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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 concentration 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 concentration. Boston University has two international 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 both programs 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. A Latin American Studies minor concentration is also available.
The Latin American Studies (LAS) major concentration consists of eleven courses distributed by level and field, including three electives and the capstone seminar. In addition, students are required to take up to five semester courses in either Spanish or Portuguese (one course more than required to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences language requirement).
Course offerings on Latin America are divided into three groups according to their subject matter. Concentrators must take seven LAS courses: at least two courses from Group 1, one from Group 2, and four from Group 3. Concentrators must choose at least three additional LAS courses from any group in consultation with their advisors. Concentrators may take up to two 200-level courses and up to three 300-level courses. The remaining six courses must be at the 400 level or above. During the second semester of the senior year, concentrators take the capstone seminar, Latin America Today: An Interdisciplinary Approach.
Concentrators must satisfy the College of Arts and 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 or Peru with Boston University's international programs can count toward satisfying this requirement.
The Latin American Studies minor concentration consists of six courses, at least three of which are at or above the 400 level. At least one course is taken from each group. The capstone course is optional, though encouraged, for senior minor concentrators.
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