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 U.S. 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 |
Latin American History and Politics courses
Students must complete two of the following (or alternately numbered course in Latin American Politics):
Latino Studies:
Students must select two courses in U.S. Latino Studies from the list below:
| AMST 260 | United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies | 4 |
| EDUC 213 | Chicano Education | 4 |
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 |
| PSYC 385 | Chicanx in Contemporary United States Society | 4 |
| SOC 420 | Immigration to the United States From Mexico and Central America | 4 |
300-level Spanish course
Students must complete one 300-level Spanish class (or the equivalent in a study abroad course) OR a third U.S. Latino Studies course.
Additional Electives:
Students must also select three additional electives (not counting the two mandatory courses for the History and Politics requirement), from the list of courses below, including at least one 300 level course. In the interests of interdisciplinarity, no more than two electives may be taken from the same department.
| AMST 295 | Topics in American Studies | 4 |
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 |
| EDUC 213 | Chicano Education | 4 |
| ENGL 365 | Contemporary Literature | 4 |
| DWA 237 | Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World | 4 |
| DWA 240 | Comparative Revolutions | 4 |
| HIST 150 | Colonial Latin America | 4 |
| HIST 151 | Modern Latin America | 4 |
| HIST 252 | Religion in Mexico, PreColumbian Times to Present | 4 |
| HIST 258 | Mexican Politics in the Twentieth Century | 4 |
| HIST 300 | History Colloquium | 4 |
| HIST 354 | The History of Race in Latin America | 4 |
| HIST 355 | Indians of Mexico | 4 |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 |
| MUSC 102 | Music of Latin America | 4 |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 |
| POLS 221 | Latin American Politics | 4 |
| PSYC 385 | Chicanx in Contemporary United States Society | 4 |
| RELS 228 | Chican@ Religious Identities | 4 |
| SOC 210 | The Struggle for Human Rights in Mexico | 4 |
| SOC 335 | Democratizing Latin America | 4 |
| SOC 420 | Immigration to the United States From Mexico and Central America | 4 |
| SPAN 301 | Introduction to Pre-Columbian Colonial Latin American Literature and Civilization | 4 |
| SPAN 303 | Introduction to Modern Latin American Literature and Civilization | 4 |
| SPAN 309 | Latin American Writers in Spain | 4 |
| SPAN 313 | Latin American Film and Culture | 4 |
| SPAN 314 | Latin American Women's Voices in Fiction and Film | 4 |
| SPAN 363 | Hispanic Autobiography | 4 |
| SPAN 378/379 | Buenos Aires in Fiction and Film | 4 |
| SPAN 382 | Contemporary Mexican Novel | 4 |
| THEA 303 | Latina/o Theater | 4 |
In the interests of interdisciplinarity, no more than two electives may be taken from the same department.
Senior Seminar
WRITING REQUIREMENT
The third year writing requirement for the LLAS major may be satisfied by taking any of the elective courses listed below. 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 |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 |
| SOC 335 | Democratizing Latin America | 4 |
| SOC 420 | Immigration to the United States From Mexico and Central America | 4 |
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
Six courses are required to complete the LLAS minor. One course must be at the 300-level.
COURSEWORK
Language Requirement
To satisfy this requirement students must complete one of the following:
Introductory course:
| LLAS 101 | Introduction to Latina/o and Latin American Studies | 4 |
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 | Chicano Education | 4 |
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 |
| ENGL 365 | Contemporary Literature | 4 |
| HIST 359 | Mexico-United States Borderlands | 4 |
| MUSC 385 | Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music | 4 |
| PSYC 385 | Chicanx in Contemporary United States Society | 4 |
| SOC 420 | Immigration to the United States From Mexico and Central America | 4 |
Additional Elective
Students must select one additional Latin American Studies course from the lists above.
Courses
Latino/a and Latin American Studies Courses
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Lisa Sousa, chair
Professor, History; Chair, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Advisory Committee
Adelaida López
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Advisory Committee, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Wellesley College; M.A., Ph.D., Columbia University
Shanna Lorenz
Assistant Professor, Music
B.A., Reed College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh; Ph.D., New York University
Jennifer Piscopo
Assistant Professor, Politics; Advisory Committee, Latin American and Latino/a Studies
B.A., Wellesley; M.Phil., University of Cambridge; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
Dolores Trevizo
Professor, Sociology; Advisory Committee, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
A.B., Occidental College; M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Raul Villa
Professor, English; Advisory Committee, American Studies; Advisory Committee, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.A., Yale University; M.A., University of Michigan; Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz
Affiliated Faculty
Elizabeth Braker
Professor, Biology; Advisory Committee, Kinesiology; Advisory Committee, Urban and Environmental Policy; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.A., Colorado College; Ph.D., UC Berkeley
Lan T. Chu
Associate Professor, Diplomacy and World Affairs; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.A., M.A., New York University; Ph.D., George Washington University
Robert Ellis
Norman Bridge Distinguished Professor of Spanish, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., UCLA
Salvador Fernández
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., UC Riverside; M.A., Indiana University; Ph.D., UCLA
Jorge González
VP for Academic Affairs, Dean of the College, and Professor, Economics
B.A., Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) M.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University
Felisa Guillén
Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.A., M.A., University of Madrid; Ph.D., UC Santa Barbara
Sanjeev Khagram
John Parke Young Chair in Global Political Economy
B.A.; M.A.; Ph.D. Stanford
Mary Lopez
Associate Professor, Economics; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.A., UC Riverside; M.A., Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
John McCormack
Assistant Professor, Biology; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.S., University of Arizona; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Richard Mora
Associate Professor, Sociology; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a & Latin American Studies
B.A., Harvard College (Sociology); M.A., University of Michigan (Education); M.A., Harvard University (Sociology); Ph.D., Harvard University (Sociology & Social Policy)
Alexandra Puerto
Associate Professor, History; Advisory Committee, Urban and Environmental Policy; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.B.A., New School for Social Research; M.A., San Francisco State University; Ph.D., UC Davis
Jaclyn Rodríguez
Professor, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
A.B., Occidental College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Michigan
Michael Shelton
Associate Professor, Spanish and French Studies; Cognitive Science; Affiliated Faculty, Linguistics; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies; Advisory Committee, Group Language
B.S., St. Cloud State University; M.A., Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
Ronald Solórzano
Professor, Education; Affiliated Faculty, Latino/a and Latin American Studies
B.S., M.Ed., Loyola Marymount University; Ph.D., UCLA