Latin American and Latinx Studies Minor

The Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) Program provides a multidisciplinary education on key issues and dynamics in Latin America and Latinx communities in the United States and prepares students for work and future study in an array of fields, including business, government and diplomacy, education, health care, journalism and communications, private and public development organizations and non-profits. It also offers an array of relevant programming on campus and promotes experiential learning in and related to the region.

The Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) equips students with multiple frameworks for understanding and analyzing significant realities in Latin America and Latinx communities. Students explore perspectives and approaches from within the region and among peoples of Latin American origins in the U.S., including those expressed in the primary languages of Latin America. By selecting courses most relevant to their primary areas of study, students prepare themselves for professional opportunities in or related to Latin America and Latinx communities. 

Director

  • Dr. Heather Hennes (Languages and Linguistics)

Latin American and Latinx Studies Advisory Board

  • Fr. Peter Clark (Theology and Religious Studies)
  • Dr. Richard Gioioso (Political Science)
  • Dr. Claudia Páez-Lotero (Modern and Classical Languages)
  • Dr. Michelle Ramírez (Sociology)
  • Dr. Elaine Shenk (Modern and Classical Languages)
  • Dr. Richard Warren (History)

Goal 1: be knowledgeable about the history, cultures, economic, business, political and/or social trends of Latin America and/or Latinx communities in the United States. 

Objective 1.1: describe accurately and with substantive detail some aspect of the history, cultures, economic, business, political and/or social trends of Latin America and/or Latinx communities. 

Goal 2: develop modes of analysis and ways of critical thinking about Latin America and/or Latinx communities through multiple lenses (e.g. historical, literary, political, sociological, artistic, business, economic).

Objective 2.1: apply appropriate, discipline-specific theoretical and/or analytical frameworks to interpret ideas and beliefs, events, practices, texts (broadly conceived), and/or material culture from Latin America and/or among Latinx communities.

Students complete the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) with six courses. To ensure the interdisciplinary focus of the minor, courses from at least three participating departments must be represented among the six courses. Students may petition the LALS Program Director to receive credit for courses not listed below, such as courses taken abroad. Students participating in a study abroad or a study tour to Latin America are encouraged to ask the LALS Program Director about financial support for travel.

Please note: Students may count a maximum of two of the following courses towards the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies: SPA 201 SPA 202SPA 301SPA 302SPA 303. Students studying another language of the region (French, Portuguese) can request that comparable courses count toward the LALS minor. 

Course Offerings

ARH 106Latin American Art & Architect3
ECN 370Economic Development3
ECN 482Latin American Economies3
HIS 203Historical Intro to Latin Am3
HIS 204Latin American-U.S. Migration3
HIS 301Latin America and the U.S.3
HIS 303History of Modern Mexico3
HIS 304Social Protest in Latin Am His3
HIS 474Seminar in Latin Am His3
HIS 480Readings in Latin Amer Hist3
HSC 368Just Hlth Care Dev Nations3
POL 328U.S. Immigration3
POL 331Latin American Politics3
POL 337Contemp Cuban Pol & Society3
POL 352Global Political Economy3
SOC 314Culture of Latin America3
SOC 316Fair Trade Coffee: Study Tour3
SPA 201Intermediate Spanish I 13
SPA 202Intermediate Spanish II 13
SPA 301Spanish Conversation 13
SPA 302Spanish Composition 13
SPA 303Spanish for Heritage Speakers 13
SPA 310Intro to Latin American Lit3
SPA 315Animals in Literature3
SPA 320Cur Evnts in the Sp-Lang Media3
SPA 321Visions of the Nat Wld Lat Am3
SPA 350Intro to Latin Amer Cultures3
SPA 353Latin American Cinema3
SPA 360Spanish in the Community4
SPA 401Topics in Latin Am Cultures3
SPA 415Iconic Women of Latin America3
SPA 420Major Latin American Authors3
SPA 422Culture and Dictatorship3
SPA 423Latin Am Short Story3
SPA 425Imagery of the Conquest3
SPA 426Culture in Revolution3
SPA 428Rainforest: A Literary Journey3
SPA 431Commonplaces of Colonial Exp3
SPA 466Spanish Dialectology3
SPA 467Lang Contact & Pol in U.S.3
THE/HSC 368Just Hlth Care in Dev Nations3
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Students may count a maximum of two of the following courses towards the Minor in Latin American Studies: SPA 202SPA 301SPA 302SPA 303

Provisional Courses

The following courses may count toward the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies, depending on course content in a given semester, including the student's final project. Students who would like to include these courses in their program of study should consult with the LALS Program Director in advance to determine whether or not the course will be accepted.

ECN 321International Trade3
FMK 402Future Issues in Food Mktg3
HIS 491Philadelphia Area Internship3
IBU 210Intro International Business3
POL 403Capstone: Nations&Nationalism3
POL 491Philadelphia-Area Internship3
SPA 470Topics in Spanish3
MCC 150First Year Seminar3