LAS Undergraduate Studies

The undergraduate Latin American Studies program provides students with the option of either a major (code:  0308a) or a minor (code: 0308b) concentration in LAS.  Both the major and minor concentrations combine coursework in three broad areas:  1) historical context; 2) literary artistic and cultural context; and 3) contemporary context. The major 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 concentration.

LAS students are encouraged to take advantage of Boston University’s Study Abroad Programs in Latin America. BU offers students four options in the region:

• A semester or academic year in Quito, Ecuador, at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito
• A summer in Lima and Ayacucho, Peru, at the Universidad Católica and the Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga
• A summer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the Universidad de Palermo.
• A summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at Pontificia Universidade Católica.

Courses in each program count toward the Latin American Studies concentration.

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.