MINOR IN LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES WITH A CERTIFICATE IN LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES

Coordinator: Myron Avila

The Minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the accompanying Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are designed to introduce students to the study of Latin American culture, history, geography, language, politics, and society. The joint minor/certificate provides an interdisciplinary coherent unit of study that certifies competency in a subject area outside the traditional major. The minor/certificate is not designed to compete with existing programs, but rather to complement them. This program offers an opportunity for students to pursue an area of specialization that may not be offered by departmental curricula or may not be met in conventional majors. Students interested in the joint minor/certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies take eighteen semester hours from an approved list of courses and must achieve a grade of C or better in each class. If a student knows of a course not found on this list that focuses on Latin American and Caribbean issues, he or she can petition the Latin American and Caribbean Studies coordinator for approval to use it in his or her program.

Language Requirement (0-6 hours)

Students MUST be able to demonstrate oral and written proficiency in at least one language other than English that is spoken in Latin America and/or the Caribbean. Languages currently offered at GCSU include Spanish and French; other languages may be added as appropriate.

The language requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:

Six hours of language course work at the 3000 level or higher (with a grade of C or better). These hours may be taken as part of a University System of Georgia approved Study Abroad program.

Demonstration of language proficiency above the intermediate level as defined by ACTFL standards through examination. Accepted demonstration consists of a passing grade on a nationally recognized language proficiency exam, or the successful completion of an oral and written examination evaluated by a qualified USG faculty member. For other languages (e.g., Haitian Creole, Quechua, Dutch), both written and oral exams must be evaluated by a qualified faculty member.

Latin American and Caribbean Area (12 hours)

The 12 hours are distributed as follows:

One 3-hour course which focuses entirely on Latin American and/or Caribbean culture and civilization

AND

Three courses (9 hours) in Latin American or Caribbean Studies, two of which must be outside the student's major, from the following options:
1. Any Latin American and/or Caribbean upper division (3000-4000 level) courses offered at GCSU.
2. Six hours may come from courses that have a minimum 25% Latin American component (syllabus must be specifically designed to show 25% Latin American content). The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Coordinator, in consultation with the course instructor, will determine whether the course meets the 25% Latin American content requirement.
3. Up to 6 hours may come from Study Abroad or internships.

Honors Option

A student may receive an Honors Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies if he/she:

Maintains an overall GPA of 3.3 and a GPA of 3.5 in his/her Latin American and Caribbean Studies courses.
Submits a Senior Honors Thesis on a Latin American/Caribbean topic to a participating program faculty member specializing in the field(s) in which, or about which, the paper was written.

Courses

The following courses have 100% Latin American and/or Caribbean content and count toward the minor/certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies:

ANTH 3200	Indigenous Peoples of Latin America
ANTH 4800/BIOL/IDST 4800	Plants and Peoples of Latin America
ANTH/ GEOG 4950	Special Topics (Cultural Geography of Latin America)
HIST 3715	Colonial Latin America
HIST 3720	Modern Latin America
HIST 4690	History of United States-Latin American Relations
HIST 4700	Conquest and Social Change in Colonial Latin America
HIST 4800	Modern Mexico
HIST 4805	Spanish American Wars of Independence
HIST 4810	Modern Caribbean
HIST 4950	Special Topics (Modern Latin America)
POLS 4950	Special Topics (Latin American Politics)
SPAN 4500	Seminar in Contemporary Latin American Culture
SPAN 3230	Survey of Latin American Literature I
SPAN 3240	Survey of Latin American Literature II

The following courses may count toward the minor/certificate of Latin American and Caribbean Studies provided they meet the 25% of Latin American and/or Caribbean content, and have the approval of the program coordinator:

ANTH/POLS 4600	Rise and Fall of Civilizations
MKTG 4175	International Marketing Strategies
MKTG 3180	International Marketing Environment
ENGL 4013	Poetry Translation
ENGL 4669	Multicultural American Literature
CRJU 4985	Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
FREN 4210	Business French

This is not an exhaustive list of courses that qualify as Latin American and Caribbean Studies courses. Students interested in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program should contact the program coordinator for a list of courses currently offered or for approval of courses not listed here.