Program Advisor: Alessandra Santos alessandra.santos@ubc.ca
General Requirements for the Major and Minor
Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program administered by the French Hispanic & Italian Studies Department.
In consultation with the program advisor, students may complete a Major or a Minor in the program. Both the Major and the Minor allow students to construct truly interdisciplinary approaches to their programs incorporating a broad range of disciplines within Arts. Students who are considering pursuing graduate studies in another discipline after completion of the Bachelor of Arts are encouraged to complete at least a Minor in that discipline.
Interested students should consult the current course offerings available from the Departments of Anthropology, Art History, Visual Art, and Theory, French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Geography, History, School of Economics, School of Social Work, Sociology, or Political Science.
Major in Latin American Studies
The Major program is designed to give students a general knowledge of and strong interdisciplinary approach to the language, culture, society, geography, political systems, and history of Latin America.
Language Requirements
No 100- or 200-level Spanish language courses count towards the minimum of 42 credits required for the Latin American Studies Major. However, SPAN 301 and SPAN 302, required for the Major, are counted toward the 42-credit minimum. Students with a previous knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese should consult a program advisor.
First and Second Years
Students take LAST 100 (3), LAST 201 (3), and six credits from the following courses (other courses with Latin American content not listed here are also eligible towards the requirement):
ANTH 232 (3) or ANTH 202 (3/6) (when the topic concerns Latin America)
ARTH 261 (3)
HIST 250 (3/6)
HIST 252 (3)
LAST 205 (3)
SPAN 221 (3) or SPAN 222 (3)
SPAN 280 (3)
Third and Fourth Years
SPAN 301 (3) and SPAN 302 (3) are required. Students with a previous knowledge of Spanish for whom this requirement may be waived are required to take six additional credits from the list below.
Students choose at least 24 credits from the list below or from other courses approved by the advisor in any given year. A minimum of three credits must be taken in at least five of the following areas: Anthropology, Art History, Economics, Geography, History, Latin American Studies, Political Science, Social Work, Sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese literature and culture courses with Latin American content. At least three of these 24 credits must involve a fourth-year seminar course. (other courses with Latin American content not listed here are also eligible towards the requirement)
ANTH 303 (3/6)* 323 (3) 332 (3)* 353 (3) 403 (3/6)* 411 (3)*
ARTH 342 (3) 370 (3) 371 (3) 372 (3) 373 (3) 440 (3)* 471 (3)
GEOG 395 (3) 495 (3)
HIST 357 (3), 358 (3), 444 (3), 450 (3/6), 451 (3), 453 (3), 455 (3), and 456 (3)
LAST 301 (3) 303 (3)
POLI 332 (3/6)
PORT 392 (3), 405 (3)
SOWK 440 (3)*
SPAN 312 (3) 322 (3) 364 (3) 365 (3) 404 (3)* 405 (3)* 406 (3)* 450 (3) 470 (3) 490 (3)
* These courses are variable in content and thus may be counted toward the major only when the topic concerns Latin America.
Minor in Latin American Studies
This is an interdisciplinary program intended to provide students with a broad exposure to the cultures, histories, and languages of Latin America. Ideally, the Minor complements a major in one of the participating disciplines that comprise Latin American Studies, but it can be combined with any major program in Arts.
First and Second Years
Students take LAST 100 and nine credits from the following courses (other courses with Latin American content not listed here are also eligible towards the requirement):
ANTH 202 (3/6) (when the topic concerns Latin America)
ARTH 261 (3)
HIST 250 (3/6)
HIST 252 (3)
LAST 201 (3)
LAST 205 (3)
SPAN 221 or 222 (3/6)
SPAN 280 (3)
Third and Fourth Years
Students take at least 18 credits of upper-level courses with Latin American content as listed for the Major (see above) in at least three of the following subjects (disciplines): Anthropology; Art History; Economics; Geography; History; Latin American Studies; Political Sciences; Social Work; Sociology; and Spanish and Portuguese literature and culture courses with Latin American content.
Up to six credits from these courses taken for a major may also be counted toward the Latin American Studies minor.
UBC 2022-23 Courses with Latin America Content
(this list is not exhaustive, other courses may be approved by program advisor)
ANTH 205: The Anthropology of Insurrections and Revolution
ARTH 371: Arts of the Aztec period in Mexico
FIST 332A: Studies in Genre or Period
GEOG 395: Culture, Nature, and Coloniality in Latin America
GEOG 495: Geographies of Social Movements in the Americas
GRSJ 306: Globalization and Social Justice: Gender, Race, and Sexuality in International Politics
GRSJ 311: African/Black Women in the Americas
GRSJ 315: Critical Racial Theories
GRSJ 316: Queer and Trans of Colour Theorizing
GRSJ 320: Feminist Anti-Racist Pedagogies
GRSJ 415: Critical Racial and Anti-Colonial Feminist Approaches
HIST 250A: Latin American History
HIST 357: History of Mexico
HIST 453: Class and Culture in Latin America
LAST 100: Introduction to Latin American Studies
LAST 201: Popular Culture in Latin America
LAST 303: Indigenous Peoples of Latin America
POLI 220: Introduction to Comparative Politics
POLI 332: Politics and Government of Latin America
SOCI 301: Sociology of Development and Underdevelopment
SPAN 302: Intermediate Spanish II
SPAN 312C: Hopscotch: Topics in Hispanic Literature (in English)
SPAN 364: Colonial Encounters in Spanish-American Literature and Culture
SPAN 365: Modern Magics: Spanish-American Literature and Culture since the 1820s
SPAN 490E: Peoples and Nations: Topics in Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Spanish-American Culture
SPAN 495: Research Intensive Seminar in Hispanic Literature and Culture