Minor in Latin American Studies

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Dr. Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo

Latin American Studies Program

Humanities Building, Room 427
Phone: (415) 405-3492
Coordinator: Juanita Darling

Program Scope

The Minor in Latin American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide undergraduate students with an understanding of Latin American societies, including their history and literature, as well as economic and political developments. The minor emphasizes the hybrid nature of Latin American societies, their shared cultures and history, their influence on other parts of the world, and the region’s multi-layered relations with other countries. With a selection of courses drawn from disciplines or fields such as ethnic studies, the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences, students have the flexibility to explore a wide range of subjects including ancient and modern civilizations, ethnic relations, the literary “boom” of the 1960s, doing business in present-day Latin America, and more. The minor will be useful to students planning careers in education, humanities, and the arts, the Foreign Service, international organizations, overseas corporations, and banking, as well as for those who simply desire a better understanding of Latin America. The multidisciplinary nature of the program also prepares students for further work in a number of academic fields at the graduate level.

The minor consists of a core curriculum of three courses (9 to 10 units) that deal with the region as a whole from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, plus 12 to 14 units of elective upper-division coursework. No more than 6 units can be taken on a CR/NC basis. Students planning to take courses other than those listed below must get prior approval from the program director. Students completing the Latin American Studies minor are encouraged to participate in the study abroad programs at SF State. Courses taken in certified SF State study abroad programs may be substituted for the minor’s requirements.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Develop an understanding of the varied aspects of Latin American societies.
2. Critically evaluate the inter-relationships among history, language and literature, social, economic, and political developments, and their influence on the place that the nations of the region occupy in the international order as a reflection of social justice and global perspectives.
3. Explore a wide range of subjects as well as specialize in particular areas such as the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America.

Latin American Studies Minor — 21 units minimum

A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor.

All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Core Courses (9-10 units)

Course List

Code	Title	Units
ANTH/LTNS 501/HIST 358	Latin America: The National Period	3
Select One:		3-4
HIST/WGS 355/LTNS 533	History of Women in Latin America
I R/PLSI 322	Policy Analysis: The Latin American Cases
SOC 645	Sociology of Latin America
Select One:		3
HUM 455	Humanities of the Americas
SPAN 405	Culture and Civilization of Spanish America

Electives (11-12 units)

Take enough electives to reach 21 units for the minor. Two courses must be selected from each group and no more than 9 units can be from any one discipline.

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Group I: Social Perspectives, Politics, and International Relations
HIST 353	History of Mexico	3
HIST 357	Race and Power in Colonial Latin America	3
I R/C J 306	Crisis in Central America: U.S. Policy and the Root Causes of Chaos	4
LS 430	Future of the Forests	3
LTNS 350	Gender and Latina/x Feminisms	3
LTNS 460	Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage	3
LTNS 467	Caribbeans in the U.S.: History and Heritage	3
LTNS/SOC 640	Sociology of Latina/x/o Experiences	3
LTNS 660	Latina/o Politics	3
LTNS 670/PLSI 408	Mexican Politics and Society	3
LTNS 692	Cuba: Health, Education, and Culture	3
PLSI 389	Latin American Revolutionary Societies	4
RPT 470	Travel with Purpose	3
Group II: Arts, Humanities, and Culture
CWL 440	"Typical American": Narratives of Multiculturalism in the Americas from 1492 to the Present	3
CWL 520	Modern Prose of the Americas	3
CWL 540	Faulkner, García Márquez, and Morrison	3
HUM 371	Biography of a City: Latin American Cities	3
JS/CWL/ENG 451	Jewish Literature of the Americas	3
LTNS 409/CINE 309	Latina/o/x Cinema	3
LTNS 425	Popular and Traditional Music of the Latinx U.S. (CSL)	3
LTNS 450	Critical Latinx Indigeneities	3
LTNS 475	Aztec Philosophy	3
LTNS 560	Contemporary Latina/o Literature	3
MUS 532	Music of Latin America	3
SPAN 326	Applied Spanish Linguistics: Morphology and Syntax	3
SPAN 341	Introduction to the Reading of Literary Texts	3
SPAN 543	Spanish American Literature: Romanticism to Modernism	3
SPAN 545	20th Century Spanish American Literature	3
SPAN 595	Senior Survey in Spanish or Spanish American Literature	3

Latin American Language Requirement 

All students completing this area studies minor are required to demonstrate intermediate-level competency in a language other than English and that is relevant to the region. This requirement may be met by the University entrance requirement of two years of high school language study, scoring at the appropriate level on the Spanish placement exam, study abroad in the region or the Iberian peninsula, or by demonstration of equivalent competency. Please see the Latin American Studies coordinator or faculty advisors to determine if this requirement is met.