Undergraduate Minor

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In addition to its graduate student options, CLAS also offers a Minor in Latin American Studies for undergraduate students who fulfill the Center’s minor requirements.

Requirements

For the minor in Latin American Studies, students must satisfy a language requirement and complete four core courses, one elective, and a senior honors thesis.

Minor students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese in one of the following ways: completion of language coursework through Advanced II, successful completion of one 300- or 400-level course taught in either Spanish or Portuguese, or successful completion of Georgetown’s language proficiency exam (administered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese).

Coursework

Minor students must receive a B+ average or better in four core courses, one chosen from each of four categories:

  • Government – LASP 341 or GOVT 455: Latin American Government and Politics. Offered once each year with preference given to sophomores and juniors pursuing the minor.
  • History – HIST 158 or HIST 159: Latin American Civilization I or II (Fall, Spring). [*New in Fall 2022: HIST 151 The Americas I will also fulfill the History requirement for the minor.]
  • Economics – LASP 316: Economic Development of Latin America. Offered once each year with preference given to sophomores and juniors pursuing the minor.
  • Literature – SPAN 261, SPAN 262, SPAN 267, or a 400-level survey course in Latin American Literature or Culture. (Survey Literature courses in Portuguese also considered.)

An additional elective course is required for the minor. This course must have a Latin America focus and may be chosen from the Culture and Politics, Economics, Government, History, International Affairs, Latin American Studies, Sociology, Spanish, Portuguese, or Theology course offerings.

Thesis Courses

The sixth requirement for the minor is the thesis process (comprised of two courses: LASP 494-01 in the fall [1 credit] and LASP 495-01 in the spring [3 credits]), through which students research, write, and present a substantial thesis. With the guidance of the CLAS Director, students should decide on their thesis topic and adviser during the first semester of their senior year and should enroll in LASP 494-01. Second semester of senior year is when the majority of thesis writing takes place and students should be enrolled in LASP 495-01.

Students must achieve at least a B+ in the pro-seminar and thesis in order to earn the minor. Failure to meet these requirements and deadlines is grounds for dismissal from pursuit of the minor.

Rules and Regulations

No more than one of the six required minor courses may be taken at universities other than Georgetown. This includes coursework completed as part of a Georgetown study abroad program. Any non-GU courses must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the CLAS Director.

Students should meet with the Associate Director during their sophomore year to: (1) indicate an interest in pursuing the minor, (2) take inventory of the classes taken toward the minor, and (3) make sure that all paperwork is in order. Students must achieve at least a B+ in the proseminar and thesis in order to earn the minor credential.

Substitutions for any requirement must be pre-approved by the CLAS Director. It is much more likely that minor requirement substitutions will be approved for the elective course than for the core courses. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that written approval for any substitutions becomes a part of the student’s file at CLAS.

Students who are pursuing the minor may not double-count courses for their major with the minor. The student and the student’s undergraduate advisor bear all responsibility for ensuring that courses are counted properly. Students must maintain at least a B+ average in the five courses and must receive a B+ or higher in the thesis seminar in order to successfully earn the minor credential. Failure to do so will result in a student being dropped from the minor program.

Learning Goals

  • Having familiarity with social, cultural, political, and economic developments in a historical context;
  • Understanding changing and contested constructions of identities and belief systems among the diverse peoples of the region;
  • Reflecting on relations between political and governmental structures and changing social and cultural formations;
  • Demonstrating oral proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese with a basis of grammar, vocabulary, accent, fluency, together with knowledge of literary and cultural productions;
  • Developing skills of analytical and integrative thinking to communicate effectively for different audiences and purposes by writing and speaking within the context of the Senior seminar;
  • Illustrating basic and advanced qualitative and/or quantitative research skills (depending on the theme of Senior seminar thesis), including fluency with relevant print and virtual bibliographic and research guides.

To Apply

To apply or express interest in the Minor in Latin American Studies, please fill out this form. We look forward to hearing from you.