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The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2023-2024 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
The Latin American Studies minor is a multidisciplinary program that offers students who have studied Spanish the opportunity to add a regional focus to their studies. The minor provides a coherent framework for the study of Latin America. It is designed to prepare students for becoming leaders with specialized knowledge of the peoples, cultures, languages, and social systems of Latin America. It is also intended for heritage speakers of Spanish who wish to gain greater understanding of their identity, as well as for those who simply wish to acquire more knowledge about Latin American.
The Latin American Studies minor requires 21 credits of coursework, 12 credits of which must be taken at Drake. No more than nine credits may be completed in any single discipline. The courses listed below will count toward the minor, and the MLAS advisor may approve other appropriate courses.
Students who minor in Latin American Studies must complete at least two Spanish courses above the SPAN 140-level at Drake.
Study abroad in Latin America is strongly advised. The study abroad program in Latin America must be approved by both Drake and the Latin American Studies advisor (a tenured or tenure-track Spanish professor or the chair of WLC in consultation with the student’s primary advisor). Up to six credit credits from the study abroad experience may be applied toward the minor.
The student, in consultation with his or her Latin American Studies advisor, determines the distribution of courses comprising the minor. Together, student and advisee design a multidisciplinary program with courses chosen from at least two different disciplines. Courses chosen to complete the minor should fulfill the goals of the Latin American Studies minor specified in the Program Overview above.
Students will create an electronic portfolio that includes a collection of best work, demonstrating developmental progress and, most importantly, focusing on reflective writing to connect to the minor's learning outcomes.
| ACTS 198 - Family, Lifestyles, and Annuity Tables (J-Term) | 3 |
| COUN 145/245 - Counseling Diverse Populations (J-Term) | 3 |
| ECON 135 - Developing Economies | 3 |
| ENG 066 - Reading Race & Ethnicity | 3 |
| ENG 083 - English in America: Language, Citizenship, and Identity | 3 |
| ENG 163 - Transcultural Literature | 3 |
| ENG 164 - Latino/a Culture | 3 |
| HIST 123 - Modern Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 124 - Aztecs, Incas, Mayas | 3 |
| HIST 125 - Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 126 - Modern Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 156 - Sex, Power, and War - Aztec Empire | 3 |
| JMC 199 - Family, Lifestyles, and Annuity Tables (J-Term) | 3 |
| ANTH 002 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 150 - Migrant Oral History | 3 |
| ANTH 150 - US-Mexico Borderlands | 3 |
| ANTH 156 - Ethnographic Methods | 3 |
| SOC 196 - Contemporary Urban Mexico (J-Term) | 3 |
| SPAN 150 - Spanish Language and Culture | 3 |
| SPAN 151 - National Identity | 3 |
| SPAN 152 - Film | 3 |
| SPAN 153 - Culture and Society | 3 |
| SPAN 154 - Cultural Health Perspectives | 1-3 |
| SPAN 155 - Spanish for Business | 3 |
| SPAN 160 - Literature | 3 |
| WGS 111 - Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| WLC 148 - Intercultural Communication | 3 |
Additional courses may be approved by the World Languages and Cultures Department as necessary.
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.