Latino/a and Latin American Studies
Overview
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS) major offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the societies and cultures of Latin America and the Latino and Chicano experience in the United States. By extending the study of "Latin America" beyond the geopolitical borders of the region to include the Caribbean and the United States, the major emphasizes the importance of migrations, interethnic interactions, and cultural exchanges of Indigenous, European, African, and Asian peoples throughout the Americas. The LLAS program engages students with a variety of perspectives on the socio-political complexities and cultural traditions of the Americas, and the historical development of unique regional societies and cultures. The transnational perspective of our curriculum distinguishes the LLAS major from more traditional area studies programs.
Students in the major develop proficiency in Spanish and take courses from a broad range of academic disciplines and departments, including history, Spanish, sociology, English, music, politics, economics, psychology, and education. LLAS majors are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad and summer research programs in Latin America or Spain. Our program also encourages students to engage in community-based learning through the different activities available in the Latino and Latin American communities that are integral to the city of Los Angeles. The major prepares students for graduate school as well as for a variety of career paths, including community organizing, social work, education, public history (museums and cultural centers), government, law, public service, and business.
Major Requirements
COURSEWORK
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies Major requires ten courses (40 units) plus SPAN 202 OR SPAN 211. Students are strongly encouraged to take a one unit-course in United States Latino or Latin American Performance Art (Music or Dance) before they graduate. The ten course distribution requirements are:
Introductory course:
| LLAS 101 | Introduction to Latina/o and Latin American Studies | 4 units |
Latin American survey courses
Students must complete:
U.S. Latino survey courses:
Students must take the following two courses:
Additional Electives:
Students must also select four additional electives from the following list of courses (not counting courses used to satisfy the "Latin American survey" requirement above). Two of these must be at the 300 level. One of the four electives must be an arts or humanities course.
| AMST 260/LLAS 260 | United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies | 4 units |
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 units |
| EDUC 213/LLAS 213 | Chicano Education | 4 units |
| DWA 237 | Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World | 4 units |
| DWA 240 | Civil Society, Religion, and Revolutionary Movements | 4 units |
| HIST 151/LLAS 151 | Modern Latin America | 4 units |
| HIST 252/LLAS 252 | Religion in Mexico, PreColumbian Times to Present | 4 units |
| HIST 258/LLAS 258 | Twentieth Century Mexico | 4 units |
| HIST 300 | History Colloquium | 4 units |
| HIST 354 | The History of Race in Latin America | 4 units |
| HIST 355/LLAS 355 | Indians of Mexico | 4 units |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 units |
| LLAS 250 | Dialogue on Critical Latinx/Latin American Issues | 4 units |
| MUSC 102/LLAS 102 | Music of Latin America | 4 units |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 units |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 units |
| POLS 221/DWA 224 | Latin American Politics | 4 units |
| PSYC 385/LLAS 385 | Chicanx Identities and Social Institutions: Education, Health, Politics | 4 units |
| RELS 228 | Chican@ Religious Identities | 4 units |
| SOC 210/LLAS 210 | The Struggle for Human Rights in Mexico | 4 units |
| SOC 335/LLAS 335 | Democratizing Latin America | 4 units |
| SPAN 301 | Introduction to Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin American Literature and Civilization | 4 units |
| SPAN 309 | Latin American Writers in Spain | 4 units |
| SPAN 313 | Latin American Film and Culture | 4 units |
| SPAN 314 | Latin American Women's Voices in Fiction and Film | 4 units |
| SPAN 363 | Hispanic Autobiography | 4 units |
| SPAN 370 | The Jungle in Modern Latin American Literature | 4 units |
| SPAN 377 | Magical Realism in Latin America | 4 units |
| SPAN 383 | Survey of Chicano Literature | 4 units |
| THEA 303/LLAS 303 | Latina/o Theater | 4 units |
Senior Seminar
Second-Stage Writing Requirement
The second-stage writing requirement for the LLAS major may be satisfied by taking any of the elective courses listed below and earning the grade of B- or better. Course offerings will vary by year, so if a student is not able to take a designated course (due to study abroad, exceeding the departmental elective limit, etc.), he or she can petition in advance to take an alternate course.
| HIST 300 | History Colloquium | 4 units |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 units |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 units |
| SOC 335/LLAS 335 | Democratizing Latin America | 4 units |
Comprehensive Requirement
To satisfy the comprehensive requirement students will produce a senior thesis in the Senior Seminar. Declared majors propose the topic of their thesis before the end of their junior year. The thesis is a research based essay of approximately 30 pages integrating both primary and secondary source materials. Successful completion of the senior thesis along with a public presentation of it in the spring semester will satisfy the LLAS comprehensive requirement.
Minor Requirements
Five courses (20 units) are required to complete the LLAS minor. One of these must be at the 300 level.
COURSEWORK
Introductory course
| LLAS 101 | Introduction to Latina/o and Latin American Studies | 4 units |
Latin American History and Politics courses
Students must complete one of the following:
Latino Studies:
Students must select two courses from the list below:
| EDUC 213/LLAS 213 | Chicano Education | 4 units |
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 units |
| ENGL 365 | Contemporary Literature | 4 units |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 units |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 units |
| PSYC 385/LLAS 385 | Chicanx Identities and Social Institutions: Education, Health, Politics | 4 units |
| SPAN 383 | Survey of Chicano Literature | 4 units |
Additional Elective
Students must select one additional Latin American Studies course from the lists above.
Transfer Credit Policies
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies program policy on transfer credit conforms to College Policy. Courses that address topics central to Latino/a and Latin American Studies approved for transfer by the appropriate department or program will be considered to apply toward the Latino/a and Latin American Studies major and minor. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
Courses
Latino/a and Latin American Studies Courses
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Raul Villa, chair
Professor, English
B.A., Yale University; M.A., University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Jaclyn Rodríguez
Professor
A.B., Occidental College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Michigan
Advisory Committee
Shanna Lorenz
Associate Professor, Music
B.A., Reed College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., New York University
Jennifer Piscopo
Assistant Professor, Politics
B.A., Wellesley; M.Phil., University of Cambridge; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
Lisa Sousa
Professor, History
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Dolores Trevizo
Professor, Sociology
A.B., Occidental College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Affiliated Faculty
Elizabeth Braker
Professor, Biology
B.A., Colorado College; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Lan T. Chu
Associate Professor, Diplomacy and World Affairs
B.A., M.A., New York University; Ph.D., George Washington University
Robert Ellis
Norman Bridge Distinguished Professor of Spanish, Spanish and French Studies
B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Salvador Fernández
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Professor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A., University of California, Riverside; M.A., Indiana University; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Felisa Guillén
Professor, Spanish and French Studies
B.A., M.A., University of Madrid; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Mary Lopez
Professor, Economics
B.A., University of California, Riverside; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
John McCormack
Associated Professor, Biology
B.S., University of Arizona; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Richard Mora
Associate Professor, Sociology
B.A., Harvard College (Sociology); M.A., University of Michigan (Education); M.A., Harvard University (Sociology); Ph.D., Harvard University (Sociology & Social Policy)
Michael Shelton
Associate Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Cognitive Science
B.S., St. Cloud State University; M.A., Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
Ronald Solórzano
Professor, Education
B.S., M.Ed., Loyola Marymount University; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles