Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies
Program Learning Outcomes for the BA Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies
Upon completing the BA degree, students majoring in Latin American and Latinx Studies will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to speak and read fluently, and conduct research in a foreign language.
- Interpret the historic, cultural, and political dynamics that comprise a specific region selected by the student for in-depth study.
- Apply critical perspectives on legacies and ongoing forces that are local and global in scope from the field of Latin American Studies.
- Define a research problem and analyze it from several different disciplinary fields, including appropriate theory, methodology, and concepts for the topic.
Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies
For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Latin American and Latinx Studies must complete:
- A minimum of 10 courses (30 credit hours) to satisfy major requirements.
- A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
- A maximum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
- Demonstration of advanced language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or an indigenous language spoken in Latin America.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the major's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies | 30 | |
| Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies | 120 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| LALX 158 / SPAN 158 | INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES 1 | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 9 courses as Electives from department approved electives (see course lists below) 2 | 27 | |
Select at least 3 courses from course offerings in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures (from LALX, SPAN, PORT, or FREN course offerings) | ||
Select at least 3 courses from course offerings outside of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures | ||
| Advanced Language Proficiency | ||
| Students must demonstrate advanced language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or an indigenous language spoken in Latin America. 3 | ||
| Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies | 30 | |
| Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements * | 59 | |
| University Graduation Requirements * | 31 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| * | Note: University Graduation Requirements include 31 credit hours, comprised of Distribution Requirements (Groups I, II, and III), FWIS, and LPAP coursework. In some instances, courses satisfying FWIS or distribution requirements may additionally meet other requirements, such as the Analyzing Diversity (AD) requirement, or some of the student’s declared major, minor, or certificate requirements. Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements include general electives, coursework completed as upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), and/or any other additional academic program requirements. |
| 1 | This course both introduces and structures the major. This course is taught in English, with discussion sections available in Spanish or Portuguese pending student interest. |
| 2 | At least 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be selected from the MCLLC Department (in LALX, SPAN, PORT, or FREN course offerings), and at least 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be selected from other departments outside MCLLC. |
| 3 | Students must demonstrate advanced language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or an indigenous language spoken in Latin America. This proficiency requirement may be demonstrated by coursework taken at the upper-level (300-level or above) or other means. Students are encouraged to consult with a major advisor regarding this point. |
Course List to Satisfy Requirements
Elective Requirements
Students must complete a total of 9 courses (27 credit hours) from the following department approved electives, which will focus on Latinx studies, a specific region, area, or country in Latin America. This area focus will shape each student’s proposed course of study. Each course of study and an area focus must be approved by the advisor to the major. At least 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be selected from courses offered in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures (in LALX, SPAN, PORT, or FREN course offerings), and at least 3 courses (9 credit hours) must be selected from course offerings outside of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures. The remaining 3 courses (9 credit hours) can be selected from either category.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Approved Electives offered in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures | ||
| FREN 313 | THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD | 3 |
| FREN 330 | RHYTHMS AND SOUNDS: MUSIC IN THE FRENCH-SPEAKING WORLD | 3 |
| FREN 360 | STREET ART: HIP HOP, GRAFFITI, AND PHOTOGRAPHY | 3 |
| FREN 414 | SEX AND RACE IN THE FRENCH ATLANTIC | 3 |
| FREN 433 | FRENCH CARIBBEAN ECOCRITICISM | 3 |
| FREN 478 / ARCR 478 | THE FRENCH CARIBBEAN | 3 |
| LALX 238 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 1-4 |
| LALX 251 / HIST 251 | CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN BRAZILIAN HISTORY | 3 |
| LALX 265 | LATIN AMERICAN GENDER AND SEXUALITY | 3 |
| LALX 330 | SUBVERSIVE STORYTELLING IN LATINX TV & FILM | 3 |
| LALX 332 | WRITING TO HEAL: U.S. LATINE NARRATIVES ON MENTAL HEALTH | 3 |
| LALX 345 / ENST 345 | BIODIVERSITY AND CONFLICT IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH | 3 |
| LALX 350 | PIRATES, REBELS, NARCOS: LATIN AMERICAN OUTLAWS IN THE POLITICAL-CULTURAL IMAGINATION | 3 |
| LALX 355 | CULTURES OF SPORT IN LATIN/E AMERICA | 3 |
| LALX 360 | LATINX POETICS: SENSING & (MIS)REPRESENTING LATINX STUDIES | 3 |
| LALX 378 | LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT: IDENTITY, LIBERATION, MODERNITY | 3 |
| LALX 390 | RECLAIMING THE FUTURE: CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE & SOCIETY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| LALX 391 | REELS OF LIBERATION (AT THE HEART OF EMPIRE) LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND AFRICAN CINEMA | 3 |
| LALX 477 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 1-4 |
| LALX 492 | DIRECTED RESEARCH | 3 |
| PORT 301 | THIRD YEAR PORTUGUESE I | 3 |
| PORT 302 | BRASIL: CULTURA E SOCIEDADE | 3 |
| PORT 303 | BRASIL: LITERATURA E CULTURA | 3 |
| PORT 331 | BRASIL ATUAL | 3 |
| SPAN 303 | SPANISH FOR HERITAGE STUDENTS III | 3 |
| SPAN 328 | GAZING AT DISASTER: VISUAL CULTURE AND CATASTROPHE IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 330 | HISPANIC WRITING SEMINAR | 3 |
| SPAN 332 | APPROACHES TO HISPANIC LITERATURES | 3 |
| SPAN 333 | CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES IN LATINE COMMUNITIES | 3 |
| SPAN 335 | ASIAN LATIN(X) AMERICAN ENCOUNTERS | 3 |
| SPAN 344 | MAPPING LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE | 3 |
| SPAN 350 | DIALECTS IN CONTACT: SEARCHING FOR THE "INTERNATIONAL" FORM OF SPANISH | 3 |
| SPAN 351 | ECOFEMINISM & POETRY. ECOLOGY, FEMINISM & SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH MULTIMEDIA POETRY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 356 | RACE, GENDER, CLASS, & ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL AMERICAN CULTURES | 3 |
| SPAN 368 | LATIN AMERICAN SHORT FICTION | 3 |
| SPAN 370 | DISABLED BODIES: ILLNESS AND LITERATURE IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 372 | REPRODUCTIVE AND MATERNAL HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 384 | SOUTHERN CONE CULTURES: ARGENTINA, CHILE, URUGUAY AND PARAGUAY | 3 |
| SPAN 392 / FILM 339 / HART 304 | A REVOLUTION FROM WITHIN: TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY CUBAN CULTURE | 3 |
| SPAN 402 | THE CITY IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 406 | LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA: HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITICISM | 3 |
| SPAN 436 | LINGUISTIC AND COGNITIVE CONCEPTUALIZATIONS: TENSE AND ASPECT | 3 |
| SPAN 438 | LANGUAGE AND MIGRATION: MULTICULTURALISM AND MULTILINGUALISM IN CONTEXT | 3 |
| SPAN 451 | WITNESSING, TRUTH & TRAUMA: TESTIMONIAL WRITING IN MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA | 3 |
| SPAN 453 | BORDER NARRATIVES | 3 |
| SPAN 456 / SWGS 466 | LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN'S CULTURE | 3 |
| SPAN 477 | SPECIAL TOPICS | 1-4 |
| SPAN 491 | DIRECTED RESEARCH | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Department Approved Electives - School of Social Sciences | ||
| ANTH 210 | EAT ME: FOOD AND CULTURE IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| ANTH 340 | NEOLIBERALISM AND GLOBALIZATION | 3 |
| ANTH 361 | LATIN AMERICAN TOPICS | 3 |
| ANTH 392 | KINGS, QUEENS, AND COMMONERS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA | 3 |
| ANTH 394 | THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | 3 |
| ANTH 431 | GLOBAL INDIGENOUS POLITICS | 3 |
| EDUC 304 | RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION | 3 |
| LING 324 / AAAS 324 | FROM SLAVERY TO HIP HOP: LINGUISTIC LIBERATION IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA | 3 |
| LING 419 | MULTILINGUALISM | 3 |
| POLI 328 | LATINO POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES | 3 |
| POLI 330 | RACE, ETHNICITY, AND POLITICS IN AMERICA | 3 |
| POLI 352 | THE POLITICS AND CULTURE OF MEXICO | 3 |
| POLI 354 | LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS | 3 |
| POLI 450 | ELECTIONS IN THE AMERICAS | 3 |
| POLI 459 | SEX, GENDER, AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN LATIN AMERICA | 3 |
| SOCI 301 | SOCIAL INEQUALITY | 3 |
| SOCI 309 | RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS | 3 |
| SOCI 340 | SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION | 3 |
Policies for the BA Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Program Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the major in Latin American and Latinx Studies should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:
- No more than 4 courses (12 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the major.
Distribution Credit Information
The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process. Additionally, as part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution credit eligibility is routinely reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.
Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-credit-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution-credit-eligible at the time of course registration.
Distribution courses from the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures are broad in theme and scope and provide students with a substantial inquiry into literature, art, media, history, thought, and/or politics, including specific national traditions, linguistic contexts, and historical periods. Such courses involve a broad and often interdisciplinary spectrum of knowledge, providing students with the tools for thinking critically about the formation of modern culture, its colonial past, and its national and linguistic traditions from antiquity to the present.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures website: https://cultures.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the BA Degree with a Major in Latin American and Latinx Studies
Academic Honors
The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures website: https://cultures.rice.edu/.