Program Adviser: Josh Beck, Ky 310, 702-8420, jpbeck@uchicago.edu

B.A. Adviser: Dain Borges, Ky 310, 702-8420

E-mail: clas@uchicago.edu

Web: clas.uchicago.edu

Listserve: listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/clas-boletin

Program of Study

Students majoring in Latin American Studies gain a thorough grounding in selected aspects of Latin American history, politics, economics, or related subjects; knowledge of one or more of the social sciences as they deal with Latin American materials; and competence in Spanish or Portuguese as a tool for further work. The B.A. program in Latin American Studies can provide an appropriate background for careers in business, journalism, government, teaching, or the nonprofit sector, or for graduate studies in one of the social sciences disciplines. Students more interested in the languages and/or literatures of Latin America may wish to consider the major in Romance Languages and Literatures.

Students in other fields of study may also complete a minor in Latin American Studies. Information follows the description of the major.

Program Requirements

Students majoring in Latin American Studies should complete the general education requirement in civilization studies with Latin American Civilization (LACS 16100-16200-16300) or Latin American Civilization in Oaxaca (SOSC 24302-24402-24502). Either of these sequences provides an excellent introduction to the program.

Depending on whether the student counts two or three Latin American civilization courses toward the general education requirement, the major requires either eleven or twelve courses. Students who use all three quarters of a Latin American civilization sequence to meet the general education requirement will complete an eleven-course major. Students who fulfill the general education requirement with two quarters of the sequence will count the third quarter of the sequence toward the major, for a total of twelve courses in the major. These courses include three in second-year Spanish or Portuguese, by registration or examination credit, plus registration for five courses dealing with Latin America; two courses in the social sciences; and a B.A. Colloquium, in which the student completes a B.A. essay.

Of the five required courses on Latin America, at least four must be in the social sciences. Each quarter the Center for Latin American Studies prepares a list of relevant courses that is at clas.uchicago.edu/degree/ctbo.html. Courses that focus primarily on disciplinary, methodological, or comparative topics (e.g., international relations) may also be counted toward this requirement, provided the student successfully completes a paper or other major project treating a Latin American theme. The course instructor must certify the completion of such a project by means of a form available from the Center for Latin American Studies.

Students participating in a study abroad program may petition to have courses accepted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the major.

B.A. Essay. All students who are majoring in Latin American Studies are required to write a B.A. essay under the supervision of a faculty member. The B.A. essay is due Friday of seventh week of Spring Quarter. Registration for the B.A. essay preparation course (LACS 29900) is optional. Students who do register for LACS 29900 may count this course as one of the five they must take dealing with Latin America. The grade students will receive for this course depends on the successful completion of the B.A. essay.

This program may accept a B.A. paper or project used to satisfy the same requirement in another major if certain conditions are met and with the consent of the other program chair. Approval from both program chairs is required. Students should consult with the chairs by the earliest B.A. proposal deadline (or by the end of their third year, when neither program publishes a deadline). A consent form, to be signed by both chairs, is available from the College adviser. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.

Third-Year Statement. In the course of their third year, students majoring in Latin American Studies consult with their preceptor, the program adviser, and appropriate faculty to begin defining a topic for the B.A. essay, and to identify a faculty adviser who will work closely with the student on the project. An informational meeting is held in Spring Quarter to explain and facilitate this process. By Monday of ninth week of Spring Quarter, each third-year student must submit a brief B.A. essay proposal that includes a statement of the topic, the name and signature of the faculty adviser, and a list of proposed summer readings relevant to the project.

B.A. Colloquium. The B.A. Colloquium in Latin American Studies (LACS 29801) is a yearlong course led by the preceptor and B.A. adviser. Fourth-year students are required to participate in all three quarters, although they register only once in Autumn Quarter. The colloquium assists students in formulating approaches to the B.A. essay and developing their research and writing skills, while providing a forum for group discussion and critiques. Graduating students present their B.A. essays in a public session of the colloquium during Spring Quarter.

Summary of Requirements

General                    LACS 16100-16200 or SOSC 24302-24402

Education

Major                    0-1      LACS 16300 or SOSC 24502 (if not taken to meet the general education requirement)

                                  3      SPAN 20100-20200-20300* or
PORT 20100-20200-21500*

                                  5      courses dealing with Latin America (four in the social sciences)

                                  2      courses in the social sciences

                                  1      LACS 29801 (B.A. Colloquium)

                                          B.A. essay

                           11-12

*    Credit may be granted by examination.

Grading. Each of the required courses for the Latin American Studies major must be taken for a quality grade.

Honors. Students who have done exceptionally well in their course work and on their B.A. essay are considered for graduation with honors in Latin American Studies. Candidates must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher overall and 3.25 or higher in the major.

Minor Program in Latin American Studies

The minor program in Latin American Studies provides students majoring in other disciplines with the opportunity to become familiar with Latin American social, cultural, economic, and political history, and with a major language(s) of the region. It can provide an appropriate cultural background for careers in business, journalism, government, teaching, or the nonprofit sector, or for graduate studies in one of the social sciences. The course of study is designed to be flexible so as to serve students in the humanities, social sciences, biological sciences, and physical sciences. The minor, which can be completed in one year, requires five to six courses, depending on how the student completes the general education requirement in civilization studies.

No courses in the minor can be double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors; nor can they be counted toward general education requirements. They must be taken for quality grades and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Students should complete the general education requirement in civilization studies with Latin American Civilization (LACS 16100-16200-16300) or Latin American Civilization in Oaxaca (SOSC 24302-24402-24502). Students who use all three quarters of a Latin American civilization sequence to meet the general education requirement will complete a five-course minor. Students who fulfill the general education requirement with two quarters of the civilization sequence will count the third quarter of the sequence toward the minor, for a six-course minor.

The minor requires two courses in Spanish or Portuguese at the level of the second year or beyond. Credit may be granted by examination for one second-year Spanish or Portuguese course. The minor also requires three Latin American content courses. A list of relevant Latin American content courses prepared each quarter by the Center for Latin American Studies is available at clas.uchicago.edu/degree/ctbo.html.

Students must submit a research paper treating a Latin American topic for one of their Latin American content courses. The research paper is of intermediate length (ten to fifteen pages) in a course with Latin American content. Each student is responsible for making appropriate arrangements with the faculty member. Completion of the course research paper must be demonstrated to the program adviser in Latin American Studies.

Students who elect the minor program should meet with the program adviser in Latin American Studies before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the program. The program adviser's approval for the minor should be submitted to the student's College adviser, on a form obtained from the College adviser, no later than the end of the student's third year.

The following groups of courses would comprise a minor in Latin American Studies. Other programs may be designed in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. Minor program requirements are subject to revision.

Sample Five-Course Minor in Latin American Studies

SPAN 20100-20200 or PORT 20100-20200

Three Latin American content courses

Sample Six-Course Minor in Latin American Studies

LACS 16300

SPAN 20100-20200 or PORT 20100-20200

Three Latin American content courses

Faculty

F. Alvarez, F. de Armas, K. Austin, D. Borges, M. Carneiro da Cunha, R. de Costa,
K. Fikes, P. Friedrich, S. Gzesh, J. Heckman, T. Herzog, T. Holt, M. Huanca, K. Jones,
F. Katz, R. Kendrick, A. Kolata, E. Kourí, A. M. Lima, H. Lopes, M. C. Lozada, J. Lucy,
A. Lugo-Ortiz, N. McQuown, L. Medina, A. Menendez, S. Palmié, D. M. Randel,
L. Salzinger, M. Santana, S. Sassen, J. Saville, P. Sereno, L. Sjaastad, R. Smith, S. Stokes,
R. Townsend, D. Tracy, M.-R. Trouillot, L. Voigt

Courses: Latin American Studies (lacs)

Each quarter the LACS faculty selects classes that are accepted toward the major. See clas.uchicago.edu/degree/ctbo.html.

16100-16200-16300/34600-34700-34800. Introduction to Latin American Civilization I, II, III. (=ANTH 23101-23102-23103, HIST 16101-16102-16103/36101-36102-36103, SOSC 26100-26200-26300) May be taken in sequence or individually. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. This course is an introduction to the history and cultures of Latin America (e.g., Mexico, Central America, South America, Caribbean Islands). Autumn Quarter examines the origins of civilizations in Latin America with a focus on the political, social, and cultural features of the major pre-Columbian civilizations of the Maya, Inca, and Aztec. The quarter concludes with consideration of the Spanish and Portuguese conquest and the construction of colonial societies in Latin America. Winter Quarter addresses the evolution of colonial societies, the wars of independence, and the emergence of Latin American nation-states in the changing international context of the nineteenth century. Spring Quarter focuses on the twentieth century, with special emphasis on the challenges of economic, political, and social development in the region. This course is offered in alternate years. E. Kouri, Autumn; Staff, Winter, Spring.

23800. Books of Disquiet: Fictional Autobiography in Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures. (=CMLT 25500, PORT 23800/33800) This seminar focuses on the experience of the modern subject as it is narrated in the fiction of some notable Portuguese and Brazilian writers, including Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet. We also read texts by Machado de Assis, Raul Brandão, João Guimarães Rosa, Clarice Lispector, and others, in conjunction with some of the most relevant theoretical and critical texts on the question of the intersection between autobiography and fiction. Readings in English and Portuguese. P. Pereira. Winter.

23900. Gentle Peoples, Cordial Nations: The Ethics and Politics of Friendship in the Portuguese-Speaking World. (=CMLT 25600, PORT 23900/33900) This course addresses the pervasiveness within the cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world of an ideology of friendship and cordiality. We then examine the ways in which such claims are fed, challenged, and displaced by literature. We read a wide range of theoretical texts, from Plato to Derrida, and from canonical and marginal Portuguese, Brazilian, and Lusophone-African authors (e.g., Padre António Vieira, Cavaleiro de Oliveira, Eça de Queirós, Machado de Assis, Gilberto Freyre, Clarice Lispector, José Eduardo Agualusa). Readings in English and Portuguese. P. Pereira. Spring.

24301/34301. From Liberalism to Neoliberalism in the Southern Cone: A Survey of Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. This lecture/discussion course introduces nineteenth- and twentieth-century social and economic history in the Southern Cone (Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile; with consideration of Paraguay for contrast). In this survey, students analyze nineteenth-century state-building processes and examine the social bases of liberal, nationalist, socialist, and military governments in the twentieth century leading to the current conditions in the Southern Cone. K. Jones. Autumn.

29700. Reading and Research in Latin American Studies. PQ: Consent of faculty supervisor and program adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Normally taken for a quality grade. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29801. B.A. Colloquium. Required of Latin American Studies majors. Students register only once in Autumn Quarter but are required to participate in all three quarters. This colloquium, which is led by the preceptor and B.A. adviser, assists students in formulating approaches to the B.A. essay and developing their research and writing skills, while providing a forum for group discussion and critiques. Graduating students present their B.A. essays in a public session of the colloquium during the Spring Quarter. Register Autumn Quarter only; meets Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29900. Preparation of the B.A. Essay. PQ: Consent of faculty supervisor and program adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Normally taken for a quality grade. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring.