Curriculum in Latin American Studies
Introduction
The three main goals of the Curriculum in Latin American Studies are
- to develop students’ basic knowledge and comprehension of key themes in Latin American and Caribbean history, cultures, and contemporary social, economic, and political issues;
- to develop students’ abilities to think critically, in an interdisciplinary manner, about Latin American and Caribbean issues, past and present, and to locate them within broader global perspectives;
- to develop students’ proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese and other languages of the region as needed, as part of their program of study.
Advising
All majors have a primary academic advisor assigned in ConnectCarolina. Students are strongly encouraged to meet regularly with their advisor and review their Tar Heel Tracker each semester. The department’s director of undergraduate studies (DUS) works with current and prospective majors by appointment. Majors are expected to meet with the LTAM DUS once a semester and to attend at least one meeting of the LTAM majors a year. Departmental academic advising is particularly important for those majors who are considering going on to graduate school. Further information on courses, undergraduate research and internship funding opportunities, and the honors program may be obtained through the Curriculum in Latin American Studies web page or by contacting the director of undergraduate studies (see contacts tab above).
Graduate School and Career Opportunities
The Curriculum in Latin American Studies provides advice for students interested in pursuing graduate school and career opportunities in Latin America or the Caribbean. Please contact the director of undergraduate studies for an appointment. The Curriculum in Latin American Studies participates in a five-year cooperative B.A.–M.A. program with the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. The agreement allows qualified Latin American studies majors to earn an M.A. in Latin American studies from Georgetown in a year and a summer rather than the normal three to four semesters. For details on the cooperative degree program and on support for academic research and study, contact the director of undergraduate studies.
Affiliated Faculty
Juan Alamo (Music), Javier Arce Nazario (Geography and Environment), Florence Babb (Anthropology), Clare Barrington (Health Behavior), Brandon Bayne (Religious Studies), Maya Berry (African, African American, and Diaspora Studies), Brian Billman (Anthropology), Richard Bilsborrow (Biostatistics), Teresa Chapa (Latin American and Iberian Resources Bibliographer), Rudolf Colloredo-Mansfeld (Anthropology), Paul Cuadros (Media and Journalism), Eduardo Douglas (Art), Bruno Estigarribia (Romance Studies), Oswaldo Estrada (Romance Studies), David García (Music), Juan Carlos González-Espitia (Romance Studies), Jonathan Hartlyn (Political Science), Ashley Hernandez (Department of City and Regional Planning), Evelyne Huber (Political Science), Miguel LaSerna (History), Nina Martin (Geography and Environment), Cecilia Martínez-Gallardo (Political Science), Ruth Matamoros-Mercado (Geography and Environment), Patricia McAnany (Anthropology), David Mora-Marín (Linguistics), Raúl Necochea (Social Medicine), Todd Ochoa (Religious Studies), Caela O'Connell (Anthropology), Rosa Perelmuter (Romance Studies), Louis A. Pérez Jr. (History), Krista Perreira (Social Medicine), Cynthia Radding (History), Alicia Rivero (Romance Studies), Diego Riveros-Iregui (Geography and Environment), Petal Samuel (African, African American, and Diaspora Studies), Tanya Shields (Women’s and Gender Studies), Ana María Silva (History), Karla Slocum (Anthropology), Angela Stuesse (Anthropology), Amanda Thompson (Anthropology), Brendan Jamal Thornton (Religious Studies), Gabriela Valdivia (Geography and Environment), Richard Vernon (Romance Studies), Adam Versényi (Dramatic Art), Ariana Vigil (Women's and Gender Studies), Laura Villa Torres (Health Behavior), Deborah Weissman (Law), Deshira Wallace (Global Public Health), Lyneise Williams (Art).
LTAM–Latin American Studies
Undergraduate-level Courses
LTAM 52. First-Year Seminar: The Cuban Revolution, Latin America, and the United States. 3 Credits. The Cuban Revolution, Latin America, and the United States will explore multiple facets of the Cuban Revolution and its impact in Latin America and the United States. The Cuban Revolution was received throughout much of the region as a model through which to address historic conditions of inequality, injustice and indigence. This seminar examines this historic moment.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
LTAM 89. First-Year Seminar: Special Topics. 3 Credits. Special topics course. Content will vary each semester.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
A broad interdisciplinary introduction to the field of Latin American studies.
LTAM 215. Peoples, Cultures, and Landscapes of Latin America. 3 Credits. Peoples, Cultures, and Landscapes of Latin America explores the peopling of the Americas by Amerindian, African and Afro descendant peoples, and Europeans. It will consider the inequalities of power, wealth, and autonomy across gender, ethnicity, and class in Latin America to understand more fully their deep historical roots and their persistence into our own time. We will learn how Latin America takes on greater meaning, when we consider this subcontinent in different phases of globalization.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL or FC-PAST.
This is a reading and discussion seminar that will introduce students to topics in the history of Latinos in the United States from the 19th century to the present.
This course considers how a wide variety of groups in Latin America including indigenous people, Afro-descendant communities, women and religious minorities used the law to shape and challenge larger structures of imperial rule.
A thematic examination of US-Latin America relations spanning the 19th century to the present through multi-disciplinary perspectives and inter-disciplinary methodologies, including popular culture, film, original documents, and social science scholarship. To explore the evolving US-Latin America "relationship," the ways in which North Americans and Latin Americans came to know each other, through frequent encounters and close engagement, not only as a matter of government-to-government and state-to-state relations but also as people-to-people contacts and culture-to-culture exchanges.
Independent project to be arranged with an instructor.
Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses
This course uses experiential education to explore how Mexicans are building opportunities in migratory communities in the transnational city of Guanajuato. This one-credit course is open to students participating in the UNC Study Abroad Program at the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. Students submit a final paper.
LTAM 402. Heritage and Migration in North Carolina. 3 Credits. This course combines field research, oral history, and service learning to understand the immigration and settlement of Mexican and Latin American heritage communities in North Carolina. The course will address the ethical and practical aspects of the ethnographic method including the preparation, transaction and transcription of oral history interviews. Students will participate in a digital archive initiative and complete independent original research. Open to juniors and seniors and graduate students.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL, RESEARCH.
A three-part intensive introduction to spoken and written modern Yucatec Maya, including classroom instruction; culture, history, and linguistics workshops; and a four-week field study in Yucatán, Mexico.
Continuing instruction in spoken and written Yucatec Maya. Classroom instruction; culture, history, and linguistics workshops; and field study. Taught in Yucatán, Mexico.
Special topics course. Content will vary each semester.
LTAM 691H. Honors in Latin American Studies. 3 Credits. Directed independent research leading to the preparation of an honors thesis.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
LTAM 692H. Honors in Latin American Studies. 3 Credits. Completion of the honors thesis and an oral examination of the thesis.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
LTAM 697. Capstone Seminar. 3 Credits. Interdisciplinary core seminar required of Latin American studies majors and open to other students. Topics vary by semester.
IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Curriculum in Latin American Studies
FedEx Global Education Center, CB# 3205
(919) 962-2418
Chair
Gabriela Valdivia
