Latin American Studies
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Dean: Paul Sherwin
Latin American Studies Program
HSS 381
Phone: 415-405-3492
Director: Juanita Darling
Faculty
Professors: Almaguer, Barbosa, Bettleheim, Calderon, Carillo, Cordova, Cuellar, Johnson, Keith, McCaughan, Murguía, Oñate, Peard, Rivera
Associate Professors: Baron, Cortés-Rocca, Darling, Ferreira, Hennessy, Martinez, Millet, Mirabal, Quesada
Assistant Professors: Garcia-Moreno, Gordy, Jacobowitz, Jaimes-Guerrero, Rodriguez
Lecturers: Benitez, Davila, Gomez, Kury, Leahy, Pereira
Program
Minor in Latin American Studies
Program Scope
The minor in Latin American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide undergraduate students with an understanding of Latin American societies, including their history and literature, as well as economic and political developments. The minor emphasizes the hybrid nature of Latin American societies, their shared cultures and history, their influence on other parts of the world, and the region’s multi-layered relations with other countries. With a selection of courses drawn from disciplines or fields such as ethnic studies, the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences, students have flexibility to explore a wide range of subjects including ancient and modern civilizations, ethnic relations, the literary “boom” of the 1960s, doing business in present-day Latin America, and more. The minor will be useful to students planning careers in education, humanities and the arts, the Foreign Service, international organizations, overseas corporations and banking, as well as for those who simply desire a better understanding of Latin America. The multidisciplinary nature of the program also prepares students for further work in a number of academic fields at the graduate level.
The minor consists of a core curriculum of three courses (9-10 units) which deal with the region as a whole from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, plus 12 to 14 units of elective upper division course-work. Not more than 6 units can be taken on a CR/NC basis. Students planning to take courses other than those listed below must get prior approval from the program director. Students completing the Latin American Studies minor are encouraged to participate in the study-abroad programs at SF State. Courses taken in certified SF State study-abroad programs may be substituted for the minor’s requirements.
Minor in Latin American Studies
On-line course descriptions are available.
Core Courses
Group A: Latin America in Historical Perspective (3 units)
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 501/ HIST 501/ LTNS 501/ S S 501 |
Latin America: The National Period |
Choose one course from Group B and one from Group C
Group B: Social Perspectives and Politics (3 - 4 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| HIST 520 | Central America and the Caribbean |
| HIST 535/ WGS 535/ LTNS 533 |
History of Women in Latin America |
| I R 322 | Latin American Policy Analysis (4) |
| S S 550/ HIST 550 |
Social Change in Modern Latin America |
| SOC 645 | Identities, Inequalities and Struggles in Latin America |
Group C: Arts and Culture (3 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| HUM 455 | Humanities of the Americas |
| SPAN 405 | Culture and Civilization of Spanish America |
Total for core: 9 - 10
Electives (12 - 14 units)
Select two courses from each group, with no more than 9 units from any one discipline. Core courses may not be used to meet this part of the required work.
Group I: Social Perspectives, Politics, and International Relations (6-7 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| ANTH 471 | The Ancient Maya |
| HIST 500 | Colonial Latin America |
| HIST 524 | History of Mexico |
| HIST 528 | History of Brazil |
| IBUS 591 | Doing Business in Latin America |
| I R 306 | U.S.-Central American Relations (4) |
| LTNS 410 | Seminar on Gender and Latinas/os |
| LTNS 460 | Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage |
| LTNS 467 | Caribbeans in the U.S.: History and Heritage |
| LTNS 660 | Latina/o Politics |
| LTNS 670 | The U.S.- Mexico Connection: Politics and Cultures |
| LTNS 692 | Cuba: Health, Education, and Culture |
| SOC 481 | Sociology of Brazil |
| SOC 640/ LTNS 640 |
Sociology of the Latino Experience |
Group II: Arts, Humanities, and Culture (6 units)
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| ART 503 | Caribbean Art |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Buenos Aires |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Havana |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Mexico City |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Rio de Janeiro |
| HUM 520/ LTNS 520 |
North and South American Cultural Expression |
| JS 451/ CWL 451/ ENG 451 |
Jewish Literature of the Americas |
| LTNS 320 | Latina/o Art History |
| LTNS 409 | Latina/o Cinema |
| LTNS 425 | Comparative Music Folklore |
| LTNS 450 | Indigenismo: Indigenous Cultures of the Americas |
| LTNS 475 | Aztec Philosophy |
| LTNS 490 | Latina/o Teatro Workshop |
| LTNS 560 | Contemporary Latina/o Literature |
| MUS 532 | Musics of Central and South America |
| SPAN 341 | Junior Survey of Transatlantic Literature |
| SPAN 543 | Spanish American Literature: Romanticism to Modernism |
| SPAN 545 | 20th Century Spanish American Literature [all topics] |
| SPAN 595 | Senior Survey in Spanish or Spanish American Literature [all Spanish American topics] |
Total for electives: 12 - 14
Total for Minor: 21 - 24
Foreign Language Requirement
All students completing this area studies minor are required to demonstrate intermediate level competency in a language other than English, relevant to the area. This requirement may be met by completing the university entrance requirement of two years of high school language study, one year of successful college level language study, or by demonstration of equivalent competency.
