Latino/a and Latin American Studies
Overview
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS) major offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the societies and cultures of Latin America and the Latino and Chicano experience in the United States. By extending the study of "Latin America" beyond the geopolitical borders of the region to include the Caribbean and the United States, the major emphasizes the importance of migrations, interethnic interactions, and cultural exchanges of Indigenous, European, African, and Asian peoples throughout the Americas. The LLAS program engages students with a variety of perspectives on the socio-political complexities and cultural traditions of the Americas, and the historical development of unique regional societies and cultures. The transnational perspective of our curriculum distinguishes the LLAS major from more traditional area studies programs.
Students in the major develop proficiency in Spanish and take courses from a broad range of academic disciplines and departments, including history, Spanish, sociology, English, music, politics, economics, psychology, and education. LLAS majors are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad and summer research programs in Latin America or Spain. Our program also encourages students to engage in community-based learning through the different activities available in the Latino and Latin American communities that are integral to the city of Los Angeles. The major prepares students for graduate school as well as for a variety of career paths, including community organizing, social work, education, public history (museums and cultural centers), government, law, public service, and business.
Requirements
Major
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies Major requires 44 units (or 11 courses). The course distribution requirements are: LLAS 101, one Methods course, two classes on Latin America, two classes on U.S. Latinx, three additional electives from any of the courses listed below, LLAS 490, and either SPAN 202 or SPAN 211.
Introductory Course
| LLAS 101 | Introduction to Latina/o and Latin American Studies | 4 units |
Language Proficiency
Students must complete one of the following:
| SPAN 202 | Advanced Spanish | 4 units |
| SPAN 211 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 4 units |
Methods
Students must complete one of the following:| POLS 300 | Research Methods in Politics and Public Policy | 4 units |
| SOC 304 | Sociological Inquiry | 4 units |
Latin American Studies Courses
Students must complete two courses on Latin America selected from the list below:
| DWA 222 | Latin America Political Economy | 4 units |
| DWA 224/POLS 221 | Latin American Politics | 4 units |
| DWA 229/LLAS 229 | Introduction to Human Rights: Focus on the Americas | 4 units |
| DWA 240/LLAS 261 | Human Rights in Colombia: Comparative Perspectives | 4 units |
| DWA 286 | Public Diplomacy in the Americas | 4 units |
| HIST 150/LLAS 150 | Colonial Latin America | 4 units |
| HIST 151/LLAS 151 | Modern Latin America | 4 units |
| LLAS 102/MUSC 102 | Music of Latin America | 4 units |
| LLAS 207/SOC 207 | Latina and Latin American Women’s Labors | 4 units |
| LLAS 210/SOC 210 | The Struggle for Human Rights in Mexico | 4 units |
| LLAS 223/PHIL 223 | Mexican Philosophy, Culture, and Society | 4 units |
| LLAS 252/HIST 252 | Religion in Mexico, Pre-Columbian Times to Present | 4 units |
| LLAS 254/HIST 254 | The History of Race in Latin America | 4 units |
| LLAS 258/HIST 258 | Twentieth Century Mexico | 4 units |
| LLAS 301 | Gender and Sexuality in Colonial Latin America | 4 units |
| LLAS 302 | The Mexican Revolution | 4 units |
| LLAS 322/SOC 322 | Central American Feminisms and Social Movements | 4 units |
| LLAS 355/HIST 355 | Indians of Mexico | 4 units |
| LLAS 357/HIST 357 | Environmental History of Mesoamerica | 4 units |
| LLAS 358/HIST 358 | Food and Drink in Mexican History | 4 units |
| PHIL 223/LLAS 223 | Mexican Philosophy, Culture, and Society | 4 units |
| RELS 228/LLAS 228 | Religion, Liberation, and Latin American Social Movements | 4 units |
| SPAN 303 | Introduction to Modern Latin American Literature and Culture | 4 units |
| SPAN 313 | Latin American Film and Culture | 4 units |
| SPAN 314 | Latin American Women's Voices in Fiction and Film | 4 units |
U.S. Latinx courses:
Students must complete two courses on U.S. Latinx selected from the list below:
| ECON 324 | The Economics of Immigration | 4 units |
| LLAS 202/AMST 202 | Latina/o Cultural and Intellectual History | 4 units |
| LLAS 205/POLS 205 | Latino/a Politics | 4 units |
| LLAS 206/EDUC 205 | The Politics and Pedagogy of First and Second Language Acquisition | 4 units |
| LLAS 207/SOC 207 | Latina and Latin American Women’s Labors | 4 units |
| LLAS 213/EDUC 213 | Chicano Education | 4 units |
| LLAS 323/PHIL 322 | Latinx Philosophy | 4 units |
| LLAS 259/HIST 259 | Health on the Move: Immigrant and Refugee Resilience | 4 units |
| LLAS 260/AMST 260 | United States Latino Literature and Cultural Studies | 4 units |
| LLAS 304/HIST 300 | Mexico-U.S. Borderlands | 4 units |
| LLAS 321/SOC 321 | Immigration to the United States from Mexico and Central America | 4 units |
| MUSC 386 | Performance and Politics of the United States-Mexico Border | 4 units |
| PHIL 322/LLAS 323 | Latinx Philosophy | 4 units |
| SPAN 342 | Spanish in the United States | 4 units |
| SPAN 383 | Survey of Chicano Literature | 4 units |
Senior Seminar
| LLAS 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Electives
Three additional electives from any subject area listed above. At least one such elective must be at the 300-level (to satisfy the College's Second-Stage Writing Requirement).
Minor
To complete the LLAS minor, five courses (20 units) are required in the following distribution: LLAS 101 plus four LLAS electives selected from any of the courses above.Second-Stage Writing
LLAS majors satisfy Occidental College's Second-Stage Writing Requirement by earning the grade of B- or better in any 300-level LLAS course or a course cross-listed with LLAS that is writing intensive (and in which writing is in English). Students are expected to complete this graduation requirement before the beginning of their senior year.Comprehensive Requirement
To satisfy the comprehensive requirement students will produce a senior thesis in the Senior Seminar. Declared majors propose the topic of their thesis before the end of their junior year. The thesis is a research-based essay of approximately 30 pages integrating both primary and secondary source materials. Successful completion of the senior thesis along with a public presentation of it in the spring semester will satisfy the LLAS comprehensive requirement.Transfer Credit Policies
The Latino/a and Latin American Studies program policy on transfer credit conforms to College Policy. Courses that address topics central to Latino/a and Latin American Studies approved for transfer by the appropriate department or program will be considered to apply toward the Latino/a and Latin American Studies major and minor. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.