CSUEB Catalog 2008-2009: Latin American Studies (Undergraduate)

Latin American Studies

	Department Information
	Program Description
	Features
	Major Requirements (B.A.)
	Other Degree Requirements
	Minor Requirements
	Undergraduate Courses

Department Information

Department of Ethnic Studies
College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Office: Meiklejohn Hall 4099
Phone: (510) 885-3255, FAX: (510) 885-4786


Professor Emeritus Noel K. Samaroo (Ethnic Studies), Ph.D. Stanford University Professors Richard A. García (History), Ph.D. University of California, Irvine L. Iliana Holbrook (Modern Languages and Literatures), Ph.D. University of California, Davis George R. Miller (Anthropology), Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley Amy Oakland (Art), Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin Associate Professors Michael Lee (Geography and Environmental Studies), Ph.D. London School of Economics (England) Marcelo Paz (Modern Languages and Literatures), Ph.D. University of Cincinnati Assistant Professors Luz Calvo (Ethnic Studies), Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz Jesús Díaz-Caballero (Modern Languages and Literatures), Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh Carlos Salomon (Ethnic Studies), Ph.D. University of New Mexico

Director: Carlos Salomon

Please consult the 2009-2010 online catalog for any changes that may occur.

Program Description

Latin America, with its rich Indigenous, African, and Iberian heritage, is a unique and extraordinarily varied region of the world about which North Americans are often very poorly informed. Yet the relationship between Latin America and the U.S. is necessarily a close one: we are bound together by history, by geography, by long-standing financial and commercial relationships, by the often-disappointed expectation on the part of the U.S. that Latin America is our natural political and military ally, and finally, by the growing number of men and women of Latin American origin and culture living in the U.S.

The Latin American Studies major draws on courses taught in the Departments of Anthropology, Art, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography and Environmental Studies, History, and Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy and Political Science; as well as courses taught from time to time in other departments. It provides the student with an opportunity to acquire a broad and deep understanding of the richness of Latin American and Iberian civilizations. The major in Latin American Studies is a liberal arts program which is of particular interest to students planning to enter careers related to the Latin American region (teaching, business, government, or other agency service, for example.)

A minor, double major, or Liberal Studies option in Latin American Studies is appropriate for students who wish to enrich their career prospects by establishing expertise not only in their major fields and in Spanish or Portuguese, but also in Latin American culture and history. It is also desirable for students with majors in the liberal arts disciplines represented in the Latin American Studies major for whom a regional specialization adds another dimension to the mastery of the themes and methodologies of their major fields.

Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Cal State East Bay should have: 1) developed a basic knowledge of Latin American history, including a grasp of major events, details, and timelines as well as an interpretive approach to understanding Latin America's past; 2) developed an understanding of the geographic diversity of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America, including a background in the geographic dimensions of the physical and human environments, natural resources, their distribution, exploitation, and consumption in Latin America today; 3) developed an understanding of the diverse cultural, anthropological, and/or sociological background of Latin America; 4) developed an understanding and appreciation of the rich and diverse cultural heritage and life of Latin America, especially in literature, theater, and the plastic and performing arts; and 5) integrated their geographical, historical, economical, social, political, and cultural knowledge of Latin America in an interdisciplinary and comparative way.

Features

A unique feature of the program is the possibility of concentrating on Spanish or Portuguese speaking areas of Latin American and the Iberian Peninsula.

Cal State East Bay has established study abroad and exchange programs with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Queretaro Campus. Credit can be arranged for numerous other summer and academic-year programs. Majors are encouraged to spend at least one quarter studying in Latin America.

Majors may also do research on Latin America as an intern at one of the many agencies of the Bay Area which need volunteers and the occasional paid employee. Interns will help evaluate proposals for grants-in-aid submitted by Latin American communities to work with recent Latin American migrants. The Program Director maintains a file on study abroad and internship opportunities.

LAS students are expected to develop a close relationship with their advisor because of the importance placed on "extra-campus" activities and the special needs of coordination required in an interdisciplinary major. This relationship can be one of the strongest features recommending the program.

Major Requirements (B.A.)

The Latin American Studies major consists of 60-84 units; the B.A. degree requires a total of 180 units.


I.	Lower Division Requirements (12-36 units)
	Select one course from each group:
		A.	ANTH 1000 Introduction to Anthropology (4), or ANTH 1300 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (4), or SOC 1000 Introduction to Sociology (4)
		B.	ECON 1000 Economics in Public Issues (4), or ECON 2302 Principles of Macroeconomics (4)
		C.	GEOG 2300 Cultural Geography (4), or GEOG 2310 Economic and Resource Geography (4)
		D.	Modern Language Requirement
			Demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese by completion of the third quarter of intermediate language at CSUEB, or by an examination administered by the Latin American Studies Program.
II.	Upper Division Core Courses (16 units)
	LAST 3000 The Latin American World (4) HIST 3600 Colonial Latin America (4) HIST 3605 Modern Latin America (4) INTS 3100 Global Systems (4)
III.	Distribution Requirements (24 units)
	A.	Art and Literature (8 units)
		Select two courses from two different disciplines:
			ART 3010 Latin American Art (4), 3055 Ancient American Art (4); MLL 3461 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature: 1492-1900 (4), 3463 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature: 1900 to the Present (4), 3495 Spanish-American Culture and Civilization (4), 3861 Topics in Portuguese Literature (4); 3871 Topics in Brazilian Literature (4), 4495 A Single Movement, Country or Theme: Spanish-American Literature (4); PHIL 3214 Philosophy and Myth in Latin American Literature (4)
	B.	Society and Environments (8 units)
		Select one course in Geography and another in either Anthropology or Ethnic Studies:
			ANTH 3250 Precolumbian America: Aztec, Inca, Maya (4), 3510 South America (4); E S 3800 Peoples of Central America (4); GEOG 3510 Geography of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands (4), 3515 Geography of South America (4)
	C.	History and Contemporary Politics (4 units)
		Select at least one course:
			HIST 3620 The Cuban Revolution and Latin America (4), 3622 Mexico since 1810 (4), 3632 Film and Society in Latin America (4), 3804 Topics in Latin American History (4), 6500 Conference Course in Latin American History (open to undergraduate majors and minors in LAS) (4); POSC 3280 Political Systems of Latin America (4)
	D.	Latino Experience in U.S. (4 units)
		Select at least one course:
			E S 3202 Latino/a Writers (4), 3210 Latinas in the United States (4), 3805 Latin American Immigration (4); HIST 3515 Mexican-Americans and the American Southwest (4); SOC 3416 Sociology of the Mexican American Family (4)
IV.	Electives (8 units)
	Any other course certified by the LAS Director to have suitable content for the program.

Other Degree Requirements

In addition to major requirements, every student must also complete the University requirements for graduation which are described in the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements chapter in the front of this catalog. These include the General Education-Breadth requirements; the second composition (ENGL 1002) requirement; the cultural groups/women requirement; the performing arts/activities requirement; the U.S. history, U.S. Constitution, and California state and local government requirement; the University Writing Skills Requirement; and the residence, unit, and grade point average requirements.

Minor Requirements

The minor consists of 24 units; at least 18 must be outside major department. Students must complete 12 units of college-level Spanish or Portuguese, or pass a program-administered examination. (0-12 units)



I.	Required Courses (8 units)
	LAST 3000 The Latin American World (4) HIST 3605 Modern Latin America (4)
II.	Complete four additional courses (16 units) from the following lists. At least two disciplines besides History must be represented.
		ANTH 3250 Pre-Columbian America: Aztec, Inca, Maya (4), 3510 South America (4); ART 3010 Latin American Art (4), 3055 Ancient American Art (4); E S 3130 Slavery in the Americas (4), 3202 Latino/a Writers (4), 3210 Latinas in the United States (4), 3800 Peoples of Central America (4), 3805 Latin American Immigration (4); GEOG 3510 Geography of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands (4), 3515 Geography of South America (4); HIST 3600 Colonial Latin America (4), 3620 The Cuban Revolution and Latin America (4), 3622 Mexico since 1810 (4), 3632 Film and Society in Latin America (4), 3804 Topics in Latin American History (4), 6500 Conference Course in Latin American History (open to undergraduate majors and minors in LAS) (4); MLL 3461 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature: 1492-1900 (4), 3463 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature: 1900 to the Present (4), 3495 Spanish-American Culture and Civilization (4), 3861 Topics in Portuguese Literature (4), 3871 Topics in Brazilian Literature (4), 4495 A Single Movement, Country or Theme: Spanish American Literature (4); PHIL 3214 Philosophy and Myth in Latin American Literature (4); POSC 3280 Political Systems of Latin America (4)

Undergraduate Courses


The course prefix for the following courses is LAST.
3000	The Latin American World (4) Interdisciplinary survey of Latin American civilization from pre-Columbian times to the present. Focus on social and political evolution, literature, material culture, and physical environments. Some attention to the Latino experience in the U.S.
3999	Issues in Latin American Studies (4) Readings, discussion, and research on contemporary and/or significant issues in Latin American studies. May be repeated for credit when content varies.
4900	Independent Study (1-4)