• UNM 2017-2018 Catalog
• >Colleges
• >College of Arts and Sciences
• >Latin American Studies
• >Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Program

College of Arts and Sciences and Latin American Studies Program Undergraduate Admission Requirements

A minimum of 26 credit hours; 23 credit hours must be in courses acceptable toward graduation.

A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 on all work.

• Transfer students must have a 2.00 transfer GPA.
• Continuing UNM students must have a 2.00 institutional GPA.

Demonstrated academic achievement by satisfying the following:

• Completion of the University Writing and Speaking Core.
• Completion of the University Mathematics Core.
• Completion of the University Foreign Language Core.

Completion of Latin American Studies Program admission course work with a grade of "C" or better:

• HIST 181 or 182.

Major Study Requirements

The undergraduate program provides a solid foundation in language skills and area competence that can be valuable in business, public service or further professional training.

The major in Latin American Studies (LAS) consists of a minimum of 36 credit hours, including the required courses outlined in A through G below. Students work closely with the LAS advisor in planning their program of study and must receive approval for all course work in fulfillment of the major. Students are strongly encouraged to take LTAM 101.

A. Core LAS requirements: All LAS majors take HIST 181, HIST 182, and either LTAM 254 or LTAM 355. These requirements may be applied to either the 15 credit hours of Core Courses or the 9 credit hours of Electives. Students are encouraged to take the interdisciplinary course that best supports their chosen core.

B. Languages of Latin America (maximum of 12 credit hours counted toward the major): Students are required to achieve proficiency in two Latin American languages. There are seven options for fulfilling the language requirement:

1. Spanish option with Portuguese support skills, requiring SPAN 301 and 302 and PORT 275, 276, or 277.
2. Portuguese option with Spanish support skills, requiring PORT 311 and 312 and SPAN 101 and 102.
3. Balanced Spanish and Portuguese option, requiring SPAN 201, 202 and PORT 276.
4. Spanish option with Quechua support skills, requiring SPAN 301, SPAN 302, LING *401 (Topics: Quechua I), and LING *401 (Topics: Quechua II).
5. Spanish option with K’iche’ Maya support skills, requiring SPAN 301, SPAN 302, LING *401 (Topics: K’iche’ Maya I), and LING *401 (Topics: K’iche’ Maya II).
6. Portuguese option with Quechua support skills, requiring PORT 311, PORT 312, LING *401 (Topics: Quechua I), and LING *401 (Topics: Quechua II).
7. Portuguese option with K’iche’ Maya support skills, requiring PORT 311, PORT 312, LING *401 (Topics: K’iche’ Maya I), and LING *401 (Topics: K’iche’ Maya II).

C. Core Courses (15 credit hours): Students select 15 credit hours of Latin American content courses from one of the following three areas:

1. Humanities: Examples include Art History; Cinematic Arts; History; Portuguese; Religious Studies; Spanish American Literature and Culture.
2. Social and Natural Sciences: Examples include Anthropology; Biology; Community and Regional Planning; Economics; History; Political Science; Sociology; Women Studies.
3. A core area focused on a particular theme (such as environment and ecology, development, gender, U.S.-Latin American Relations, etc.) developed jointly by the student and the LAS advisor. Students must demonstrate that proposed relevant courses will be available to complete their program of study in the customized area.

D. Electives (minimum of 9 credit hours) with Latin American content as needed to complete 36 credit hours. Electives may be drawn from the Social and Natural Sciences or Humanities, regardless of the chosen core.

E. Of the courses completed for the Latin American Studies major, at least 18 credit hours must be at the 300-level or higher.

F. Courses for the core and elective requirements must be from at least three different disciplines.

G. At least half of the required credit hours for the major must be taken in residence on the main campus at UNM. The LAS advisor may approve substitutions on a case-by-case basis.

H. Students must submit to the LAS advisor a paper written after the completion of 24 credit hours toward the major. The paper, written for a course completed for the major, should have at least 40% Latin American content, relate to the student’s chosen core area of focus (either Humanities or Social Sciences), present an analytical argument based on data or texts, and be at least 5 pages in length. Students are strongly encouraged to submit a paper written for LTAM 254 or LTAM 355.

Concentration in Brazilian Studies

Participants in the Latin American Studies undergraduate major may earn a concentration in Brazilian Studies by completing the Portuguese language track requirement and five other courses with relevant Brazil content. Students often choose courses from History and Portuguese, but other disciplines often offer relevant courses. The LAS advisor will approve courses with substantial Brazil content.

Minor Study Requirements

The minor in Latin American Studies consists of a minimum of 24 credit hours including 6 credit hours of Spanish 301 and 302 or Portuguese 311 and 312; HIST 181 or 182; LTAM 254 or 355; 12 credit hours in one of the core areas listed above; and 6 credit hours of elective courses. HIST 181, HIST 182, LTAM 254 and LTAM 355 may count toward the core or elective courses. Courses for the core and elective requirements must be from at least three different disciplines.

Approval of Core and Elective Courses

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the Latin American Studies program, relevant courses vary from semester to semester. As such, it is imperative that students regularly meet with their Latin American Studies advisor. The advisor will recommend qualifying courses for each semester.

Departmental Honors

Students seeking honors in Latin American Studies should consult with the Associate Director and submit a formal letter of application during their junior year. Honors candidates must register for 6 credit hours of LTAM 497 and 499 and complete a Senior Honors Thesis which must be orally defended.

Additional Information

Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program. Below are courses that regularly count towards the major; however, numerous other courses are offered in any given semester. Through advisement, students identify relevant courses.

• AFST 386, 388.
• ANTH 322, 324, 332, 343, *371, *376.
• ARTH 411, 412, 413, 488, 490, 493, 494.
• BIOL 461L.
• DANC 116. 
• ECON *421, *423. 
• HIST 181, 182, 363, 371, 373, 374, 376, 377, 429, 463, 464, 465, 468, 469, 470, 472, 474, 478.
• LTAM 101, 254, 355, 400, 497, 499.
• MA 310, *410. 
• PHIL 390.
• POLS 354, *356. 
• PORT 301, 311, 312, 335, 414, 416, 417, 421, 457, 458, *461, 497, 499.
• SOC 354.
• SPAN 302, 307, **350, 351, **352, **430, **431, **432, **433, **435, *438, **439.