Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies Minor at the University of New England consists of 18 credits (6 three-credit courses) and a recommended experience in Latin America. Study will be in disciplines such as: foreign language, sociology, history, and political science. Two courses are required from two different disciplines. Students will choose four additional courses from the list of electives. There is also a recommended Latin American Experience, detailed below.*

FOREIGN LANGUAGE (3 credits):

It is expected that students complete at least an intermediate level of Spanish. A student may petition for another course or for transferred credits to count for this requirement.

	Credits
SPA 211 - Intermediate Spanish	3

Society in Latin America (3 credits):

It is expected that students complete a sociology course related to Latin America. A student may petition for another course or for transferred credits to count for this requirement.

	Credits
SOC 230 - Society in Latin America	3

Electives (12 credits)

For the remaining four courses, or twelve credits, students may select from the following:

Foreign Language	Credits
SPA 101 - Basic Spanish	3
SPA 211 - Intermediate Spanish	3
History
HIS 240 - Latin American History I: Colonial Latin America	3
HIS 241 - Latin American History II: Modern Latin America	3
HIS 252 - Gender in Latin American History	3
HIS 316 - Rebels and Revolution in 20th Century Latin America	3
Sociology
SOC 310 - Population, Society and Culture	3
SOC 331 - Latin American Society and Culture through Cinema	3
Political Science
PSC 405 - Latin American Politics	3
PSC 406 - State and Society Relations in Third World Countries	3

Courses in Latin American Studies can also be taken through the Greater Portland Alliance. Additionally, courses from UNE study abroad programs in Latin America and Spain can be substituted for the minor. These courses will be approved on an individual basis by the Director of Latin American Studies Minor and/or Department Chair of Society, Culture, Languages.

 

Latin American Experiences

*In addition to completing the 18 credits in the Latin American Studies Minor, it is strongly recommended that a student spend some time in a country in Latin America, the Caribbean, or Spain. This can consist of a study abroad experience, an appropriate Global Citizenship Course, or personal experience.

If a student is unable to complete a Latin American Experience, then he/she can still complete the minor by taking an additional elective course listed above or petition an appropriate transfer course.

These are the student learning outcomes for the two required courses for the Latin American Studies minor:

Intermediate Spanish

Students leave this course with Intermediate Proficiency in Spanish in the four language skills: comprehension, speaking, reading, writing. These elements are measured by quizzes, homework assignments, and recorded dialogs. Students learning outcomes for this course are:

• Develop vocabulary proficiency in food, drink, and restaurant experiences, traveling and going on vacation, speaking of free time activities and home life, and basic health care-related issues.
• Develop grammatical proficiency: students will be able to comprehend, speak, read, and write in the present and past tenses.
• Develop cultural proficiency: students will learn about the the basic historical origins of Spain and parts of Latin America, such as Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala.
• Develop reading and writing proficiency: students will be able to read and write about some original literature in Spanish in the form of the essay and the short story.

Society in Latin America

This course has six interrelated student learning outcomes. The overall objective is to provide a student learning opportunity that is focused on the social and cultural experiences of peoples in Latin America. At the end of the course students will:

• Develop a basic knowledge about society in Latin America to include: geography, demographics, politics, culture, and media.
• Expand their understanding of sociological perspectives including theory and methods.
• Enhance their ability to think critically about social relations.
• Enhance their ability to analyze sociologically the culture around them.
• Enhance their ability to express themselves in writing and verbally
• Increase their ability to integrate disciplines and perspectives using a variety of mediums, methods, and modes of expression.

We offer qualified students the option of participating in our Honors Program and graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.