The concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACA) provides students with a strong, interdisciplinary foundation in the history of and contemporary issues within Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latinx diaspora.
Requirements are intentionally broad and flexible to accommodate the focused interests of students in understanding the diverse reality of this region. Concentration requirements include four themes: area studies; research; language; and internship or service work. A wide selection of courses from departments across the University expose students to the methods and materials from different disciplines and provide a background to the contemporary and historical contours of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx societies. For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies or Center Manager at CLACS.
Concentration Requirements
1. Course Requirements
| One survey course providing a comprehensive and comparative view of the region. Sample courses include: 1 | 1 | |
| Caribbean and Latin American Migration: Race, Gender, Community | ||
| A Comparative Introduction to the Literatures of the Americas | ||
| Latin American Economic History | ||
| Colonial Latin America | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Economic Development in Latin America | ||
| Eight other courses on Latin American, Caribbean, and/or Latinx subjects. At least two different academic disciplines should be represented. 1,2 | 8 | |
| LACA 1900 | Research and Methodologies in Latin American and Caribbean Studies 3 | 1 |
| Total Credits | 10 | |
- 1
For double concentrators, up to two classes can count toward the course requirements of both LACA and another concentration.
- 2
These courses may be explicitly designated as LACA classes, but do not need to be. Up to two of these courses can be language learning classes. Relevant courses from study abroad may count toward this total. Courses in which the student did substantial work on a Latin American, Caribbean, or Latinx subject may count toward this total, even if the course as a whole has a more general subject matter.
- 3
This course is designed as a panoramic survey of Latin American and Caribbean Studies as a field of interdisciplinary research and knowledge production, and gives students the opportunity to produce original scholarship on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latine/Latinx topics.
2. Language Proficiency in a Latin American and/or Caribbean language.
Proficiency may be satisfied through a language assessment or coursework in a target language like Haitian Kreyol, French, Kaqchikel Maya, Portuguese, Spanish, among others.
- Via Coursework: Successful completion of an intermediate-level language course, such as HISP 0400, FREN 0400, POBS 0400, or any higher-level advanced course taught in the target language.
- Via Assessment/Heritage Speakers: Heritage speakers or students with prior native or advanced fluency may demonstrate proficiency through a language assessment or at the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS).
3. An internship or volunteer service.
Students must complete an internship or volunteer service, located in the U.S. or overseas, for one semester or one summer. Work completed during study abroad may count toward this requirement. In consultation with the DUS upon their declaration of the concentration, students will discuss this requirement and align their work plan with their own academic and professional goals.
Ideally, students will carry out their internship/volunteer service either in the summer before junior year, the summer before senior year, or during either semester of the junior or senior year (although, exceptionally, students can petition to have earlier experiences count to satisfy this requirement). Students must seek approval from a faculty member, ideally prior to the internship experience, and are also encouraged to consult with the Swearer Center for Public Service and/or the Center for Career Exploration for assistance in finding a volunteer/professional placement.
A required reflection essay at the end of the internship/volunteer service will allow students to reflect on the connections between theory and practice and to understand social challenges in the light of their course of scholarly study. Upon completion of the internship or service work, students fill and submit via ASK the Internship, Work or Volunteer Service Form, available online in the LACA Undergraduate Concentration webpage. In addition to the reflection essay and service form, students are expected to submit a short letter from a supervisor confirming the completion of the work in ASK.
4. A capstone project or senior thesis.
LACA requires all concentrators to complete a capstone project during their senior year (the last two semesters before graduation, excluding summer and winter sessions). The purpose of the capstone is to bring together the different knowledge and skills that students have acquired during the entirety of their LACA coursework, be they particular disciplinary methods, creative forms of expression, research abilities in area languages, or some other component of the broader concentration. Capstones provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate these skills in both a written and oral format, serving as an exercise in making coherent the diverse strands of their unique path through the concentration. Students are expected to present their capstone research during the final semester before graduation. Presentations of honors theses will be approximately twenty minutes long, and those of non-honors capstone projects will be approximately ten minutes long, both followed by a question-and-answer session.
Capstone projects must be approved or overseen by a LACA or LACA-affiliated faculty member, and can take one of four forms:
- A Latin American and/or Caribbean–focused research paper of at least 20 pages for an existing concentration-eligible (CLACS-coded or X-Listed) course, undertaken with the permission and supervision of the instructor;
- An independent study or project (artistic, research, or otherwise), approved by the DUS and supervised by at least one faculty member for at least one semester under the LACA 1995. Independent Readings in Latin American and Caribbean Studies;
- A reflective paper about non-academic work (such as volunteer service or foreign study) of between 10-15 pages related to Latin America, the Caribbean, or the Latinx experience;
- A two-semester honors thesis, completed under the supervision of a primary reader (who is an LACA or LACA-affiliated faculty member) and a secondary reader (who can be from another Brown department or program), and in coordination with the DUS.
Honors
Honors in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Students may graduate with honors in Latin American and Caribbean Studies by completing a senior honors thesis or project under the supervision of a primary faculty advisor and a second reader. Honors theses are substantial research projects driven by a deep interest in engaging with a selected topic of study. They require a time commitment and coordination between students, advisors, and the DUS to ensure completion. Honors students will undertake two semesters of thesis writing in their senior year under the guidance of the thesis advisor.
Eligibility:
To be eligible for honors in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, students must:
- Earn a grade of ‘A’ (or 'S' with distinction) in a minimum of 6 courses required for the concentration.
- Earn a grade of 'A' on the completed honors thesis or project.
- Grades of “S” earned without distinction do not count toward the required count, but do not negatively affect eligibility.
Candidates should discuss their plans with the Director of Undergraduate Studies during their sixth semester and should submit their honors proposal and have their proposal approved before the beginning of their seventh semester.
Declaration of Intent and Thesis Approval:
Students must declare their intentions to pursue honors by the last day of exam period of their sixth semester by submitting the Honors Thesis Declaration Form to the concentration advisor, and must have their thesis prospectus approved by their primary advisor and the DUS before the start of their senior year. Students must designate a second reader before the end of their penultimate semester, and faculty must confirm their willingness to serve in this capacity by sending an email to the DUS.