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Program Director and Assistant Professor: M. Dustin Knepp (PhD), (501) 450-5646, mdknepp@uca.edu, Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Advisory Committee:

Director and Assistant Professor: Dr. M. Dustin Knepp
Dr. Taine Duncan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Dr. Lance Grahn, Professor of History
Dr. John Passe-Smith, Professor of Political Science
Dr. Alana Reid, Assistant Professor of Spanish
Dr. Conrad Shumaker, Professor of English
Dr. Michael Yoder, Associate Professor of Geography

[1] Purpose

Latin American and Latino Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with an understanding of the diverse cultures and regions of Latin America and the impact of Latinos in the United States.  The program offers a range of courses allowing students to study broad aspects of Latin America and more targeted classes that focus on specific histories, geographies, politics, economies, cultures, and physical environments of countries comprising the Americas.  Students can also gain a better understanding of the multicultural character of U.S. society through classes that examine race, ethnicity, gender, and other aspects of diversity, and focus on the contributions and impacts of Latinos in U.S. society. Regardless of one’s major, a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies will allow the student to better understand and work within a global context and appreciate the diversity found within the hemisphere.

The objective of the Latin American and Latino Studies minor are

• To provide students with interdisciplinary experiences in Latin American and Latino studies as well as assist in developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills;
• To promote cultural understanding and appreciation of the differences and similarities between various peoples of our hemisphere;
• To provide students with the necessary knowledge, experiences, and language skills to pursue independent study, field work, or employment opportunities anywhere in Latin America or the Caribbean, or to work with Latino populations in the United States; and
• To better understand Latino cultures and values within evolving U.S. society.

[2] Requirements

The Latin American and Latino Studies Minor consists of 18 hours. Students must take the two required courses (LALS 2300 and LALS 2310), and choose four more elective courses when Latinos or Latin America are an essential aspect of the course. LALS 2300 meets the UCA Core lower-division requirement for Diversity in World Cultures.  LALS 2310 meets the UCA Core lower-division humanities requirement for Critical Inquiry. The four elective courses must represent at least three separate disciplines.  Elective courses may meet UCA Core requirements.

Required Core Courses (6 hours):

LALS 2300 Latin American Cultures [ UCA Core: D ]
LALS 2310 Latinos in the United States [ UCA Core: I ]

Elective Courses (choose four applicable courses, representing at least 3 separate disciplines; 12 hours):

LALS 3300 Topics in Latin American and Latino Studies [ UCA Core: D, I ]

ANTH 3300 Regional Anthropology
ANTH 3360 Anthropology Travel Seminar
ANTH 4395 Special Topics in Anthropology

ART 3305 Special Topics in Art History
ART 3311 Ancient South American Art [ UCA Core: D ]
ART 3329 Ancient Mesoamerican Art [ UCA Core: D ]

ENGL 3325 Advanced Readings in World Literature [ UCA Core: D ]
ENGL 4370 Women’s Literature [ UCA Core: D ]
ENGL 4382 Race in American Literature [ UCA Core: D ]

GEOG 3315 Geography of Latin America
GEOG 3320 Field Studies
GEOG 4360 Special Problems in Geography
GEOG 4391 Research Seminar

H ED 4343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations [ UCA Core: D ]
H ED 4365 Field Experiences in Health Education

HIST 3312 Comparative Modern Third World History [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4306 Atlantic Slave Trade [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4328 Modern Latin America [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4333 United States Immigration and Ethnic History from Colonial Times to Present [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4343 History of Mexico [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4353 Inter-American Relations [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4379 Spain: Crusade, Columbus, and Empire [ UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4391 Topics in History

PHIL 2360 Gender, Race & Class: Philosophical Issues [ UCA Core: R ]
PHIL 3345 Feminist Philosophy [ UCA Core: D, R ]
PHIL 3395 Topics in Philosophy

PSCI 3382 Politics of Developing Nations
PSCI 4310 International Political Economy and Globalization
PSCI 4320 Revolution and Political Violence
PSCI 4325 Mexican Politics and US-Mexican Relations
PSCI 4340 Seminar Selected Topics
PSCI 4399 Studies in Political Science

SOC 2325 Social Problems [ UCA Core: R ]
SOC 2342 Sociology of Youth
SOC 3310 Racial and Ethnic Relations [ UCA Core: D, R ]
SOC 3340 Urban Sociology
SOC 3361 Gender Roles [ UCA Core: D, R ]
SOC 3398 Travel Seminar
SOC 4343 Health Strategies for Multicultural Populations
SOC 4351 Family Diversity
SOC 4390 Selected Problems in Sociology
SOC 4395 Contemporary Social Issues

SPAN 2330 Introduction to Business Spanish
SPAN 2340 Intensive Oral Practice Abroad in Spanish
SPAN 3313 Latin-American Civilization [ UCA Core: D, I ]
SPAN 3315 Topics in Hispanic Studies [ UCA Core: D, R ]
SPAN 3321 Spanish American Literature [ UCA Core: D, I ]
SPAN 3330 Advanced Business Spanish
SPAN 3398 Travel Seminar Abroad
SPAN 4395 Advanced Hispanic Literature
SPAN 4396 Hispanic Studies

WLAN 2315 Cultural Studies [ UCA Core: D ]
WLAN 2325 Issues of Cultural Identity in the African Diaspora [ UCA Core: D ]
WLAN 3390 World Languages Internship

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: Three (3) semester hours of Spanish at the 2000-level or above; this will not necessarily count towards the 18 hours of electives. Please contact the Director for specific course prerequisites.

For more information contact Dr. M. Dustin Knepp (World Languages, Literatures and Cultures), Irby 415, 450-5646.