School of Arts and Humanities
Latin American Studies (BA)
Students who complete the major in Latin American Studies will explore the region through three main avenues of study: (1) history; (2) economics, political science, and business; and (3) literature, language, and culture. Students are encouraged to specialize in one of these pillars while incorporating the program's multidisciplinary perspective.
Since the following catalog course descriptions are very general, students are urged to consult the detailed course descriptions available on the web site for the School of Arts and Humanities. At least one-half of the semester credit hours for a major must be taken at UT Dallas.
Courses in Latin American Studies are open to all students in the University.
Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies
Degree Requirements (120 semester credit hours)1
View an Example of Degree Requirements by Semester
Faculty
Professors: Enric Madriguera, Rene Prieto, Rainer Schulte
Associate Professor: Charles Hatfield, Monica Rankin
Assistant Professor: Amy Kerner
Assistant Professor of Instruction: Pedro Gonzalez
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours2
Communication: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Communication Core courses
Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Mathematics Core courses
Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences Core courses (see advisor and degree requirements)
Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours
HIST 2350 Latin American Civilizations
Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture Core courses (see advisor)
Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts Core courses (see advisor)
American History: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from American History Core courses (see advisor)
Government/Political Science: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Government/Political Science Option courses (see advisor)
Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours
GEOG 2303 People and Place: An Introduction to World Geographic Regions
Or select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral Sciences Core courses (see advisor)
Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Component Area Option Core courses (see advisor)
II. Major Requirements: 39-45 semester credit hours
Introduction to Latin America Preparatory Requirement: 3-9 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum
HIST 2350 Latin American Civilizations
Choose 6 semester credit hours from the following:
LIT 2350 Close Reading
HIST 3301 Historical Inquiry
GEOG 2303 People and Place: An Introduction to World Geographic Regions
Foreign Language Requirement: 12 semester credit hours of Approved Language
The language requirement is 12 semester credit hours, or equivalent, of the same language, usually Spanish, or another approved language of relevance to Latin American Studies. Students can petition the Program Head for exceptions. If the language credit is obtained without taking classes, twelve additional semester credit hours of Free Electives (upper-division or lower-division) can be taken by student.
Latin American Studies Major Core Courses: 6 semester credit hours
LATS 3301 Latin American Literature3
Choose 3 semester credit hours from the following:
HIST 3398 Colonial Latin American History4
HIST 3399 Modern Latin American History4
Latin American Studies Major Electives: 18 semester credit hours
Students must complete courses from the following list in at least two disciplinary areas. Students must complete at least 9 semester credit hours in a single disciplinary area.
History Electives
HIST 3391 Modern Mexico
HIST 3398 Colonial Latin American History4
HIST 3399 Modern Latin American History4
HIST 4369 Topics in Borderlands History
HIST 4359 Topics in Latin American History
HIST 3397 Study Abroad in Latin America (may be repeated as topics vary)
Other HIST courses with emphasis on Latin America may be considered.
Social Sciences Electives
CRIM 3319 Comparative Justice Systems5
GEOG 2302 The Global Environment5
GEOG 3304 Principles of Geospatial Information Sciences5
GEOG 3359 Human Migration and Mobility: Global Patterns5
GEOS 2321 Geology, Resources, and Environment of Latin America
Other geographical, political, and economic courses with emphasis on Latin America may be considered.
Language, Literature, and Culture Electives
LATS 3301 Latin American Literature3
LATS 3302 Latin American Film
LATS 3303 Latin Social Dance
LATS 4329 Major Authors
3000 or 4000-level SPAN courses
LANG 4348, LIT 3319, and LIT 3337 with Latin American related subtitles will be allowed.
III. Elective Requirements: 33-39 semester credit hours
Free Electives: 33 semester credit hours
Both upper-and lower-division courses may be used as electives, but students must complete at least 51 semester credit hours of upper-division courses to qualify for graduation.
Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of ARHM 1100.1
1. Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of UNIV 1010 and the corresponding school-related freshman seminar course. Students, including transfer students, who complete their core curriculum at UT Dallas must take UNIV 2020.
2. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from institutions of higher education. The courses listed are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.
3. LATS 3301 is repeatable for credit; first completed attempt used for Major Core and subsequent attempts may be used as an elective.
4. Students may not count a major core course as a History elective.
5. Topics courses, CRIM 3319, GEOG 2302, GEOG 3304, GEOG 3359, and PSCI 4348 must be approved by the School of Arts and Humanities before enrolling to ensure that the course subject matter is predominantly Latin American.