The Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to explore the concepts of civilization, culture, and society as applied to the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. The program's curriculum draws from a variety of disciplines-including history, literature, economics, politics, and sociology-in an effort to explore the ways the region has been shaped by the meeting of Amerindian, African, and European peoples. The program aims to teach students about the commonalities and diversity within the region. Students will consider how these factors complement or differ from North American society.

Students who complete the minor can gain the background necessary for careers in teaching, bilingual education, social work, government or international organizations, business, journalism, and specialized nonprofit organizations, and/or for graduate work in Latin American Studies and related disciplines.

MINOR

A minor in Latin American and Caribbean studies may complement either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and requires completion of at least 21 credits of LACS and related courses. In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits that are not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor.

0. Introduction: LACS 101
0. Distribution: 15 credits selected from the following, with at least one course from each of the three areas. LACS 175, 195, 421, 422, and 423 may count towards the total count of 15 credits. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the director approves.
   0. Literature: LIT 259; SPAN 240, 340, 342, 344, 346, 348, 350, 398; and, when appropriate, ENGL 262, 350, 351; FREN 344; and LIT 295
   0. Art and Humanities: ARTH 271, 272, 375, 376; HIST 130, 131, 180, 233, 336, 337, 366; SPAN 201, 212; and, when appropriate, FREN 280, HIST 269, 395, and SPAN 295
   0. Social and Natural Sciences: BIOL 216; POL 247; SOC 334; and, when appropriate, BUS 305; ECON 255, 280, 288-289, 381, 385, 386; POL 215, 381; SOC 272
0. Capstone experience (typically after completion of other program courses): LACS 396

Students must complete the General Education (area 2) or Foundation and Distribution (FL) language requirement in Spanish or French. Students who wish to fulfill the requirement in Portuguese must consult the program head. Subsequently, students are strongly encouraged to pursue advanced language courses in French, Portuguese, and/or Spanish. Students should also take advantage of opportunities that will offer firsthand knowledge of the target culture(s) through formal study abroad, internships, or individual research. Various departments, for example, periodically offer study abroad programs in Latin America, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil. In addition to W&L and independent study abroad opportunities, the program also facilitates internship placement information.

Courses relevant to the Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are as follows; for course descriptions, see the appropriate departmental listings:
ARTH 271: Arts of Colonial Latin America
ARTH 272: Modern Arts of Latin America
ARTH 375: Tropical Baroque: Art and Architecture of Colonial Latin America
ARTH 376: Visual Culture in the Hispanic World (ca. 1500-1750)
BIOL 216: Tropical Ecology (Ecuador)
ECON 255: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
ECON 280: Development Economics
HIST 130: Latin America: Mayas to Independence
HIST 131: Modern Latin America
HIST 233: U.S.-Latin American Relations
HIST 336: Seminar: Environmental History of Latin America
HIST 337: Seminar: Revolutions in Latin America
HIST 366: Seminar: Slavery in the Americas
LIT 259: The French Caribbean Novel
POL 215: International Development
POL 247: Latin American Politics
SOC 334 (HIST 334): Nationalism in Latin America
SPAN 201: Supervised Study Abroad in Costa Rica
SPAN 212: Spanish-American Civilization and Culture
SPAN 240: Introducción a la literatura hispanoamericana
SPAN 340: The Spanish-American Short Story
SPAN 342: The Spanish-American Narrative: The Boom Generation
SPAN 344: Spanish-American Poetry
SPAN 346: Spanish-American Essay
SPAN 348: Spanish-American Women Writers
SPAN 350: The Cuban Story
SPAN 398: Spanish-American

Seminar The following courses may also meet program requirements, when the topic is appropriate.
BUS 305: Seminar in International Business
ECON 288-289: Supervised Study Abroad (when Brazil or Mexico)
ECON 356: Economics of the Environment in Developing Countries
ENGL 262: Literature, Race and Ethnicity
ENGL 350: Postcolonial Literature
ENGL 351: World Fiction in English
FREN 280: Civilisation et culture francophones
FREN 344: La Francophonie
HIST 269 : Topics in United States, Latin American or Canadian History
HIST 395: Advanced Seminar
INTR 296: Spring Institute in Culture and Society
LIT 295: Special Topics in Literature in Translation
POL 215: International Development
POL 381: International Political Economy
SOC 272 (POL 272): Social Revolutions
SPAN 295: Special Topics in Conversation