Caribbean and Latin American Studies
Minor offered

Caribbean and Latin American studies (CLAS) is an interdisciplinary program designed to introduce students to the richness and diversity of the cultures, societies and ecologies of Central and South America, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. Within the broader context of global processes and relationships, the program emphasizes understanding the experiences of Caribbean and Latin American peoples: political and economic structures and changes, both peaceful and violent; population processes and transitions; environmental stresses and local responses; post-colonial and cultural theories; and forms of expression in music, dance and literature. Because of the program’s global and comparative emphasis, the CLAS minor complements many of the University’s majors and minors.

Minor Requirements

A CLAS minor serves as a strong foundation for graduate and professional studies and a variety of professional careers by preparing students to be informed and responsible global citizens. The minor consists of six courses. Each student must take the core course, CLAS 104, Survey of Caribbean and Latin American Studies, and five additional courses that are cross-listed with Caribbean and Latin American studies. To ensure breadth of learning, students should take no more than two CLAS courses in any academic department.

Language

CLAS minors are vigorously encouraged to study any of the major languages spoken in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Study Abroad

CLAS encourages students to immerse themselves in one of the societies of the Caribbean or Latin American region to experience and to test what they learn through classes and readings on campus. Through a study abroad program, students can develop their language skills; live with families; observe from a different location the power exercised by the U.S. over the region; discover the diverse environments, identities, cultures and histories of the people in the host society; and take a full load of CLAS courses that would not be available on campus.

Students can study in English at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. Students with additional language skills have several options, depending on their academic interests. One is an approved program in San Jose, Costa Rica, at the Universidad de Costa Rica (requiring Spanish 201). Students highly proficient in Spanish can enroll for a semester or year at one of 17 Latin American and Caribbean universities (in Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay) through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). A student proficient in Portuguese could enroll through ISEP in Brazil.

Courses
Semester Specific Course Descriptions

104. Survey of Caribbean and Latin American Studies.
This interdisciplinary core course is designed to introduce students to the richness and diversity of Latin American cultures, the region’s turbulent history of conquest and colonization and the problems of its development. The course familiarizes students with the vitality of Latin American art and literature and relates Latin American culture with cultura latina in the United States. The course provides a framework for more advanced studies on Caribbean and Latin American themes. Also offered as History 115 and through U.S. Cultural and Ethnic Studies.

247 and 248. Special Topics.
Special topics courses offer students the opportunity to study specific topics in CLAS when offered by departments.

347 and 348. Special Topics.
These seminars offer students the oppor-tunity to study specific topics in CLAS when offered by departments.

Departmental Offerings

Economics
336. Economic Development.

English
224. Caribbean Literature in English.

Global Studies
102. Intercultural Studies.(Latin American emphasis)
250. La Frontera: Cultural Idenitities on the Mexican-U.S. Borderland
255. Popular Culture
260. Transnational Migration

History
233. Colonial Latin America.
234. Modern Latin America.
256. Slavery and Freedom in the Americas.

Modern Languages and Literatures
French
489/490. Independent Study.

Spanish
103,104. Intermediate Spanish.
201. Advanced Spanish.
202. Hispanic Cultural Studies.
211. Introduction to Latin American Cultures.
247/248. Special Topics
443. Contemporary Hispanic American Literature.
444. Introduction ot Hispanic American Literature
445. Literary Translation: Theory and Practice
446. Oral Expression in Spanish
447, 448. Special Topics
489/490. SYE: Independent Study.

Sociology
172. Reading Film Sociologically

Additional information and a complete list of the approved courses for the minor can be obtained through the coordinator of Caribbean and Latin American studies or the office of international education and intercultural studies.

Professors

Margaret Kent Bass, B.A., Wilmington; M.Ed., Mississippi; Ph.D., Louisiana State
Associate Professor of English

Ilia J. Casanova–Marengo, B.A., Puerto Rico; M.A., Rutgers, Ph.D., Rutgers (New Brunswick)
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Martha Chew Sanchez, B.A., M.A., University of Texas (El Paso); Ph.D., New Mexico
Assistant Professor of Global Studies

Evelyn Powell Jennings, B.A., SUNY Oswego; M.A., SUNY Stony Brook; Ph.D., Rochester
Assistant Professor and Margaret Vilas Chair of History and Coordinator of Caribbean and Latin American Studies

Marina A. Llorente, B.A., Spain; M.A., Ph.D., Kansas
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Eve Walsh Stoddard, A.B., Mount Holyoke; Ph.D., UCLA
Professor of English and Global Studies and Chair of the Department

Jenna P. Torres, B.A., B.S., Pennsylvania State; M.A., Ph.D., Cornell
Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Steven Forsythe White, B.A., Williams; M.A., Ph.D., Oregon
Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish) and Chair of Department