Latin American and Latino Studies

Latin American and Latino Studies at Stetson University is a multi-disciplinary and experientially-oriented program that develops students’ understanding of the region's history, cultures, and sociopolitical systems. The minor is particularly valuable for students planning to live and work in the region or in areas with a strong Latino/Hispanic presence. Latin America is an area of ever-growing importance to the United States, and Florida is a primary gateway to the region.

Courses in Latin American and Latino Studies are taught by specialists in environmental science, history, language, literature, political science, sociology and theatre arts. The program’s experiential component includes several off-campus programs in Latin America such as internships, field courses and summer sessions abroad. Program students have studied and completed internships in Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, Belize, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico as well as in Latino communities in the DeLand area.

More information can be found online at http://www.stetson.edu/academics/programs/latin-american-studies.php.

Students will demonstrate a fundamental interdisciplinary knowledge about Latin America and Latino communities in the United States.

Minor in Latin American and Latino Studies - 4.5 units minimum

Course List
Code	Title	Units
Requirements
SPAN 201L	Language in Cultural Contexts (or an equivalent level of Portuguese)	1
Students must include a total of at least 4 courses from the list below. Courses must be from at least three different departments		3.5 to 4
ENSS 204S	Environmental Geography of Latin America
ENSS 310V	Cultural and Political Ecology
ENSS 317V	Global Perspectives of Food Production (Junior Seminar)
HIST 207H	Latin American History: Ancient and Colonial Empires
HIST 208H	Latin American History: The Challenges of Modern Nationhood
HIST 248H	U.S.-Latin American Relations
HIST 379V	Spicing up the Past and Cooking up Arguments: Food History in the Americas, 1200s-Present
HIST 380V	The Mexican and Cuban Revolutions
HIST 382H	Scandals and Sleaze: Histories of Crime in Latin America
LALS 103 & LALS 104	Mentored Field Experience: Preparation and Mentored Field Experience: Evaluation
LALS 201S	Latin American Revolutions and Resurrections
LALS 301B	Mayan Culture
LALS 397	Internship in Latin American and Latino Studies
POLI 145S	Politics of the Developing World
POLI 346	Latin American Politics
POLI 451	Politics of International Trade and Finance
RELS 101B	Christianity in the Americas
SOCI 215V	Population, Society, and Environment
SOCI 337V	Sociology of Developing Societies
SPAN 202L	Reading Culture (Poetry, Narrative, Drama)
SPAN 303L	Business in Hispanic Cultures
SPAN 306B	Understanding Spanish America (can also be taken as L course)
SPAN 311L	Spanish-American Cultures Through Literature
SPAN 313L	Spanish in Communities: Latinos in the U.S.
SPAN 397	Internship in Spanish
SPAN 415L	Spanish American Genre/Period Study
THEA 372V	Sticking It to the Man: Theatre of Protest (Junior Seminar)
Other Approved Courses
Students may apply credit toward the minor from special programs and course offerings with prior approval from the Latin American Studies Program Director.
Total Units		4.5-5

LALS 103. Mentored Field Experience: Preparation. 0.5 Units.

A two-semester course associated with faculty-guided research trips to Latin America sponsored by the Hollis International Scholars Program. Each portion of the course is worth 0.5 of a course unit. Prerequisite: competitive selection process in semester prior to course offering.

LALS 104. Mentored Field Experience: Evaluation. 0.5 Units.

LALS 190. Special Topics in Latin American and Latino Studies. 1 Unit.

LALS 201S. Latin American Revolutions and Resurrections. 1 Unit.

An examination of topics such as social change, economic development, conservation problems and political systems.

LALS 245S. Andean Social History – Case Study: Ecuador. 1 Unit.

Ecuador has passed though some very tumultuous times in the last one fifty years: the discovery of vast amounts of oil in the Amazon in the 1960s, military authoritarianism and reformism in the 1970s, indigenous political organization, democratization and economic crisis in the 1980s, neoliberalism and political turmoil in the 1990s leading to political meltdown at the turn of the century, a leftward turn in politics in the 2000s culminating in a ‘populist’ version of electoral-authoritarian politics in the 2010s, a gradual economic recovery and an apparent return to democratic ‘normalcy’ over the last couple of years, and a troubling uptick in drug trafficking and related violence on the coast. How does Ecuador’s (and, locally, Cuenca’s) history help us to understand – “to make sense of” – the country’s and city’s here and now?.

LALS 285. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.

LALS 290. Special Topics in Latin American and Latino Studies. 1 Unit.

LALS 301B. Mayan Culture. 1 Unit.

A multidisciplinary course that explores the world of the Maya, from its prehistoric origins through its fluorescence during the Classic period to the contemporary cultural revival known as the Mayan Movement. Topics include regional history, hieroglyphic writing, calendar systems, mythology, the Popol Vuh, social conflict and contemporary lifestyles.

LALS 385. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.

LALS 390. Special Topics in Latin American and Latino Studies. 1 Unit.

LALS 397. Internship in Latin American and Latino Studies. 0.5 or 1 Units.

Students will be accepted into the course by permission only and must have at least second year standing, at least two course units studying Latin American topics, and an overall 2.5 GPA. In addition to completing the required hours in the internship, students will be required to present a journal describing some aspects of that experience and a 10-12-page paper on a topic related to the internship. The field supervisor will also be asked for a letter of evaluation. Enrollment in an internship course requires students to attend an orientation prior to beginning work at their internship site. For more information regarding internship orientations, please contact Career & Professional Development at career@stetson.edu or 386-822-7315.

LALS 485. Independent Study. 1 Unit.

LALS 490. Special Topics in Latin American and Latino Studies. 0.5 or 1 Units.