamerican Art (also ANT 366/ART 267) Not offered this year LA LAS 300 - The Literature and Culture of Spain and Colonial Latin America: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque (also SPA 300) LA LAS 303 - Modern Brazilian Literature and Culture (also POR 301) LA LAS 304 - Modern Latin America since 1810 (also HIS 304/LAO 303) Not offered this year HA LAS 305 - Colonial Latin America to 1810 (also HIS 303) Not offered this year HA LAS 309 - Topics in the Sociology of Latin America (also SOC 309) Not offered this year SA LAS 310 - Gender and Development in the Americas (also GSS 312/SOC 310) Not offered this year SA LAS 311 - Topics in Brazilian Cultural and Social History (also POR 304) LA LAS 314 - Topics in the Study of Gender (also GSS 302) Spring SA LAS 315 - Luso-Afro-Brazilian Literary Traditions (also POR 300) LA LAS 319 - Brazilian Cinema (also POR 319/VIS 346) LA LAS 321 - Topics in the Intellectual History of Modern and Contemporary Spain (also SPA 321) LA LAS 322 - Studies in Religion (also AAS 320/REL 373) Not offered this year SA LAS 326 - Becoming Latino in the U.S. (also HIS 306/LAO 306) Not offered this year CDHA LAS 327 - Modernism in Fiction (also COM 327) Not offered this year LA LAS 331 - Modern Latin American Fiction (also SPA 331) LA LAS 332 - Modern Latin American Poetry (also SPA 332) LA LAS 333 - Latino Politics in the U.S. (also LAO 333/POL 333/SOC 325) Not offered this year SA LAS 336 - Latinos in American Life and Culture (also LAO 200/SOC 341) Not offered this year SA LAS 338 - The Sociology of Latinos in the U.S. (also SOC 338) Not offered this year SA LAS 342 - Topics in Latin American Modernity (also SPA 342) Fall LA LAS 343 - The Invention of Latin American Traditions (also SPA 343) LA LAS 344 - Literature and Society in Early Latin America (also SPA 344) LA LAS 345 - Topics in Latin American Literature and Ideology (also SPA 345) LA LAS 346 - Topics in Country and Regional Economics (also ECO 371) Not offered this year SA LAS 347 - Topics in the Culture of Cities (also SPA 351) LA LAS 348 - Fictions and Communities in the Andes (also SPA 348) Not offered this year LA LAS 349 - Topics in Latin American Cultural Studies (also SPA 350) Fall LA LAS 350 - Pre-Columbian Peoples of Tropical America and Their Environments (also EEB 332) Not offered this year SA LAS 351 - Tropical Biology (also EEB 338) Spring SEL LAS 353 - Topics in Gender and Representation (also COM 354/SPA 353) LA LAS 354 - Topics in Cinema and Culture (also SPA 319) LA LAS 356 - Topics in the Politics of Writing and Difference (also SPA 352) LA LAS 364 - Modern Latin American Fiction in Translation (also COM 346/SPA 346) LA LAS 366 - Ancient Arts of Mexico (also ART 366) Not offered this year LA LAS 367 - Latin American Politics (also POL 367/SPI 367) Not offered this year SA LAS 371 - The Politics of Development (also POL 351/SPI 311) Spring SA LAS 385 - Caribbean Literature and Culture (also AAS 343/AMS 396/ENG 358) CDLA LAS 401 - Latin American Studies Seminar (also LAO 401/SPA 412) Not offered this year LA The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 402 - Latin American Studies Seminar (also POL 461) Fall SA The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 403 - Latin American Studies Seminar Not offered this year LA The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 404 - Latin American Studies Seminar (also POR 411/SPA 410) Not offered this year LA The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 405 - Latin American Studies Seminar Not offered this year The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 406 - Latin American Studies Seminar Not offered this year The seminar will concentrate upon themes and topics in Latin American history, politics, society, literature, and/or culture. The focus will vary from year to year. Staff LAS 408 - Selected Topics in 20th-Century Latin America (also HIS 408) Not offered this year HA LAS 423 - Topics in Francophone Literature, Culture, and History (also FRE 403) Fall LA LAS 428 - Topics in Hispanic Culture (Europe and America) (also SPA 401) LA LAS 443 - Global Exchange in Art and Architecture (also ART 443) Not offered this year LA LAS 463 - A Social and Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Structures (also CEE 463) Not offered this year
