Latin American Studies - Minor

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Coordination:

Marcus Brasileiro, Assistant Professor of Portuguese, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, marcus.brasileiro@usu.edu

María-de Jesús Cordero, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, maria.cordero@usu.edu

Crescencio López, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, crescencio.lopez@usu.edu

Claudia Radel, Associate Professor, Department of Environment and Society, claudia.radel@usu.edu

Cacilda Rego, Associate Professor of Portuguese, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, cacilda.rego@usu.edu

James Sanders, Professor, Department of History, james.sanders@usu.edu

J.P. Spicer-Escalante, Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies, jp.spicer@usu.edu

The Latin American Studies minor, an interdepartmental program within the college containing the humanities and social sciences, provides students with an interdisciplinary and rigorous introduction to Latin America. The minor complements existing majors through the expansion and development of regional knowledge and expertise. After completing the minor, students will have demonstrated language competence and enhanced historical, political, economic, cultural, and sociological understanding of the countries and peoples of Latin America.

Admission Requirements

USU students in good standing who are enrolled in any major or department and who have a 2.75 minimum GPA qualify for admission to this minor.
Transfer students from other institutions need a 2.75 minimum total GPA for admission to this minor.

Latin American Studies Minor Requirements

(18 credits, plus language competency)

A. Language Requirement

A minimum of two years (16 credits or four semesters) of Introductory Spanish or Introductory Portuguese, or the completion of an equivalent competency exam, is required.

Introductory Spanish

SPAN 1010 - Spanish First Year I 4 credit(s)
SPAN 1020 - Spanish First Year II 4 credit(s)
SPAN 2010 - Spanish Second Year I 4 credit(s)
SPAN 2020 - Spanish Second Year II 4 credit(s)

Introductory Portuguese

PORT 1010 - Portuguese First Year I 4 credit(s)
PORT 1020 - Portuguese First Year II 4 credit(s)
PORT 2010 - Portuguese Second Year I 4 credit(s)
PORT 2020 - Portuguese Second Year II 4 credit(s)

B. Electives (18 credits)

Students must choose a minimum of six courses from the following list. The courses must be chosen from at least three different disciplines.³

ANTH 3130 - Peoples of Latin America (CI) 3 credit(s)
ANTH 5130 - Ethnographic Field School 3-6 credit(s) (6 credits required) or
SOC 5130 - Ethnographic Field School 3-6 credit(s) (6 credits required)
ANTH 6130 - Ethnographic Field School 3-6 credit(s) (6 credits required) or
SOC 6130 - Ethnographic Field School 3-6 credit(s) (6 credits required)
GEOG 4120 - Environment and Development in Latin America (CI) 3 credit(s)
HIST 3620 - History of Colonial Latin America 3 credit(s)
HIST 3630 - History of Modern Latin America 3 credit(s)
HIST 3650 - Caribbean History (INACTIVATED SUMMER 2024) 3 credit(s)
HIST 3660 - History of Mexico (DHA) 3 credit(s)
HIST 4630 - History of the Southwest Borderlands (DHA) 3 credit(s)
LATS 2200 - Introduction to Latin America 3 credit(s)
POLS 3270 - Latin American Government and Politics (DSS) 3 credit(s)
POLS 4450 - United States and Latin America (CI) 3 credit(s)
PORT 3400 - Popular Music in the Portuguese-Speaking World 3 credit(s)
PORT 3570 - Brazilian Culture and Civilization (DHA) 3 credit(s) ¹
PORT 3630 - Survey of Brazilian Literature (DHA) 3 credit(s) ¹
PORT 3800 - Portuguese III Study Abroad 1-4 credit(s) ¹
SPAN 3510 - Business Spanish 3 credit(s)
SPAN 3560 - Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Culture 3 credit(s)
SPAN 3570 - Hispanic American Culture and Civilization (DHA) 3 credit(s)
SPAN 3620 - Survey of Hispanic American Literature I (DHA) 3 credit(s) ¹
SPAN 3630 - Survey of Hispanic American Literature II (DHA) 3 credit(s) ¹
SPAN 3640 - Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature 3 credit(s)
SPAN 3660 - Hispanic American Literature - Study Abroad 1-4 credit(s) ^{1, 4}
SPAN 3800 - Spanish III Study Abroad 1-4 credit(s) ¹
SPAN 4200 - Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics 3 credit(s)
SPAN 4800 - Hispanic Culture and Civilization - Study Abroad 1-4 credit(s) ^{2, 4}
SPAN 4910 - Topics of Hispanic American Cultural Production 3 credit(s) ¹

C. Major Courses Limitation

Only two courses completed as part of the student’s major may be applied toward the Latin American Studies minor.

D. Restricted Electives (3 credits)

Students may choose one course from the following list to count toward their total elective credits.

ENGL 3300 - Period Studies in American Literature 3 credit(s)
ENGL 5300 - Special Topics in Literature (CI) 3 credit(s)
HIST 3670 - Slavery in the Atlantic World (CI) 3 credit(s)
TEAL 4745 - Second Language/Literacy Acquisition and Development 3 credit(s)
TEAL 4760 - Foundations of Dual Language Immersion/ESL/Bilingual Education 3 credit(s)

Note:

¹Requires a proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese at the 3000 level or above.

²Requires a proficiency in Spanish at the 2000 level or above.

³A limit of 9 credits of overlapping courses from a pre-existing major or alternative minor may be counted toward this elective requirement.

⁴SPAN 3660 and SPAN 4800 can be counted as electives for the Latin American Studies Minor only when they are taken in a Latin American country.