BA in Latin American Interdisciplinary Studies

The Latin American interdisciplinary studies program allows students to concentrate on the regionally focused offerings of several departments, giving the necessary breadth and depth to understand the complexities of Latin America. This region is traditionally defined as including the 20 independent countries in the Western hemisphere south of the United States with Spanish, French, or Portuguese as their official languages. The major combines a focus on pre-Columbian and historical context (Group 1), art and literature (Group 2), and current social, economic, political, and foreign policy context (Group 3). It also includes substantial study of Spanish or Portuguese to gain competence in a language used extensively in the region, as well as a jointly taught capstone course on key issues and concerns designed to bring together the themes students have pursued in the major. Boston University has two Study Abroad programs in Latin America: a semester or academic year in Quito, Ecuador, at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito; and a summer in Lima and Ayacucho, Peru, at the Universidad Católica and the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga. Courses in these programs count toward the Latin American studies major. Faculty members of the program advise students closely in their course selection to ensure the intellectual coherence of both requirements and electives within the students’ specific areas of interest. A Latin American studies minor is also available.

Requirements for the Major in Latin American Studies

The Latin American studies (LAS) major consists of eleven courses distributed by level and field, including two electives and the capstone seminar. A grade of C or higher is required for all courses in the major. In addition, students must satisfy a five-semester course requirement in either Spanish or Portuguese (one course more than the College of Arts & Sciences language requirement).

Principal Courses: Course offerings on Latin America are divided into three groups according to their subject matter. In order to ensure interdisciplinary breadth, majors must take: at least two LAS courses from Group 1, two from Group 2, and four from Group 3.

Capstone Course: During the second semester of the senior year, majors take the capstone seminar, Latin America Today: An Interdisciplinary Approach.

Electives: Majors must choose at least two additional LAS courses from any group in consultation with their advisors.

Level: At least three courses taken for the major must be at the 400 level or above.

Language: Majors must satisfy the College of Arts & Sciences language requirement in either Spanish or Portuguese (four semesters), and also take one additional course in that language to develop further competency. Intensive study in Ecuador, Mexico, or Peru with Boston University Study Abroad can count toward satisfying this requirement.

Courses

Consult departmental listings for complete course descriptions.

Group 1: Pre-Columbian and Historical Context

• CAS AA 385 Atlantic History (meets with CAS HI 350)
• CAS AA 489 The African Diaspora (meets with CAS HI 589)
• CAS AH 322 Ancient Aztec and Inca Civilization (meets with CAS AR 322)
• CAS AH 528 Studies in Mesoamerican Art and Archaeology (meets with CAS AR 528)
• CAS AR 251 Ancient Maya Civilization
• CAS AR 270 New World Rediscovery: Archaeology of the Age of Exploration
• CAS AR 351 Mesoamerican Archaeology
• CAS AR 352 South American Archaeology
• CAS AR 353 Urbanism in Ancient Mesoamerica
• CAS AR 551 Studies in Mesoamerican Archaeology
• CAS AR 552 Studies in South American Archaeology
• CAS AR 555 Ancient American Writing Systems (meets with CAS AH 555)
• CAS HI 211 Age of Discovery
• CAS HI 350 Atlantic History (meets with CAS AA 385)
• CAS HI 397 Modern Latin America
• CAS HI 398 Protest, Revolution, and Human Rights in Latin America
• CAS HI 489 The African Diaspora in the Americas (meets with CAS AA 489)
• CAS HI 582 Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Latin America
• CAS HI 584 Comparative Slavery in the Americas (meets with CAS AA 514)
• CAS HI 587 U.S.-Mexican Borders

Group 2: Literary, Artistic, and Cultural Context

• CAS AH 222 Art and Architecture in Ancient America (meets with CAS AR 222)
• CAS AH 528 Studies in Mesoamerican Art and Architecture (meets with CAS AR 528)
• CAS LP 310 Introduction to Brazilian Cinema
• CAS LS 455 Spanish-American Literature Through the Nineteenth Century
• CAS LS 457 Twentieth-Century Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 554 Jorge Luis Borges
• CAS LS 569 Nineteenth-Century Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 572 The Spanish-American Colonial Experience: Early Texts, New Interpretations
• CAS LS 573 Spanish-American Literary Modernism and Modernization
• CAS LS 576 Topics in Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 577 Topics in Hispanic Thought and Criticism
• CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Cinemas
• CAS LS 580 Mexico City in Literature and Film
• CAS LS 581 The Mexican Revolution Revisited

Group 3: Contemporary Context

• CAS EC 369 Economic Development of Latin America
• CAS IR 242 Globalization and World Poverty (meets with CAS SO 242)
• CAS IR 367 Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations (meets with CAS PO 367)
• CAS IR 395 North-South Relations (meets with CAS PO 352)
• CAS IR 411 Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Latin America (meets with CAS PO 411)
• CAS IR 425 Seminar: Women and Social Change in the Developing World (meets with CAS SO 420)
• CAS IR 502 Latin American Political Parties (meets with CAS PO 509)
• CAS IR 529 Cuba in Transition
• CAS IR 566 Democracy in Latin America and Its Challenges (meets with CAS PO 580)
• CAS IR 567 Latin American Politics (meets with CAS PO 567)
• CAS IR 568 U.S.-Latin American Relations (meets with CAS PO 568)
• CAS IR 572 The Latin American Military (meets with CAS PO 597)
• CAS IR 575 Political Economy of Mexico and NAFTA (meets with CAS PO 553)
• CAS IR 590 Political Economy of Latin America (meets with CAS PO 550)
• CAS IR 597 Sustainable Development in Latin America (meets with CAS GE 597)
• CAS PO 581 National Development and International Politics

Capstone Course

• CAS IR 410 Latin America Today (topic changes each year)