Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies program provides students with a solid grounding in the theoretical approaches and methodologies that define the field. The program prepares students to pursue graduate and professional studies or to begin careers in the public or private sectors. The major consists of:
- 12 units of core courses,
- 12 units of courses selected from three focus areas, and
- 15 units of electives selected on advisement from the list identified by the department.
Students completing a Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies fulfill their GWAR requirement through ETHS 300GW Writing in Ethnic Studies - GWAR or other approved GWAR course.
Students must complete at least 35 hours of service as part of a local community service learning internship. For the four core courses in the LTNS Major, a passing grade of C- or better is required, for all other LTNS courses, a passing grade is a D. For credit/no credit consult the University Bulletin.
Nine transfer units in Latina/Latino Studies (or equivalent field) may count toward the major.
These are the three focus areas in Latina/Latino Studies:
- Arts and Humanities – The department offers courses in art history, popular and traditional music, literature, creative writing, film, journalism, and media studies.
- History – The department offers a comparative Latina/Latino history course that fulfills the statutory requirement for U.S. History as well as specialized history courses on Latinas/Latinos/Latinx in California, Central Americans of the U.S., Caribbeans in the U.S., and Mexican Americans/Chicanas/os/x.
- Behavioral and Social Science – The department offers a range and variety of courses on race, gender, family structures, globalization, and social inequality, as well as courses on public and social policy issues related to health, educational equity, immigration, politics, economics, and the juvenile and criminal justice systems
Program Learning Outcomes:
- To understand and identify the origins and context of diverse individual and group experiences of Latinas and Latinos in the United States.
- To develop an understanding of Latina/Latino Studies that is community-centered, reflexive, gender sensitive, and grounded in a multidisciplinary perspective.
- To assess the historical and contemporary experiences of Latinas and Latinos with special emphasis on gender and how gender structures identities, roles, and relationships both domestically and transnationally.
- To develop competency in the research and analysis of the personal, family, immigration, gender, and youth histories of Latinas/Latinos in the United States through the utilization of oral history and ethnographic theoretical perspectives and methodologies.
- To be able to make links between content in the Latina/Latino Studies curriculum and practice in the community.
- To develop an area of expertise and depth in Latina/Latino populations in the United States. In addition to the major's multidisciplinary foundation, we encourage students to sharpen their expertise in Latino demographics and one of the three broad areas of our departmental course offerings: #1 Arts and Humanities, #2 History, or #3 Behavioral and Social Science.
- To develop competency in writing skills relevant to Latina/Latino Studies and Ethnic Studies.
Latina/Latino Studies (B.A.) — 42 units
Core Courses (15 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ETHS 300GW | Writing in Ethnic Studies - GWAR | 3 |
| LTNS 215 | Introduction to Latina/o Studies | 3 |
| LTNS 410 | Seminar on Gender and Latinas/os | 3 |
| LTNS 435 | Oral History Methods: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| LTNS 680 | Latina/o Community Organizing | 3 |
Arts and Humanities (3 units)
Selected on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LTNS 222 | Latina/o Art History | 3 |
| LTNS 225 | Survey of Latina/o Visual Images | 3 |
| LTNS 230 | Introduction to Latina/o Literature | 3 |
| LTNS 270 | Latina/o/x Murals, Memes, Music, and More: Latina/o/x Arts & Humanities | 3 |
| LTNS/ARTH 301 | Latin American and Latino/a/x Art, 1492 to the Present | 3 |
| LTNS 305 | Latina/o Studies Creative Writing Workshop | 3 |
| LTNS 340 | Latinx Youth Subcultures | 3 |
| LTNS 385 | Afro-Latina Experiences | 3 |
| LTNS 400 | Latina Girlhood | 3 |
| LTNS 409/CINE 309 | Latina/o/x Cinema | 3 |
| LTNS 425 | Popular and Traditional Music of the Latinx U.S. | 3 |
| LTNS 440 | Caribbean Cultures and Spirituality | 3 |
| LTNS 455 | Resistance Literature of the Americas | 3 |
| LTNS 475 | Aztec Philosophy | 3 |
| LTNS 530 | Latina/os and the Media | 3 |
| LTNS/SPAN 531 | Creative Writing in Spanish: Poetry, Fiction, and Drama | 3 |
| LTNS/JOUR 536 | Latina/o Journalism | 3 |
| LTNS 560 | Contemporary Latina/o Literature | 3 |
| LTNS 565 | Central Americans Writing in the United States | 3 |
| LTNS 679 | Central American Literature: Roots to the Present | 3 |
History (3 units)
Selected on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LTNS 265 | Topics in Latina/o History | 3 |
| LTNS/HIST 278 | History of Latinos in the U.S. | 3 |
| LTNS 315 | Latina/os in California (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 435 | Oral History Methods: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| LTNS 450 | Indigenismo: Indigenous Cultures of the Americas | 3 |
| LTNS 460 | Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage | 3 |
| LTNS 465 | Mexican-Americans: History and Heritage | 3 |
| LTNS 467 | Caribbeans in the U.S.: History and Heritage | 3 |
| LTNS/SOC 487 | Mexican Migrations: A Social History | 3 |
| LTNS/ANTH 501/HIST 358 | Latin America: The National Period | 3 |
| LTNS 533/HIST 355/WGS 355 | History of Women in Latin America | 3 |
Behavioral and Social Sciences (6 units)
Selected on advisement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LTNS 210 | Latina/Latino Health Care Perspectives (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 211 | Latina/o Families Narrative | 3 |
| LTNS 276 | Latina/o, U.S. Government, and Constitutional Ideals (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 286 | Policy Making and Latinos | 3 |
| LTNS 355/AIS 350/AFRS 350 | Black Indians in the Americas | 3 |
| LTNS 380 | Afro/Latina/o Diasporas | 3 |
| LTNS 410 | Seminar on Gender and Latinas/os (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 415 | Economic Progress of Latinos in the U.S. (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 430/C J 435 | Race, Crime, and Justice (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS/WGS 445 | Gendered Borders: Latinas and Globalization | 3 |
| LTNS 470 | Latina/o Immigration to the U.S. (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS/C J 485 | Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 500 | Latina/o Community Mental Health | 3 |
| LTNS/WGS 505 | Gender, Sexuality, and Latino Communities | 3 |
| LTNS/SOC/RRS 580 | Educational Equity (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS/SOC 640 | Sociology of the Latino Experience | 3 |
| LTNS 660 | Latina/o Politics (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 670/PLSI 408 | Mexican Politics and Society (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 680 | Latina/o Community Organizing (CSL) | 3 |
| LTNS 685 | Projects in the Teaching of Latina/o Studies | 1-4 |
| LTNS 690 | Community Fieldwork in Latina/o Studies | 3 |
| LTNS 692 | Cuba: Health, Education, and Culture | 3 |
| LTNS 694 | Community Service Learning (CSL) | 1-3 |
| LTNS 707 | Seminar in Latina/o Studies | 3 |
Electives (15 units)
15 units from courses in the Arts and Humanities, History, and Behavioral and Social Sciences areas not used to satisfy those areas, or from the list below.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LTNS 110 | Critical Thinking in Latina/o Studies | 3 |
| LTNS 699 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
Note: A minimum of 30 upper-division units must be completed for the degree (including upper-division units required for the major, general education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper-division units required for graduation. In this case, additional upper-division courses will be needed to reach the required total.
Note: Students must complete at least 35 hours of service as part of a local community service learning internship.
Complementary Studies
Students completing a Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies must complete at least 12 units in Complementary Studies with a prefix other than LTNS and not cross-listed with LTNS. These units may be in
- a Spanish or other Latin American Language;
- one course from each of these prefixes: AAS, AFRS, AIS, and RRS;
- 12 units in one of the prefixes AAS, AFRS, AIS, or RRS;
- partial completion of a minor, or partial completion of a certificate;
- a study abroad program in Latin America; or
- upon advisement, a coherent group of courses complementary to the major.
With the approval of an advisor in the major, courses which fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement may be lower- or upper-division units, resident or transfer units.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication I | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Social Sciences: US & CA Government | LD | 3 | D3 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)
Students completing a Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies fulfill their GWAR requirement through ETHS 300GW Writing in Ethnic Studies - GWAR or other approved GWAR course. The writing requirement units are not included in total units for the major.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
Find the correct roadmap (A, B, C, or D):
- Select the row that matches your English Course choice for A2.*
- Select the column that matches your QR Category (found at your student center under Math Alert).
- Click the Roadmap that lines up with your row and column.
For example, if you are taking ENG 104 as your first English course and your student center math alert says you are QR Category III, you should choose Roadmap D.
| Pathway | QR Cat I/II | QR Cat III/IV |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 114 | Roadmap A | Roadmap C |
| ENG 104/ENG 105 | Roadmap B | Roadmap D |
*Composition for Multilingual Students: If taking ENG 209 as your first English course, choose the ENG 114 row. If taking ENG 204 for your first English course, choose the ENG 104/ENG 105 row.
SF State Scholars Roadmap
This roadmap opens in a new tab.
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in Social Justice Studies. This roadmap opens in a new tab.
For students with an AA-T in Spanish. This roadmap opens in a new tab.
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Social Justice Studies or Spanish
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.
All Students Must Meet the Transfer Eligibility Requirements Outlined Below for Admission.
For more information, visit the Undergraduate Admissions section.
- Complete 60 or more transferable semester units or 90 or more quarter units.
- Earn a college grade point average of 2.0 or better in all transferable courses. Non-local area residents may be held to a higher GPA standard.
- Be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
- Complete 30-semester units (45-quarter units) of General Education, including four basic skills courses:
- One course in oral communication (same as CSU GE Area A1)
- One course in written composition (same as CSU GE Area A2)
- One course in critical thinking (same as CSU GE Area A3)
- One course in mathematics or quantitative reasoning (same as CSU GE Area B4)
- The four basic skills courses and a minimum of 60 transferable semester units (90-quarter units) must be completed by the spring semester prior to fall admission, or by the fall semester prior to spring admission. Earn a C- or better grade in each basic skills course.