International & Global Studies

Concentrations

About the Concentration

Latin American and Caribbean studies is a regionally focused interdisciplinary concentration at the major and minor levels of the Special Program in Liberal Studies/International & Global Studies (SPLS/IGS). It is perfect for students who wish to study the Latin American and Caribbean regions (defined as including Mexico, Central America, South America, and the islands located in the Greater and Lesser Antilles) in multiple historical contexts and from a variety of complementary perspectives. Course work with content focusing 51% or more on Latin American and Caribbean history, politics, geography, economics, belief systems, social issues, arts and literatures, film genres, and cultures is most relevant for this major.

Major in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Students pursuing the major-level concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies complete 30 semester hours of course work to include:

6 s.h. of course work, at the 300-level or higher, on one of the foreign languages of Latin America or the Caribbean (especially Spanish, possibly French; other region-appropriate languages must be approved by the Director);
6 s.h of IGS core courses: IGS 200: “Introduction to International and Global Studies” and IGS 400: “Capstone Seminar in International and Global Studies*;
* Students with this concentration will develop their end-of-major capstone research project for IGS 400 around a topic inspired by an issue of concern in present-day Latin America and/or the Caribbean.
18 s.h. of Additional Course work (at least 9 s.h. of which must be at the 300-level or higher) on international and/or global topics corresponding to the four content categories of IGS: Society and Politics; Economics and Development; Arts and Literature; Belief Systems and Cultures.** At least 12 s.h. must comprise course work whose content focuses 51% or more on Latin America and/or the Caribbean; 6-9 s.h. of these courses must be at the 300-level or higher.
** Note: To ensure category breadth, no more than 9 s.h. may come from a single category; after that, no more than 6 s.h. may come from any other category.
International/Global Experience Requirement: Starting fall 2014, new majors must complete a qualified study abroad experience by the end of their studies. Latin American and Caribbean Studies majors will complete this requirement in Latin America or the Caribbean.

Second major in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The second major must meet the same requirements as the Major, with at least 12 s.h. taken outside the student’s first major.

Minor in SPLS/IGS with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The minor must complete 18 s.h., including the IGS modern foreign language requirement (6 s.h.), an Intro Core course (IGS 200) (3 s.h.), and 3 Additional Courses whose content focuses 51% or more on Latin America and/or the Caribbean (9 s.h.), with at least 2 courses (6 s.h.) at the upper-level and representing at least 2 program categories.

Recommended Courses

Download All Courses for this Concentration

2014 – 15 Undergraduate Bulletin

The following list contains the recommended concentration-specific “Additional Courses” for IGS majors who pursue the concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. It reflects the preferred selections made by students since the major-level concentration was established in fall 2007, and in all cases the course content must have a 51% or greater focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, broadly understood to designate the geographical regions south of US borders, including Mexico (in North America), Central America, and South America as well as the “West Indies,” or the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the Bahamas. Other courses that meet concentration requirements are provided on the “Additional Courses Guide” for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Note: IGS-marked offerings taught in a given semester appear in the Course Schedules (consult the “IGS” category listing) published by the University Registrar’s Office. This Guide and the Registrar’s Course Schedules are subject to change as courses are added to or deleted from the curriculum. Final IGS credit decisions are subject to approval by the Director of IGS or a designated Program advisor.

A. 200-LEVEL COURSES

CATEGORY 1: SOCIETY & POLITICS (S&P)

HIS 239                  The First America: Latin America, 1492-1830
HIS 240                  (Dis)order & Progress: Latin America since 1810
PSC 290                 Politics of Non-Western World (when 51+% LA/Carib.)

CATEGORY 3: ARTS & LITERATURE (A&L)

SPA 222                  Hispanic Masterpieces in English Translation (when 51+% LA/Carib.)

CATEGORY 4: BELIEF SYSTEMS & CULTURES (BS&C)

SPA 233                 Hispanic Cultures and Civilizations (when 51+% LA/Carib.)

B. UPPER-LEVEL COURSES

CATEGORY 1: SOCIETY & POLITICS (S&P)

AFS 306                 Sp. Tpcs./Afr. Diasp.: Africa/ Indian Ocean/Americas (also BS&C)
AFS 355                 Making of the African Diaspora (also BS&C)
HIS 320                  History of Mexico and Central America
HIS 341                  Pirates of the Caribbean: The Real Story
HIS 370                  Revolutions in 20th-Century Latin America
HIS 508                  Latin America and Caribbean: Selected Topics
PSC 350                 Democratic Political Systems
PSC 355P               Politics of Latin America

CATEGORY 2: ECONOMICS & DEVELOPMENT (E&D)

ATY 526                 Anthro. Perspectives on Food & Agriculture
GEO 338                Regions of Latin America
SPA 341                 Business Spanish (when 51+% LA/Carib.)

CATEGORY 3: ARTS & LITERATURE (A&L)

ENG 315                 Postcolonial Literatures (when 51+% LA/Carib.)
SPA 351                 Approaches to Hispanic Literature (when 51+% LA/Carib.)
SPA 404                 Spanish American Literature I
SPA 405                 Spanish American Literature II
SPA 504                 Topics in Spanish American Literature
SPA 562 Studies in Film Genre (when 51+% LA/Carib.)

CATEGORY 4: BELIEF SYSTEMS & CULTURES (BS&C)

ATY 325                 Caribbean Societies and Cultures
ATY 333                 Latin Am Societies and Cultures
SPA 311                 Spanish Conversation (when 51+% LA/Carib.)
SPA 411                 Advanced Spanish Conversation (when 51+% LA/Carib.)
SPA 534                 Spanish-American Culture and Civilization

Faculty

Verónica Grossi, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor in the Romance Language Department and Director of Spanish Graduate Study. Her research interests include Spanish American Colonial literature, critical and feminist theory, Spanish American women writers, Spanish American poetry and 20th century Mexican literature.

Omar H. Ali, Ph.D. (Columbia University) is Professor of Global African Diaspora History and Dean of Lloyd International Honors College at UNCG. Born in Lima, Peru, Dr. Ali explores black resistance to slavery, marronage and abolitionism in Latin America, among other areas of the global African Diaspora. Selected as the Carnegie Foundation North Carolina Professor of the Year, he has been a Fulbright professor of history and anthropology at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, and a Library Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.

Clara M. Chu, Ph.D (University of Western Ontario) specializes in multicultural library and information services, information seeking behavior, and critical information studies. Her other research interests include multicultural education, organization of information, international and comparative information services, and transnational ethnic studies (see Chinese in/from Latin America website or coloniachina wiki site)

William Hamilton, Ph.D. (Tulane University) is a cultural historian with a long history of environmental activism. With degrees in philosophy, theology, and history, he has taught courses in the philosophy of the environment, philosophy of religion, the history of moral philosophy, and environmental writing. Dr. Hamilton spent a decade in Latin America, working with ecumenical human rights and education agencies as a researcher, editor, and grass-roots organizer. Previously, he taught at universities in Louisiana and Indiana before coming to UNCG in 2004.

Fabrice Lehoucq, Ph.D. (Duke University) is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at UNCG. His areas of instruction include comparative politics, Latin American Politics, and the Political Economy of Development.

H. Nolo Martínez, Ph.D.(North Carolina State University), a Puerto Rican native, is a Research Scientist at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Department of Social Work where he serves as the Director of the UNCG Center for New North Carolinians. In 1998, North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt Jr. appointed Dr. Martinez as the first Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs, a position he served in for six years. Dr. Martinez has held a number of positions focused on working with immigrant groups.

Joan Paluzzi, Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UNCG. Dr. Paluzzi, is also affiliated with Partners in Health — a non-profit organization which helps to fund health projects in several countries in the developing world.

Linda Rupert, Ph.D., (Duke University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at UNCG. Her research interests include early modern Atlantic and Caribbean, Colonial Americas, comparative slavery & slave societies, historical geography & cartography, and comparative maritime history.

Alejandro Rutty, Ph.D. (State University of New York at Buffalo), Assistant Professor of Composition, joined the School of Music faculty in 2007. Composer, conductor and music advocate, his output includes work in avant-garde, classical, and Argentine traditional repertoires, as well as innovative community-based projects. His education includes a PhD in Composition, and degrees from The University of New Mexico and Universidad Católica Argentina.