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Latin American Studies

Undergraduate

Latin American studies is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes critical approaches to the culture, history, society, and political economy of the vast region spanning from Mexico to Argentina.

Program Overview

As societies long defined by — and in opposition to — external powers, Latin America and the Caribbean have in modern times developed distinctive national and cultural identities celebrated on a world stage in art, music, and literature. The program studies the region in its enormous geographic diversity — from plantation to highland Americas, from Mexico to Argentina; and linguistic variety — four European, several Creole, and numerous indigenous languages. You may pursue course work in several thematic and geographic areas.

Community Voices

Spotlight on Latin American Studies students and alums

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Cross-cultural studies is key to competitiveness in today’s global economy

Diying Wu ’11

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Este nomás, poh: From South Hadley to Santiago

Aviva Elzufon ’10

Maria Jose Correa FP ’16

Learning by educating

Maria Correa FP '16

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Courses and Requirements

As distinct from the major in Spanish, most courses are taught in English.

Learning Goals

The three areas of the Spanish, Latina/o/x and Latin American Studies department share the following common learning goals:

  • Recognize, examine, and interrogate the past, current state, and emerging realities and histories of the societies and cultures of Latin America, Spain, the Caribbean, and the US Latina/o/x population.
  • Describe and interpret the character of their relations with each other and with the wider world.
  • Distinguish among and employ multi/interdisciplinary, transnational, and cross-border perspectives.
  • Analyze critically and articulate with logical arguments the diverse configurations and varying experiences of (classic, post, and neo) colonialism and diaspora in and among the regions, nations, and populations of our concern.
  • Develop the ability to write, read, speak, and conduct research in the primary languages of our area(s) of coverage, particularly English and Spanish.
  • Creatively contribute to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge through different modalities individually and collectively.
  • Engage with and maintain a sustained contact with the local Latina/o/x communities.

Requirements for the Minor

A minimum of 20 credits:

LATAM-180Introduction to Latin American Cultures4
One 200-level or 300-level Latin American studies course4
At least one course at the 300 level4
2 additional approved courses8
Total Credits20

Additional Specifications

  • Courses in the student’s major field may not be used to fulfill the requirements of the minimum minor. For example,  a student majoring in Spanish may not use any Spanish course to count towards the both the Spanish major and the Latin American Studies minor.
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Course Offerings

LATAM-180 Introduction to Latin American Cultures

Fall and Spring. Credits: 4

Examines the confrontation, assimilation, and transformation of Amerindian, African, and European cultures in Latin America from the sixteenth century to the present. Focuses on the processes in which distinctive self-images emerged in the region and how these images have been challenged and changed over time. Uses films, literature, and folk traditions to complement scholarly analysis of the emergence of a New World mentality.

Crosslisted as: HIST-180
Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Multicultural Perspectives

LATAM-287 Topics in Latin American Studies

This course studies significant problems relating to Latin America in greater depth from the perspectives of appropriate disciplines. Some topics may be cross-listed with other departments.

LATAM-287DE Topics in Latin American Studies: 'Decolonizing Development'

Not Scheduled for This Year. Credits: 4

When and how did the notion of "development" emerge and spread? Why does nearly every country now aspire to it? What stigmas, hierarchies, and colonial logics does the term -- along with "underdeveloped," "developing," and "behind" -- mobilize? In the context of Latin America, the conceptual framework of development encounters significant complications not only with respect to material reality but also as a way of understanding place, time, and selfhood. In this course, students question conventional wisdom about development through the study of creative works by Latin American essayists, fiction authors, filmmakers, and painters.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities; Multicultural Perspectives
Other Attribute(s): Speaking-Intensive, Writing-Intensive

LATAM-287FM Topics in Latin American Studies: 'Frames of Mind: Tracking Power/Knowledge'

Spring. Credits: 4

A frame of mind typically refers to a disposition or perspective, but the term also suggests a shaping of perception and thought. Something has already "framed" our minds, delimiting the scope of the conceivable. But what? This course radically interrogates the frameworks that structure and constrain our minds. Students trace the history of commonplace understandings-in academia and the "real" world-of mental health, diversity, gender and sexuality, and economic development in order to upend and defamiliarize operative assumptions. Works by Wendy Brown, Michel Foucault, Coco Fusco, Byung-Chul Han, bell hooks, Paul Preciado, Boots Riley and others.

Applies to requirement(s): Humanities
Other Attribute(s): Speaking-Intensive, Writing-Intensive
Advisory: The course is geared toward both first-year students with minimal experience with Philosophy and other students who have an interest in critical theory.

LATAM-387 Special Topics in Latin American Studies

This course studies significant problems relating to Latin America in greater depth from the perspectives of appropriate disciplines. Some topics may be cross-listed with other departments.

Courses in Other Departments Counting toward the Minor in Latin American Studies

Anthropology
ANTHR-216LASpecial Topics in Anthropology: 'Anthropology of Latin America'4
ANTHR-261Cultures of Power in Mexico4
ANTHR-316LASpecial Topics in Anthropology: 'Race and Religion in Latin America'4
Art History
ARTH-301DGTopics in Art History: 'Indigenous Futures'4
Critical Race & Political Econ
CRPE-180Introduction to Latinx Studies: Structural Inequalities4
CRPE-228Visualizing Immigrant Narratives: Migration in Film4
CRPE-239Latinx Urbanism4
CRPE-240BRIntermediate Topics: 'Borderlands Film and Literature'4
CRPE-240EFIntermediate Topics: 'Ethnographic Food Documentary'4
CRPE-240FDIntermediate Topics: 'U.S. Latinx Foodways'4
CRPE-240LCIntermediate Topics: 'La Cultura Cura: Healing Through Language and Culture'4
CRPE-240LFIntermediate Topics: 'Latinas in Film'4
CRPE-244The Historical-Grammar of Black Feminist Thought Across the Caribbean and the Americas4
CRPE-254Nueva York4
CRPE-261Race, Racism, and Power4
CRPE-323Latina Feminism(s)4
CRPE-366Disposable People: A History of Deportation4
CRPE-374Latinx Immigration4
English
ENGL-217LXTopics in English: 'Latinx Literature in the U.S. and Beyond'4
ENGL-361LPAdvanced Creative Writing Topics: 'Writing as Performance: Latinx and Latin American Poetry and Narrative'4
Environmental Studies
ENVST-339Indigenous and Decolonial Ecologies4
Film Media Theater
FMT-230CNIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Latin American Cinema'4
FMT-230DQIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Drama Queens: Love, Heartache and Making a Scene'4
FMT-230LAIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Latin American Film History'4
FMT-230LXIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Latinx Media'4
FMT-230REIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Representations of Labor in Latin American Cinema'4
FMT-330LPAdvanced Courses in History and Theory: 'Writing as Performance: Latinx and Latin American Poetry and Narrative'4
French
FREN-321AVGenre Courses: 'About Vanguards and Revolutionary Ideas'4
Gender Studies
GNDST-204REWomen and Gender in the Study of Culture: 'Representations of Labor in Latin American Cinema'4
GNDST-206BFWomen and Gender in History: 'The Historical-Grammar of Black Feminist Thought Across the Caribbean and the Americas'4
GNDST-333BWAdvanced Seminar: 'De Brujas and Other "Bad Women" in the Spanish Atlantic'4
GNDST-333FMAdvanced Seminar: 'Latina Feminism(s)'4
GNDST-333MCAdvanced Seminar: 'Latinas/os/x and Housing: Mi Casa Is Not Su Casa'4
GNDST-333QHAdvanced Seminar: 'Queering the Horror: Collective Memory, Political Violence, and Dissident Sexualities in Latin American Narratives'4
GNDST-333WEAdvanced Seminar: 'Weird Feelings: Unsettling Latin American Short Fiction'4
History
HIST-180Introduction to Latin American Cultures4
Latin American Studies
LATAM-180Introduction to Latin American Cultures4
LATAM-287DETopics in Latin American Studies: 'Decolonizing Development'4
LATAM-287FMTopics in Latin American Studies: 'Frames of Mind: Tracking Power/Knowledge'4
Politics
POLIT-243Introduction to Latin American Politics4
POLIT-255PAGender and Power in Global Contexts: 'The Politics of Abortion in the Americas'4
POLIT-267The Politics of Finance and Financial Crises4
POLIT-387FAAdvanced Topics in Politics: 'Feminisms in Latin America'4
Religion
RELIG-181Introduction to African Diaspora Religions4
RELIG-331LAAdvanced Topics in Religion: 'Race and Religion in Latin America'4
Romance Lang. & Literature
ROMLG-375AVSeminar in Romance Languages and Cultures: 'About Vanguards and Revolutionary Ideas'4
Spanish
SPAN-230ANIdentities & Intersections: An Introduction: 'Animal Stories'4
SPAN-240CNVisual Cultures, An Introduction: 'Latin American Cinema'4
SPAN-240DQVisual Cultures, An Introduction: 'Drama Queens: Love, Heartache and Making a Scene'4
SPAN-240REVisual Cultures, An Introduction: 'Representations of Labor in Latin American Cinema'4
SPAN-250LMConcepts and Practices of Power: An Introduction: 'Making Latin America: From Independence to the Present'4
SPAN-260BLStudies in Language and Society: An Introduction: 'Being Bilingual'4
SPAN-260CNStudies in Language and Society: An Introduction: 'Spanish Across the Continents'4
SPAN-330BWAdvanced Studies in Identities and Intersections: 'De Brujas and Other "Bad Women" in the Spanish Atlantic'4
SPAN-330WEAdvanced Studies in Identities and Intersections: 'Weird Feelings: Unsettling Latin American Short Fiction'4
SPAN-340ARAdvanced Studies in Visual Cultures: 'Occupying the Arts: Activism, Crisis and Arts in Latin America'4
SPAN-340DGAdvanced Studies in Visual Cultures: 'Indigenous Futures'4
SPAN-350QHAdvanced Studies in Concepts and Practices of Power: 'Queering the Horror: Collective Memory, Political Violence, and Dissident Sexualities in Latin American Narratives'4
SPAN-360AVAdvanced Studies in Language and Society: 'About Vanguards and Revolutionary Ideas'4
SPAN-360LGAdvanced Studies in Language and Society: 'The Politics of Language'4
SPAN-360SJAdvanced Studies in Language and Society: '(Trans)Languaging Social Justice'4

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