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Curriculum Latin American Studies AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL MAJOR Directors: Renjilian-Burgy (Spanish), Wasserspring (Political Science) Advisory Committee: Agosin (Spanish), Elkins (Religion), Guzauskyte (Spanish), Levitt (Sociology), McEwan (Economics), Oles (Art), Osorio (History), Renjilian-Burgy (Spanish), Roses (Spanish), Rubio (Spanish), Vega (Spanish), Wasserspring (Political Science) The Latin American Studies major seeks to understand the Latin American experience through an interdisciplinary program of study. Students must submit a plan of study following the requirements listed below for approval by the directors. The Latin American Studies major normally consists of 11 courses: 2 Spanish language courses at the level of 241 or above and 9 courses from the list that appears below. (In the case of bilingual speakers or students with advanced Spanish proficiency, the 2 language course requirement may be replaced by an oral and written exemption exam.) In fulfilling the requirement of 9 courses, students must select a concentration of 4 courses in one of the following disciplines: art history, history, political science, sociology or Spanish. (In special circumstances, students may petition the directors for an alternative field of concentration.) Of these 9 units, at least 2 must be taken at the 300 level. It is recommended that one of these 300-level courses be a seminar. Students should note that several of the courses listed below have an asterisk(*), which signifies that upon enrollment, the student must notify the instructor that the course is to be counted for Latin American Studies and that, as such, the student will be required to do a research paper which focuses on Latin America. Qualified juniors are encouraged to spend a semester or a year in Latin America. Both the directors and the Study Abroad Office have information to help students select appropriate sites for study in Latin America. Wellesley offers several opportunities, including its own program in Puebla, Mexico as well as exchange opportunities in Argentina. Additionally, the Wellesley Internship Program in Costa Rica (WICR) offers funded summer internships to qualified students. To be eligible for study in Latin America, a student should normally be enrolled in SPAN 241 or a higher level language or literature course the previous semester. Honors The only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis and passing an oral examination. To be admitted to the thesis program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100-level; the department may petition on her behalf if her GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. Students who are interested in writing an honors thesis in Latin American Studies should submit a proposal to the directors by the end of their junior year. The proposal should include a description of the thesis project, a sample bibliography and a copy of the student’s transcript. It is required that the student has already completed fundamental coursework in the area in which she proposes to do her honors work. See Academic Distinctions. Majors may also apply to the Five-Year Cooperative M.A. Program at Georgetown University in Latin American Studies. This program enables the student to apply upper-level Latin American studies courses taken at Wellesley toward the Master’s Degree at Georgetown. A summer of study at the Universidad Catolica in Santiago, Chile, taken during an undergraduate summer, and a year of academic work at Georgetown are required to earn the Master’s Degree at Georgetown in one year. Interested students should contact the directors of Latin American Studies or the Center for Work and Service. LAST 250 Research or Individual Study Prerequisite: Two units of course work in Latin American Studies. Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 1.0 LAST 250H Research or Individual Study Prerequisite: Two units of course work in Latin American Studies. Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 0.5 LAST 350 Research or Individual Study Prerequisite: Two units of course work in Latin American Studies Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 1.0 LAST 350H Research or Individual Study Prerequisite: Two units of course work in Latin American Studies Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 0.5 LAST 360 Senior Thesis Research Prerequisite: By permission of department. See Academic Distinctions. Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 1.0 LAST 370 Senior Thesis Prerequisite: 360 and permission of department. Distribution: None Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 1.0
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