|
|
2025-2026 Catalog
Latin American Studies
|
|
 Return to: Academic Fields
Professors: Maiz-Peña (Hispanic Studies), Mangan (History and Latin American Studies), Peña (Hispanic Studies), Samson (Anthropology), Willis (Hispanic Studies and Latin American Studies)
Associate Professors: Botelho (Latin American Studies), Boyer (Hispanic Studies), González (Hispanic Studies)
Associate Professor of Practice: B. Crandall (Political Science)
Assistant Professors: Castañeda (Latin American Studies), Cornejo Casares (Latin American Studies)
|
Major Requirements (A.B. Degree)
I. Ten courses to include:
a. Introduction to Latin American Studies
b. Two introductory courses in different disciplines from among the following:
c. One theory/methodology course from among the following and selected in consultation with the adviser:
d. Five electives at the 200 level or above.
e. No more than five courses may be credited to any one department.
f. Senior Capstone Seminar: a lengthy paper that demonstrates an understanding of how different disciplines can inform each other in the study of Latin America.
g. Honors in Latin American Studies
A major desiring to become a candidate for honors in Latin American Studies must apply in writing to the department at the beginning of the fall semester of the senior year. Applicants must have an overall GPA of 3.2 and a GPA of 3.5 in all course work taken in the major at the time of application. In order to receive honors, a student must, in addition to maintaining this level of performance, enroll in LAS 495 during the fall semester. Students will complete the written thesis in the spring as they complete LAS 499. The LAS major seeking honors will complete 12 courses total for the major. Furthermore, for honors, the thesis must receive a grade of at least A-, as well as a departmental recommendation. The department may, upon awarding a thesis grade of A and given evidence of continued high academic achievement, recommend departmental high honors. II. Satisfy the language requirement.
For Spanish: A 300- or 400-level Davidson College course taught in Spanish or an analogous course transferred, with the approval of the Chair, from another institution. SPA 311 and SPA 302 do not fulfill this requirement, and study abroad courses are typically not approved. SPA 304 will be evaluated on the basis of course content. Courses fulfilling this requirement can count as a curricular elective if the contend is focused predominantly on Latin America For Portuguese: Certification by the Chair, following consultation with a Portuguese language instructor. For French: In cases where student interests are focused on the French-speaking Caribbean, and in consultation with the chair, French at the appropriate level will be accepted for students who are completing either a major or a minor in LAS III. Study Abroad or other significant off-campus experience
Approved study abroad in Latin American/Latino communities prior to graduation. Extended stay in the region is essential for gaining linguistic and cultural fluency associated with an area studies major. Students may appeal this requirement in exceptional circumstances. Notes
- One independent study can be included among the electives.
- One course may be “Partial Latin American/Latino Studies Content.”
- No more than two course may be counted toward other majors or interdisciplinary minors.
- Normally, a maximum of three ungraded courses may come from another institution. The Chair may approve a greater number under circumstances such as a rigorous year-long study abroad.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Latin American Studies
The Latin American Studies interdisciplinary minor is open to students majoring in any department or program who wish to study the region of Latin American in-depth from the combined perspectives of the humanities and social sciences. Students may earn an interdisciplinary minor by completing a total of six approved courses drawn from at least three different academic departments and meeting a language requirement. The list of approved courses is subject to change, based on course offerings in a given year from the various departments participating in the program. 3) Four elective courses from the remaining introductory courses and the following list:
ANT 227 Environmental Justice in Latin America
ANT 251 Mesoamerican Civilizations
ANT 321 Borderlands, Identity, and Rights
ANT 323 Human Rights in Latin America ANT 327 Religious Pluralism in Latin America
ANT 354 Art and Writing of the Ancient Maya
ART 106Latin American Art
ECO 234 Latin American Economic Development
EDU 350 Latino/a Education in US
HIS 264 Latin American History
HIS 259 US Latino/a History
HIS 364 Race, Sex, Power in Latin America HIS 462 - Public Health and Society in Latin America
HIS 465 Colonialism and Imagination in Early Latin America
HIS 466 Migrations and Immigration in Latin America LAS 120 Afro-Latin America (= AFR 120)
LAS 220 Politics and Economics of Brazil (= POL 344)
LAS 222 The Political Economy of the Southern Cone (=POL 354) LAS 230 History of the Caribbean: Race, Nation, and Politics (=AFR 230) LAS 235 The Cuban Revolution (AFR 235 and HIS 362)
LAS 240 LAS 240 - Introduction to Latinx Studies LAS 300 Major Thinkers in Africana Studies: Afro-Cuban Feminisms (=AFR 300)
LAS 342 The Latin American City: Historical Narratives & Cultural Representations (= SPA 342) LAS 395 Independent Study in Latin American Studies
MUS 241 Music of Latin America (=MUS 341)
MUS 246 Music of Brazil (=MUS 346) POL 353 The Latin American Political Novel
POL 361 U.S.-Latin American Relations SPA 241 Latin American Literature in Translation SPA 244 U.S. Latino Literature in English
SPA 340 Latin American Literature I
SPA 341 Latin American Literature II
SPA 343 Lat American New Weird Writing
SPA 344 Latinx Culture: Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies SPA 346 Latin American Theatre
SPA 347 Imperial Cities
SPA 352 Contemporary Latin American Cinema SPA 357 - Las modernas: Spanish Women Writers Coming of Age
SPA 358 “Writing the Amerindian Americas”
SPA 359 Contemporary Latin American/Latino Short Story
SPA 374 Caribbean Peoples, Ideas, and Art
SPA 375 Latin American Women Writers
SPA 401 U.S.- Mex Border Cultures
SPA 403 Latinx American Sexualities
SPA 405 Law, Letters, and Empire
SPA 406 Life-writing, Gender, Performativity
SPA 410 - Writing and Righting the Cuban Revolution
* Other SPA courses at the 300 level or above with substantive Latin American content and approval of the LAS chair 4) In addition to the six courses the minor also requires proficiency in either Spanish or Portuguese, equivalent to SPA 260. Students may show proficiency through a placement test.
Notes
- At least four courses must be taken in residence.
- In special instances and in conversation with the LAS Chair, minors may enroll in LAS 490, the Senior Capstone course for majors, as one of their four electives.
- Up to two courses may count toward the student’s major as well as the LAS interdisciplinary minor.
- In consultation with the LAS chair, one independent study course may be approved as an elective.
- All coursework required for the Latin American interdisciplinary minor must be completed with a grade of C or better.
- Courses for the interdisciplinary minor may not be taken pass/fail.
Course Numbering Rationale
The following rationale applies to courses with the prefix LAS. Please note that many courses from other departments count for the LAS major and minor, but are numbered according to the rationale used by the department associated with the prefix; therefore, the rationale below applies only to courses with an LAS prefix. 100-level LAS courses
These courses are broad surveys introducing Latin American, Latinx, and Afro-Latin American studies, with no previous knowledge expected, suitable for first-year and sophomore students, but open to all students seeking to build knowledge in these areas. 100-level courses feature a mix of lecture and discussion and encourage student participation through low-stakes assignments, such as response papers that are graded for completion. Students must demonstrate understanding of the arguments presented in specific readings as well as the content analyzed in class through summative assignments, such as quizzes and exams. In order to allow for vibrant small-group discussion and sharing out with the entire class, these courses are capped at 24.
200-level LAS courses
These courses focus on more specific topics within Latin American, Latinx, and Afro-Latin American studies. These courses do not usually have prerequisites, but students will often find their depth more gratifying if they have either taken a 100-level course in LAS or have taken courses in other departments, at any level, that count toward LAS. Course-work for these courses will include project-based group work, presentations, as well as short writing assignments. Any exams will also be essay-based. Given the focus on more writing-based assessments and the development of presentation skills, these courses are capped at 18.
Special Topics courses in LAS are also taught at the 200-level and will differ in focus from year to year, but will fulfill the same Graduation Requirements (e.g. LAS 252 fulfills SSRQ and JEC while LAS 280 fulfils SSRQ and CULT).
300-Level LAS courses
300-level courses are designed as seminars, with in-depth exploration of an instructor-designated topic in Latin American, Latinx, and Afro-Latin American studies. These seminars achieve some of their learning outcomes primarily through project-based learning, experiential learning, and/or fieldwork. They may have pre-requisites, as determined by the faculty member creating the course. 300-level courses develop scholarly research skills, resulting in student work such as annotated bibliographies, research paper proposals, a podcast, and/or a creative project accompanied by a contextualizing essay. These courses center student participation and discussion alongside collaborative work, may involve fieldwork or other forms of experiential learning, and are capped at 14 students in order to facilitate this learning.
400-Level LAS courses
400-level courses are seminars that center student-led research and have a methods course in LAS or another department as a pre-requisite. Students are guided in designing their own research questions, identifying the appropriate disciplinary or interdisciplinary methodologies for answering them, and selecting a specific format to communicate the results to a broader audience. To facilitate close faculty supervision of interdisciplinary student-led research, these courses are capped at 12 students. |
Return to: Academic Fields
|
|