Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies

Latin American Studies brings together knowledge from the humanities, (e.g., languages, literature, film studies, history), the social sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology, political science, political geography, communication/language sciences), and environmental studies to allow students to build a foundation in the aesthetic, cultural, economic, environmental, geographical, historical, linguistic, political, and social contexts of Latin America. In addition to providing breadth in Latin American studies through coursework across multiple disciplines, the program also emphasizes depth in understanding through study abroad and a concentration in a focused problem, topic, area, discipline, or method. Students develop significant language skills, cross-cultural understanding, an interdisciplinary approach, and the ability to incorporate Latin American perspectives in their analysis of fields including art, development, environmental conservation, history, language, literature, and politics.

A major or minor in Latin American Studies prepares students to work with corporations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, medical organizations, nonprofit advocacy organizations, law firms, and legal advocacy groups that deal with the region. The program also provides a deeper understanding of our neighbors to the south as well as populations in the U.S. who are immigrants or descendants of those regions.

Faculty who teach in the program have expertise in areas such as anthropology, environmental studies, film studies, geography, history, library science, linguistics/language science, literature, political science, and sociology. Many of the faculty are active in research, scholarship, and service in Latin American countries, and involve Redlands students in these activities. In addition, the faculty teach several travel courses in Latin American each year, on a variety of topics, as well as courses on the Redlands campus and the local community. Courses cover diverse topics such as conservation and Geographic Information Systems in Panama, Latin American immigration to the US, software policy in Brazil, party politics in Mexico, Latin American literature and film, community forestry in Mexico, bilingualism in indigenous communities in Guatemala, and several other areas.

The Major and Minor

An interdisciplinary major or minor in Latin American Studies allows students to build a foundation in the aesthetic, cultural, economic, environmental, geographical, historical, linguistic, political, and social aspects of Latin America by taking coursework across disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and environmental sciences. In addition to helping students develop breadth in Latin American Studies through coursework across multiple disciplines, the program emphasizes the depth of understanding through study abroad and a concentration on a focused problem, topic, area, discipline, or method. Students develop significant language skills, cross-cultural understanding, an interdisciplinary approach, and the ability to incorporate Latin American perspectives in their analysis of fields including art, development, environmental conservation, history, language, literature, and politics.

Latin American Studies brings together knowledge from the humanities, the social sciences, and environmental studies to build a foundation in the cultural, economic, political, historical, geographical, aesthetic, and environmental contexts of Latin America. In addition to developing breadth in Latin American studies through coursework in multiple disciplines, the program also emphasizes depth in understanding through concentration in a focused problem, topic, area, discipline, or method. Students develop significant language skills, cross-cultural understanding, an interdisciplinary approach, and the ability to incorporate Latin American perspectives in their analysis of fields including art, development, environmental conservation, history, literature, and politics. Both a major and a minor are offered.

Major Requirements

The major in Latin American studies consists of twelve courses (48 credits).

1. Core Course (1 course, 4 credits)
   LAST 101 Introduction to Latin America
2. Methods Course (1 course, 4 credits)

Majors must take one methods course from the approved list, or another course approved by the LAST advisor or director. Methods courses without Latin American content may be used to fulfill the methods requirement, but do not count toward the credits needed to complete the major. Students are advised to use courses from their content areas for additional appropriate methods to build depth in the major. Note: many of these courses have prerequisites, so students should plan accordingly. The following are some suggested courses, but not a complete list of those that may count for this requirement. Consult the LAST advisor or director if you have questions.

• MATH 111 Elementary Statistics with Applications (4) OR POLI 202 Statistical Analysis and Mapping of Social Science Data (4)
• ENGL 201 Critical Reading (4)
• SPA 110 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS (4)
• EVST 235 Environmental Impact Assessment (4)
• EVST 399 Research Methods and Design (with focus on Latin America) (4)
• POLI 200 The Study of Politics (4)
• SOAN 300 Research Methods and Design (4)
• SOAN 301 Fieldwork and Ethnographic Methods (4)
• SPAN 410 Introduction to Spanish Linguistics (4)
• WGS 330 Feminist Research Methods (4)

3. Content areas (8 courses, 32 credits)

LAST majors must take eight courses, distributed across three content areas: Environmental Studies, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences. To demonstrate the breadth, at least one course must be taken from each content area. To demonstrate depth, LAST majors develop, in consultation with the LAST advisor, thematic, regional, or disciplinary emphases based on at least four courses, structured around their interests and experiences. Study abroad courses apply to specific content areas at the discretion of the LAST advisor or director.

4. Electives (2 courses, 8 credits)

In addition to the above requirements, LAST majors must take another two courses. These include courses such as LAST 400 (Capstone in Latin American Studies), directed independent studies, additional methods classes, and other electives falling into a content area.

Minor Requirements

The minor in Latin American Studies consists of six courses emphasizing breadth in Latin American Studies.

1. Core Course

• LAST 101 Introduction to Latin America (4)

2. Content Area and Methods Courses (5 courses, 18-20 credits)

Minors must take an additional five LAST, cross-listed, or study-abroad courses approved by the LAST advisor or director. At least two of the three LAST content areas (Environmental Studies, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences) must be represented by at least one course. Study abroad courses apply to the specific content areas at the discretion of the LAST advisor or director.

Study Abroad Requirement

A semester-long program of study abroad in Latin America or other Latin American immersion experience, such as significant interactions with Latin American immigrant communities in the USA, is required for all majors and minors, and can both count toward the program’s language requirement and concentration courses. Students should consult their Latin American Studies advisor, the LAST director, and the University’s Office for Study Abroad for program options. The minor in Latin American Studies consists of six courses emphasizing breadth in Latin American Studies.

Oaxaca/Guatemala/Cuba Integrated Semester:

This unique program, sponsored by the University of Redlands and the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies, offers 16 units of integrated studies comprised of both individual and collective classroom and experiential learning. Instructor: Patricia Wasielewski

Programs offered through our partners (CIEE, IES, IFSA-Butler, SFS, SIT) that can apply to the LAST major or minor are available in:

• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Ecuador
• Guatemala
• Mexico City
• Oaxaca
• Panama
• Peru

The University of Redlands faculty-led May term travel courses (the availability of may term courses changes each year.):

• SOAN 348 - "Economic justice and Migration in Mexico"
  Instructor: Sara Schoonmaker
• CDIS 260 - "Guatemala: Service-Learning in Language, Culture, and Education" Instructor: Barbara Conboy
• EVST 250 – “PanaMapping: Geodesign to Conserve the Rainforest”
  Instructor(s): Steven Moore & Dan Klooster

Why major or minor in Latin American Studies?

• Develop significant language skills to communicate competently in Spanish or another language from Latin America.
• Develop cross-cultural understanding by drawing connections between the unifying elements of the Latin American experience and their manifestations in particular regions, countries, and cultures.
• Apply an interdisciplinary approach to incorporating Latin American perspectives in the analysis of a variety of problems
• Develop a deeper understanding of our geographical neighbors and members of our communities with Latin American heritage through an immersion experience in a Latin American country

General Education Requirements

General Education is a broad description of the curriculum that embodies our commitment to a liberal arts education at the University of Redlands. Our general education conveys the range of fields of study, ways of thinking, and practices of scholarship and creativity that enable students to graduate as critical thinkers capable of innovatively and collaboratively adapting to challenges that come their way in the future.

Our general education is comprised of a Liberal Arts Inquiry (LAI) or Liberal Arts Foundation (LAF) curriculum.

• Entering first-year students and transfer students arriving with fewer than 32 credits in Fall 2018 will follow the LAI curriculum.
• All transfer and returning students with 32 credits or more (i.e., sophomores, juniors, and seniors) in Fall 2018 will follow the LAF curriculum.