Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies

Academic Catalog 2010–2011

  • Nancy Hanway, Program Director

The Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) Program offers an interdisciplinary concentration that joins students and faculty in a meaningful study of the Americas. As its name suggests, this is an inclusive program that combines area studies in Latin America and the Caribbean with recognition of the growing cultural plurality of the United States—diversity that is increasingly evident in Minnesota and the Gustavus community.

The LALACS minor offers students the opportunity to study the Americas across a wide spectrum of the humanities and the social sciences through a variety of geographical and cultural emphases. It also offers students the technical tools needed for in-depth experiential learning through language courses and cultural immersion in study abroad programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. A unique aspect of the program is the exploration of historical and cultural ties to the countries of the Iberian Peninsula.

Requirements for the Minor: Minimum 6 courses, including:

  1. SPA-200, Intermediate Spanish, or above or FRE-202, Intermediate French II, or above.
  2. HIS-160, Introduction to Latin America.
  3. Four courses from three departments, selected from the approved list below:
    • ART-265 Maya and Mexican Art and Archaeology
    • FRE-364 Francophone African/Caribbean Literatures and Cultures
    • GEG-233 Central America/Caribbean
    • HIS-261 Colonial Latin America
    • HIS-262 Argentina
    • HIS-263 Cuba
    • HIS-264 The Mexican Revolution
    • HIS-265 Mexican American History
    • HIS-361 Latin America and the United States
    • HIS-362 The Age of Conquest
    • POL-230 Latin American Politics
    • REL-273 Religion and Politics in Latin America
    • REL-383 Liberation Struggles In the 2/3 World
    • REL-293 God and Globalization
    • SPA-280 Intro to Literature in Spanish
    • SPA-320 Spanish American Culture
    • SPA-322 Masterworks of Spanish American Literature
    • SPA-375 Women Writers in Spanish
    • SPA-390 Film in Spanish
    • S/A-243 Globalization
    • S/A-258 African Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean
    • T/D-265 Performance in the Americas the Caribbean