Undergraduate Certificate in Latin American Studies

Guidelines

The Certificate in Latin American Studies is available to all undergraduates who fulfill the requirements outlined below. Applications may be acquired from, and questions concerning the Certificate program may be directed to, either of the following individuals:

It is the responsibility of the student to plan ahead to ensure that all Certificate requirements are completed by his or her senior spring. We suggest that, in addition to the required meetings during their senior spring, students consult with the CLAS Certificate Coordinator and Administrator frequently during their undergraduate career to make sure that they are "on track."

CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS:

A. LANGUAGE

The Language requirement may be met in Spanish or Portuguese by:

1. Completing language coursework through the advanced level;
2. Demonstrating proficiency through successful completion of at least one upper-level course taught in either Spanish or Portuguese or;
3. Achieving a grade of Fair or better on the oral proficiency exam administered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

B. CORE COURSES

The core courses required for the Certificate should be chosen according to the following distribution:

1. GOVT-341 or GOVT-439 -- Latin American Government and Politics(offered once per year); enrollment preference given to juniors or seniors pursuing the Certificate
2. HIST-158 -- Latin American Civilization I (offered in the fall)
   OR
   HIST-159 -- Latin American Civilization II (offered in the spring)
3. LASP-316 -- Economic Development of Latin America (offered once per year), pre-requisites for this course include Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics; enrollment preference is given to juniors or seniors pursuing the Certificate
4. SPAN-263, SPAN 264, SPAN 273 or any 400-level course in Latin American Literature or Culture.

C. ELECTIVE

One elective course is required for the Certificate. Specific course selection must be approved by CLAS.

1. One free elective: this course, which may be selected from the departments of Culture and Politics, Economics, English, Government, History, International Affairs, Latin American Studies, Sociology, Spanish & Portuguese, or Theology, content related to Latin America.

D. THESIS TUTORIAL

The sixth Certificate requirement, enrollment and participation in the three-credit pro-seminar LASP 495 and preparation of a 30-35 page thesis, is normally completed during the second semester of the senior year under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

Administrative Requirements

Students writing the Certificate thesis MUST be registered in LASP 495 during the semester in which they are writing the thesis.

Academic Requirements

With the guidance of the Certificate Coordinator, students should decide on their thesis topic and possible advisor during the first semester of their senior year. Students are required to meet with the Certificate Administrator during pre-registration or the add/drop period of the second semester of their senior year to indicate the topic of their thesis and the name of their advisor, to take inventory of the classes taken toward the Certificate to make sure that all requirements have been met, and to make sure that all paperwork is in order. A formal Certificate Application (available in CLAS) must be submitted at this time. Students must achieve at least a B+ in the Pro-seminar and thesis in order to receive the certificate. Failure to meet these requirements and deadlines is grounds for dismissal from the Certificate program.

LASP 495 - LAS Proseminar

This course is for students writing the Latin American Thesis. All students enrolled in this course meet during their senior spring semester to discuss the research they are conducting, to learn about the projects that other students are carrying out, and to share ideas and research techniques. Students work on set assignments that lead to the completion of their thesis. (Proposal, annotated bibliography, drafts, oral presentations etc .) Each stage of the thesis is to be prepared in consultation with and approval of the thesis advisor, presented in class, and submitted to the advisor and the professor of the proseminar

The following are suggested thesis guidelines; these are flexible, may be modified when necessary, and may be enforced at the discretion of the thesis advisor. Each stage of the thesis is to be prepared in consultation with the thesis advisor, presented in class, and then submitted in final form to the advisor and the professor of the thesis tutorial.

• By early February, students present and submit a detailed research proposal and thesis outline.
• By mid-March, students present and submit an annotated bibliography.
• By early April, students present and submit a rough draft of one or more full chapters.
• By late April, students present and submit a draft of the full thesis, from which they will craft their 15-minute thesis presentation.
• In early May, seniors formally present their theses to their peers, faculty, and invited guests.

The final version of the thesis is due to the advisor, on a date arranged by the advisor and the student, such that the advisor has ample time to grade the thesis and submit that grade by the deadline for grade submissions for students who are graduating.

E. RESTRICTIONS

1. No more than one of the required six Certificate credits may be taken at universities other than Georgetown, regardless of whether the coursework is part of a Georgetown study-abroad program.
2. Substitutions for any course requirement must be PRE-APPROVED by the Coordinator of the CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Program by showing the coordinator the course syllabus. Gaining pre-approval for course substitutions takes considerable planning and effort on the part of the student, particularly if the courses he/she wishes to substitute are to be taken overseas. Please also note that it is much more likely that a substitution be approved for one of the elective courses than one of the core courses. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that written approval for this substitution becomes a part of his/her certificate file in CLAS. Forward e-mail approval to walshje@georgetown.edu or bring printed copies to Julie Walsh in ICC 484.
3. College/FLL students who are pursuing the Certificate as a minor may not count the same course for both the major and the minor. It is the responsibility of the student and his/her advisor in the College/FLL to make sure that courses are counted appropriately.
4. SFS students who are pursuing the Certificate in addition to their major may count courses toward both the Certificate and their major.
5. Students who pursue the Certificate are encouraged to complete coursework in a second language area.
6. Students must have at least a B average in the five courses and a B+ in the Pro-seminar to receive the Certificate. Grades earned on GU study abroad programs are not calculated into this average.