Latin American Studies

Major

Two years of college-level Spanish or the equivalent.
A minimum of 30 hours of coursework, of which 15 must be from the core courses (listed below). The remainder may be taken from a list of related courses or courses taken at other institutions.
At least 15 hours of major credit must be earned at Oberlin.
No more than 20 hours from any one department can be counted toward the major.

Courses in which a student has earned a letter grade lower than a C-/CR/P cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of the major.

Minor

There is no minor offered in Latin American Studies.

Honors

Those interested in completing honors in Latin American Studies should consult with the Chair of the program at the beginning of the second semester of their junior year.

Related Programs

The Latin American Studies Committee strongly advises majors to take advantage of the opportunities that exist for studying in Latin America. Rewarding programs of study are currently offered through the Program for Mexican Culture and Society in Puebla, Mexico (an Oberlin consortial program), the Associated Colleges of the Midwest in Costa Rica; the CIEE in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic; through the GLCA (the “Border Program” situated in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas); through Oberlin’s PRESHCO program in Spain;, and through a variety of other programs in locations throughout Latin America. These programs, usually taken during the junior year, can provide students with the opportunity to perfect communication skills and further their knowledge of contemporary life and culture in Latin America.

Transfer of Credit

Up to 15 hours of transfer credit toward the major can be accepted.

The Latin American Studies Committee

This committee approves and supervises the major. Members of the Latin American Studies Committee for the 2005-2006 academic year are:

Mr. Volk, History, Chair
Mr. Pérez de León, Hispanic Studies, (on leave)
Ms. Cara, Hispanic Studies, (fall semester only)
Mr. Faber,  Hispanic Studies
Ms. Mani, Politics
Mr. Millette, African American Studies
Mr. O’Connor, Hispanic Studies (spring semester only)
Mr. Pineda,  Anthropology
Mr. Scholz,  Hispanic Studies (spring semester only)

Entry-Level Course Sequence Suggestions

It is recommended that students interested in the Latin American Studies major begin coursework by satisfying the language requirement and taking some of the various introductory courses in the field: African American Studies (208/209); Economics (210); History (109/110); and Hispanic Studies (317, 318). Please note that some of these courses have prerequisites.

Core Courses

Please consult individual departmental listings for full course descriptions and availability in a given semester and year. Not all of these courses are offered every year. As new courses enter the curriculum, they may not appear in the following list but still may be credited as “core” courses. Please consult the Chair of the Latin American Studies Committee for any questions in this regard. In general, any course whose primary subject matter is Latin America, Caribbean, or Latino/a studies will be considered a “core” course.

PRESHCO courses which examine Latin America will also be considered as part of the core courses. Please consult Hispanic Studies for the appropriate listings.

African American Studies (AAST)

AAST 120 - The Caribbean and the Wider World Credits: 3 hours
AAST 208 - Slavery and Freedom in the Western Hemisphere Credits: 3 hours
AAST 209 - Society and Politics in the Modern Caribbean, 1838-1970 Credits: 3 hours
AAST 347 - Culture, History, and Identity: Caribbean Literature and the Politics of Survival Credits: 3 hours

Anthropology (ANTH)

ANTH 262 - Ancient Civilizations of the New World: 3 hours

ANTH 210 - Indigenous Peoples of Latin America Credits: 3 hours

Comparative American Studies (CAST)

CAST 201 - Latinas/os in Comparative Perspective Credits: 3 hours
CAST 202 - Latino Cultural Activism in Theory and Practice Credits: 3 Credits

Comparative Literature (CMPL)

CMPL 457 - Caribbean Cultures and Literatures

Economics (ECON)

ECON 210 - Economic Development in Latin America Credits: 3 hours
ECON 410 - Seminar: Economic Development in Latin America Credits: 3 hours

English (ENGL)

ENGL 386 - Narrating the Nation: Historical and Literary Approaches to Nationalism in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia (partial credit)

First-Year Seminar Program (FYSP)

FYSP 134 - Crossing Borders: The Mysteries of Identity (patial credit)

FYSP 142 - What’s in a Name? Understanding the World Through the Names of its Places Credits: 4 hours
FYSP 175 - Human Rights and Human Wrongs: Historical Approaches to the Concept of Rights and Humanity Credits: 4 hours

Hispanic Studies (HISP)

HISP 315 - The “Other” in Modern Peruvian Fiction
HISP 330 - Liminal Spaces: Latin American Short Story
HISP 405 - Modern Poetry in Latin America
HISP 419 - Translating Latin American Literature
HISP 426 - Latin American Literature and the Narratives of the Perverse
HISP 429 - The Dream of History: Latin American Modernismo
HISP 431 - Ideological Trends: The Essay in Latin America
HISP 446 - Literature and Exile in Spain and Latin America (partial credit)
HISP 456 - Julio Cortázar
HISP 458 - Fantasy and Violence in Argentine Literature, 1930-1955
HISP 465 - Viva la Raza: Constructions of Hispanic Identity

HISP 306 - Primer Encuentro: Colloquium on Hispanic Literature, Culture and Film Credits: 3 hours
HISP 317 - Survey of Latin American Literature I: Defining Latin America Credits: 3 hours
HISP 318 - Survey of Latin American Literature II: La Ciudad Credits: 3 hours

History (HIST)

HIST 294 - The United States and Latin America
HIST 365 - Peasant Movements in Latin American History
HIST 366 - Gender Issues in Latin American History
HIST 367 - Narrating the Nation: Historical and Literary Approaches to Nationalism in Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia (partial credit)

HIST 109 - Latin American History: Conquest and Colony Credits: 3 hours
HIST 110 - Latin American History: State and Nation Since Independence Credits: 3 hours
HIST 270 - Latina/Latino Survey Credits: 3 hours
HIST 293 - Dirty Wars and Democracy Credits: 3 hours
HIST 327 - Borderlands Credits: 3-4 hours
HIST 361 - The Mexican Revolution: Birth, Life, Death Credits: 3 hours

Politics (POLT)

210 Latin American Politics
222 Latin American International Relations
326 Seminar: Military and Security in Latin America

Religion (RELG)

286 Religions of the New World : Pre-Columbian to Slave Emancipation (partial credit)
289 Festivals of the Americas: Performing Religious Rituals and Cultural Identitites (partial credit)

Sociology (SOCI)

217 Social Development in Brazil and Mexico

Related Courses

These courses (and others) could add full or partial credit to a Latin American Studies major depending on the precise focus of the course in any particular year. Please consult the Chair of the Latin American Studies Committee prior to enrolling to determine whether the course will count towards the Latin American Studies major and, if so, the precise number of credits which will apply to the major.