Latin American and Caribbean Studies

The Institute of Latin American Studies: 8th Floor, International Affairs Building; 212-854-4643
http://ilas.columbia.edu

Program Director: Prof. M. Victoria Murillo, 832 International Affairs Building; mm2140@columbia.edu

Senior Manager of Business & Student Affairs: Eliza Kwon-Ahn, 827 International Affairs Building; ek2159@columbia.edu

The major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies stresses knowledge of a dynamic, historically deep and extensive region, but it also focuses on social, political, and cultural phenomena that transcend physical boundaries. The major thus reflects multidisciplinary dialogues that are transnational yet remain anchored in the common historical experience of Latin American societies. Thanks to the broad range of courses on Latin America offered in different departments of instruction and centers at Columbia, the major provides a multidisciplinary training on politics, history, culture, economy and society.

The Institute of Latin American Studies coordinates the major and offers access to research support, study abroad options, and linkages and credits toward the M.A. program in Latin American and Caribbean studies.

Guidelines for all Latin American and Caribbean Studies Majors and Concentrators

Declaring the Major or Concentration

For additional information on Latin American and Caribbean Studies, please visit the Institute's website or contact Eliza Kwon-Ahn, Senior Manager of Business & Student Affairs, at ek2159@columbia.edu. Please note: major and concentration requirements were updated November, 2019.


Major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

The major requires a minimum of 31 points as follows:

Select five of the following fourteen courses. One of these courses must be Latin American Civilization I (HIST UN2660), Latin American Civilization II (HIST UN2661) or Primary Texts in Latin American Civilization (LACV UN1020):
REVOLUTION IN/ON THE CARIBBEAN
History of the City in Latin America
The Modern Caribbean
LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION I
LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION II
FAMILIES LATIN AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA: MIGRATION, RACE, AND ETHNICITY
WOMEN AND GENDER IN LATIN AMERICA
Politics and Justice in Latin America through Crime Fiction
PRIM TEXTS OF LATIN AMER CIV
PLCS URBAN DEV LATIN AMERICA
DRUGS & POLITICS IN AMERICAS
Latin American Politics
ADV LANGUAGE THROUGH CONTENT
*** The SPAN UN3300 section taken for the Major must focus on Latin America. Please contact the ILAS Student Affairs Coordinator for details.
Language Requirement
Select one course on Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous language at the intermediate or advanced level; if students can demonstrate advance knowledge of one of these languages, they can replace this course with an area studies course.
Discipline of Choice
Select four courses in a discipline or theme of choice with substantive focus on Latin America. One of these courses must be a seminar. All students, however, need to take at least two courses in a discipline or theme outside of their specialization. The director of undergraduate studies advises students on areas of specialization and must approve courses with substantial Latin American or Caribbean contents not included in the list of eligible courses.

Up to 12 credits for Discipline of Choice requirement can be earned through study abroad. Students are encouraged to explore study abroad options before their junior year. Upon return, they should submit the syllabi and all coursework related to each course taken abroad for approval by the director of undergraduate studies.


Concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies

The concentration requires a minimum of 18 points as follows:

Select three of the following fourteen courses. One of these courses must be in Latin American Civilization I (HIST UN2660), Latin American Civilization II (HIST UN2661) or Primary Texts in Latin America (LACV UN1020):
REVOLUTION IN/ON THE CARIBBEAN
History of the City in Latin America
The Modern Caribbean
LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION I
LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION II
FAMILIES LATIN AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA: MIGRATION, RACE, AND ETHNICITY
WOMEN AND GENDER IN LATIN AMERICA
Politics and Justice in Latin America through Crime Fiction
PRIM TEXTS OF LATIN AMER CIV
PLCS URBAN DEV LATIN AMERICA
DRUGS & POLITICS IN AMERICAS
Latin American Politics
ADV LANGUAGE THROUGH CONTENT
*** The SPAN UN3300 section taken for the Concentration must focus on Latin America. Please contact the ILAS Student Affairs Coordinator for details.
Language Requriement
Select one course on Spanish, Portuguese, or an indigenous language at the intermediate or advanced level; if students can demonstrate advance knowledge of one of these languages, they can replace this course with an area studies course.
Discipline of Choice:
Select two courses in a discipline or theme of choice with substantive focus on Latin America. One of these courses must be a seminar. All students, however, need to take at least one course in a discipline or theme outside of their specialization. The director of undergraduate studies advises students on areas of specialization and must approve courses with substantial Latin American or Caribbean contents not included in the list of eligible courses.

Up to 6 credits for Discipline of Choice requirement can be earned through study abroad. Students are encouraged to explore study abroad options before their junior year.  Upon return, they should submit the syllabi and all coursework related to each course taken abroad for approval by the director of undergraduate studies.

Of Related Interest

Africana Studies (Barnard)
AFRS BC2005CARIBBEAN CULTURE & SOCIETIES
AFRS BC3110THE AFRICANA COLLOQUIUM
AFRS BC3150RACE &PERFORMNCE IN CARIBBEAN
AFRS BC3562Caribbean Sexualities
Anthropology
ANTH UN1008THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION
ANTH V2009Culture through Film and Media
ANTH V3120Historical Rituals in Latin America
ANTH UN3921Anticolonialism
Anthropology (Barnard)
ANTH UN1008THE RISE OF CIVILIZATION
ANTH UN3921Anticolonialism
ANTH V3922The Emergence of State
ANTH G4390Borders and Boundaries
Art History
AHIS W3898Yoruba and the Diaspora
Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race
CSER UN3923LATINX & ASIAN AMER MEMOIR
CSER UN3924Latin American and Latina/o Social Movements
CSER UN3926LATIN MUSIC AND IDENTITY
CSER UN3928COLONIZATION/DECOLONIZATION
CSER UN3932US Latinx History
CSER UN3964Maya Guatemala-Neoliberalism & Resistance
CSER GU4482INDIGENOUS PEOPLES:MOVEMNT/RTS
CSER GU4483SUBCITIZENSHIP
Economics
ECON GU4301ECONOMIC GROWTH & DEVELOPMNT I
ECON GU4750GLOBALIZATION & ITS RISKS (Film)
Film
History
HIST BC2321COLONIAL ENCOUNTERS
HIST UN2660LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION I
HIST UN2689COLONIAL CITIES OF THE AMERICAS
HIST UN2661LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION II
HIST UN2663Mexico From Revolution To Democracy
HIST BC2664FAMILIES LATIN AMERICA
HIST UN2618The Modern Caribbean
HIST BC2676LATIN AMERICA: MIGRATION, RACE, AND ETHNICITY
HIST BC2682Modern Latin American History
HIST UN3687LAT AMER RIGHT IN THE COLD WAR
HIST BC3870GENDER& MIGRATN:GLOBAL PERSPC
HIST UN3928SLAVERY/ABOLITION-ATLANTC WRLD
HIST GU4012HISTORY OF THE CITY IN LATIN AMERICA
HIST GU4301Politics and Justice in Latin America through Crime Fiction
HIST GU4692Violence in Mexico: A Historical Approach
HIST GU4696The Social Question and State Building in Latin America
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
LCRS W3999Independent Research Seminar
LCRS UN3999 Independent Research Seminar
LCRS GU4415PUERTO RICO UNDER U.S. RULE (1898-2016)
Latin American and Iberian Cultures
PORT UN2120COMPREHENSIVE INTERMED PORT
SPAN UN3300ADV LANGUAGE THROUGH CONTENT
SPAN UN3349HISPANIC CULTURES I (SP)
SPAN UN3350HISPANIC CULTURES II (SP)
PORT UN3301Advanced Writing and Composition in Portuguese
PORT UN3490BRAZILIAN SOCIETY & CIV (ENG)
SPAN UN3490Latin American Humanities I: From Pre-Columbian Civilizations to the Creation of New Nations
SPAN UN3998Supervised Individual Research (Spring)
PORT GU4033Language & Queer Brazil (ENG)
PORT GU4467Race and Decolonial Dialogues in the Americas
Latin American Civilization
LACV UN1020PRIM TEXTS OF LATIN AMER CIV
Music
MUSI UN2020SALSA, SOCA & REGGAE
MUSI V2430Listening and Sound in Cross-Cultural Perspective
POLS UN3002HUMAN RIGHTS & IMMIGRATION
MUSI V3435Music and Literature in Latin America
Political Science
POLS BC3501COLL: URBAN VIOLENCE
POLS BC3543COLL:NON-STATE GOV CRIME/WAR
POLS UN3565DRUGS & POLITICS IN AMERICAS
POLS GU4461Latin American Politics
Sociology
SOCI UN3324Global Urbanism
SOCI GU4370Processes of Stratification and Inequality
Sociology (Barnard)
SOCI V3247The Immigrant Experience, Old and New
Spanish and Latin American Cultures (Barnard)
SPAN UN2101INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I
SPAN UN2102INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II
SPAN UN2108SPANISH FOR HERITAGE SPEAKERS
SPAN BC3099INDEPENDENT STUDY
SPAN BC3264The Boom: The Spanish American Novel, 1962-70
SPAN UN3265LATIN AMER LIT (IN TRANSLATN)
SPAN UN3300ADV LANGUAGE THROUGH CONTENT
SPAN UN3349HISPANIC CULTURES I (SP)
SPAN UN3350HISPANIC CULTURES II (SP)
SPAN BC3435LANGUAGE & REVOLUTION
SPAN BC3470Latin(o) American Art in New York City: Critical Interventions, Institutions, and Creative Lives
SPAN BC3510Gender and Sexuality in Latin American Cultures