Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS)

Core Faculty:
Professor Barnett*, Mayock
Assistant Professors Botta , Carey ,
Dickovick , Eastwood , Lepage

The Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to explore the concepts of civilization, culture, and society as applied to the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. The program’s curriculum draws from a variety of disciplines—including history, literature, economics, politics, and sociology—in an effort to explore the ways the region has been shaped by the meeting of Amerindian, African, and European peoples. The program aims to teach students about the commonalities and diversity within the region. Students will consider how these factors complement or differ from North American society.

Students who complete the minor can gain the background necessary for careers in teaching, bilingual education, social work, government or international organizations, business, journalism, and specialized nonprofit organizations, and/or for graduate work in Latin American Studies and related disciplines.

*Head of the Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Courses relevant to the Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are as follows:

The following courses may also meet program requirements, when the topic is appropriate:

Degrees/Majors/Minors

Interdisciplinary Minor

• Latin American and Caribbean Studies minor

Courses

LACS 101 - Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies

FDR: HU
Credits: 3
When Offered: Fall

A multidisciplinary, introductory course designed to familiarize students with the pertinent issues that determine or affect the concept of identity in Latin American and Caribbean societies through a study of their geography, history, politics, economics, literature, and culture. The purpose of the course is to provide a framework or overview to enhance understanding in the students’ future courses in particular disciplines and specific areas of Latin American and Caribbean study.Barnett.

LACS 195 - Special Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

FDR: FDR and GE designation varies with topic, as approved in advance.
Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and faculty resources permit.

A topical seminar that focuses on an interdisciplinary examination of a singular theme relevant to the overall understanding of Latin America and the Caribbean region, such as Hispanic Feminisms, the Indigenous Americas, or Shifting Borders, among others. As an introductory seminar, topics are selected with the purpose in mind to present the student with a broad, regional view within the scope of a restricted focus or medium.Staff.

LACS 256 - Trans-American Identity: Images from the Americas

(LIT 256)FDR: HL, GE3
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter, 2010

Prerequisite: Completion of FW or GE1 composition requirement. Counts toward the literature distribution requirement for the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program. A multi-genre survey of representative literary works from the Americas, defined as those regions that encompass Latin American and Caribbean cultures. In particular the course uses an interdisciplinary approach to show how exemplary artists from the region have crafted images to interpret and represent their American reality. Selected narrative, film, and poetic works by Spanish-American (Neruda, Garcia Marquez, Rulfo, and Carpentier), Francophone (Danticat), Lusophone (Amado), and Anglophone authors (Walcott, Brathwaite, and Naipaul), among others.Barnett.

LACS 257 - Multiculturalism in Latin America: The Case of Brazil

FDR: HL, GE3.
Credits: 4
When Offered: Spring 2011

This seminar studies Brazil as an example of a multicultural society. Students examine the meaning of multiculturalism and related concepts of identity, heterogeneity, and Eurocentrism, not only in regard to the Brazilian context, but also, comparatively, to that of US culture. The course focuses on the social dynamics that have engaged Brazilians of different backgrounds, marked by differences of gender, ethnicity, and class, and on how multiculturalism and the ensuing conflicts have continuously shaped and reshaped individual subjectivities and national identity. Some of the key issues to be addressed in class are: Brazil’s ethnic formation; myths of national identity; class and racial relations; and women in Brazilian society. Readings for the class include novels, short stories, poetry, and testimonial/diaryPinto-Bailey.

LACS 396 - Capstone Seminar in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter

Prerequisites: completion of all other minor requirements, junior or senior standing, or permission of the instructor. This capstone course buildsupon the foundations developed in LACS 101 and related coursework in the distribution areas. Students discuss assigned readings centered around a key theme or themes of Latin American Studies in connection with an individualized research project. This project is carried out with continual mentoring by a faculty member and in collaboration with peer feedback. Each student presents his/her findings in a formal paper, or other approved end-product, and summarizes the results in an oral presentation.Staff.

LACS 421 - Interdisciplinary Research

Credits: 1
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and faculty resources permit.

Prerequisites: LACS 101, junior or senior standing, and permission of the instructor.Independent research into a topic centered within Latin America or the Caribbean, directed by two or more faculty representing at least two disciplines. Students are expected to share their work with the public through a public presentation.Barnett.

LACS 422 - Interdisciplinary Research

Credits: 2
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and faculty resources permit.

LACS 423 - Interdisciplinary Research

Credits: 3
When Offered: Offered when interest is expressed and faculty resources permit.

LIT 256 - Trans-American Identity:Images from the Americas

(LACS 256)FDR: HL, GE3
Credits: 3
When Offered: Winter, 2010

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