Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS)

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 art 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.

Program Head: Jeffrey C. Barnett

Core Faculty

First date is the year in which the faculty member began service as regular faculty at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.

Jeffrey C. Barnett, Ph.D.—(1989)-2007
Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., University of Kentucky

Mónica Botta, Ph.D.—(2006)-2012
Associate Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., University of Connecticut

J. Tyler Dickovick, Ph.D.—(2004)-2010
Associate Professor of Politics
Ph.D., Princeton University

Jonathan Eastwood, Ph.D.—(2006)-2010
Associate Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Boston University

Robert Matthew Gildner, Ph.D.—(2012)-2012
Assistant Professor of History
Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin

Andrea Lepage, Ph.D.—(2008)-2014
Associate Professor of Art History
Ph.D., Brown University

Ellen C. Mayock, Ph.D.—(1997)-2008
Ernest Williams II Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., University of Texas

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

• ARTH 170 - Arts of Mesoamerica and the Andes
    
• ARTH 271 - Arts of Colonial Latin America
    
• ARTH 273 - Arts of Modern Latin America  
• ARTH 274 - Art and Revolution: Mexican Muralism  
• ARTH 276 - Chicana/o Art and Muralism: From the Street to the (Staniar) Gallery   
• ARTH 376 - Visual Culture in the Hispanic World, c. 1500-1700
    
• BIOL 216 - Tropical Ecology
    
• BUS 337 - Economic Globalization and Multinational Corporations   
• ECON 280 - Development Economics
    
• HIST 130 - Latin America: Mayas to Independence
    
• HIST 131 - Modern Latin America: Túpak Katari to Tupac Shakur
    
• HIST 233 - U.S.-Latin American Relations from 1825 to Present
    
• HIST 234 - Nations and Nationalism  
• HIST 337 - Seminar: Revolutions in Latin America
    
• HIST 366 - Seminar: Slavery in the Americas
    
• LACS 101 - Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies
    
• LACS 195 - Special Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
    
• LACS 256 - Trans-American Identity: Images from the Americas
    
• LACS 257 - Multiculturalism in Latin America: The Case of Brazil
    
• LACS 396 - Capstone Seminar in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
    
• LACS 421 - Interdisciplinary Research
    
• LACS 422 - Interdisciplinary Research
    
• LACS 423 - Interdisciplinary Research
    
• LIT 256 - Trans-American Identity: Images from the Americas  
• LIT 259 - The French Caribbean Novel
    
• POL 247 - Latin American Politics
    
• POL 279 - Comparative Political Analysis  
• PORT 403 - Directed Individual Study  
• SOAN 234 - Nations and Nationalism  
• SPAN 192 - Practical Applications of the Spanish Language  
• SPAN 201 - Supervised Study Abroad: Costa Rica
    
• SPAN 212 - Spanish-American Civilization and Culture
    
• SPAN 240 - Introducción a la literatura hispanoamericana
    
• SPAN 270 - The Contemporary Latin American Press: Journalistic Writing & Analysis  
• SPAN 290 - Topics in Latin American Culture and Literature  
• SPAN 292 - Tutorial in Foreign Language Teaching, Translation, and Interpretation  
• SPAN 340 - Spanish-American Short Story
    
• SPAN 342 - Spanish-American Narrative: The Boom Generation
    
• SPAN 343 - Spanish-American Colonial Literature  
• SPAN 344 - Spanish-American Poetry
    
• SPAN 345 - Spanish-American Modernist Poetry  
• SPAN 348 - Spanish-American Women Writers
    
• SPAN 350 - The Cuban Story
    
• SPAN 352 - Voces caribeñas  
• SPAN 354 - Spanish-American Theater: 20th Century to the Present  
• SPAN 392 - Spanish Language Theory and Practice  
• SPAN 398 - Spanish-American Seminar
    

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

• BUS 305 - Seminar in International Business
    
• BUS 335 - Ethics of Globalization  
• BUS 390 - Supervised Study Abroad  
• DANC 215 - World Dance Technique  
• ECON 255 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
    
• ECON 259 - Supervised Study Abroad: The Environment and Economic Development in Amazonas  
• ECON 280 - Development Economics  
• ECON 288 - Supervised Study Abroad
    
• ECON 356 - Economics of the Environment in Developing Countries
    
• ENGL 262 - Literature, Race, and Ethnicity
    
• ENGL 350 - Postcolonial Literature
    
• ENGL 351 - World Fiction in English
    
• FREN 280 - Civilisation et culture francophones
    
• FREN 344 - La Francophonie
    
• HIST 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• HIST 269 - Topics in United States, Latin American or Canadian History
    
• HIST 395 - Advanced Seminar
    
• INTR 296 - Spring Studies in Culture and Society
    
• LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar  
• LIT 295 - Special Topics in Literature in Translation
    
• POL 215 - International Development
    
• POL 272 - Social Revolutions  
• POL 381 - Seminar in International Political Economy  
• SOAN 272 - Social Revolutions  
• SOAN 277 - Seminar in Medical Anthropology  
• SOAN 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions  
• SOAN 286 - Land in American Indian Culture, Religion, and History  
• SOAN 290 - Special Topics in Sociology   
• SPAN 295 - Special Topics in Conversation
    

Degrees/Majors/Minors

Interdisciplinary Minor

• •  Latin American and Caribbean Studies minor

Courses

• •  LACS 101 - Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• •  LACS 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
• •  LACS 195 - Special Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• •  LACS 256 - Trans-American Identity: Images from the Americas
• •  LACS 257 - Multiculturalism in Latin America: The Case of Brazil
• •  LACS 396 - Capstone Seminar in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• •  LACS 421 - Interdisciplinary Research
• •  LACS 422 - Interdisciplinary Research
• •  LACS 423 - Interdisciplinary Research