Latin American and Caribbean Studies (BA)

Program Description

The major in Latin American and Caribbean studies allows students to design an interdisciplinary course of study around their interest in the region, drawing on a range of fields including politics, history, literature, anthropology, social and cultural analysis, art history, and more. The College of Arts and Science boasts a distinguished, dynamic faculty in Latin American and Caribbean studies. The program encourages students to study away at NYU Buenos Aires where a range of courses has been developed for majors, and equally encourages them to experience New York City as an eminently Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx metropolis. NYU also boasts rare and innovative programs in the study of Haitian Creole and of Quechua. Students benefit from the ample programming and resources of NYU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS, as.nyu.edu/clacs) and the vast resources related to the region in the city. The undergraduate major is offered jointly by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and is administered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Honors Program

Writing an honors thesis allows students majoring Latin American and Caribbean Studies to undertake advanced independent research, analysis, and writing under close faculty guidance. By writing an original thesis, students participate in the production of new knowledge and critique, and make genuine contributions to our field. Engaging in self-designed research can be one of the most exciting experiences of a college career. Students with an overall and major GPA of 3.65 qualify and should confer with the director of undergraduate studies in the second semester of their junior year. During their senior year, students register for SPAN-UA 498 Senior Honors Seminar (fall) and then enroll in SPAN-UA 499 Honor Thesis Seminar (spring). Students also present the conclusions of the thesis for different audiences, including participation in the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Conference and the Annual Departmental Showcase. Students write an abstract and have the opportunity to submit an extract of the thesis to Esferas, the Department’s Undergraduate Research Journal.

Admissions

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply. 

Program Requirements

The major requires nine four-credit courses (36 credits) which must be completed with a grade of C or better as outlined below. The major allows students to design a course of study drawing on the offerings of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, as well as courses in other departments and programs across the University, including anthropology, art history, cinema studies, comparative literature, economics, history, performance studies, politics, sociology, and more. Individual programs of study are planned with and approved by the director of undergraduate studies.

¹

The CAS foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as general elective credit.

²

Pertinent to the study of Latin America and the Caribbean and chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

In addition, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages, chosen from: SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish or SPAN-UA 51 Advanced Spanish for Spanish-Speaking Students; Portuguese through the intensive elementary level; and indigenous and diasporic languages (including Quechua, Haitian Creole, Nahuatl, and/or Mixtec) through the elementary sequence. These language courses (and any more advanced language electives) cannot be applied toward the nine courses required for this major.

Sample Plan of Study

¹

Required language proficiency for the major; does not count toward its requirements.

²

Pertinent to the study of Latin America and the Caribbean and chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Note: Students may choose the "extensive" sequence of SPAN-UA 1, 2, 3, and 4 in lieu of the "intensive" sequence of SPAN-UA 10 and 20, as well as the "extensive" sequence of PORT-UA 1 and 2 in lieu of PORT-UA 10, and graduate with the minimum 128 credits.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

1. Proficiency at the intermediate level or above in Spanish, or beginning proficiency or above in Portuguese, Quechua, Haitian Creole, Nahuatl, or Mixtec;
2. An understanding of key historical, cultural, political, and social dynamics of Latin America and the Caribbean and their context in the Global South;
3. Critical approaches to a range of social, political, and cultural developments, policies, movements, paradigms, and other dynamics related to Latin America and the Caribbean;
4. Comparative knowledge of a range of cultural works from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as their political import and context;
5. The ability to deploy methodological approaches drawn from both the humanities and social sciences used in studying Latin America and the Caribbean; and
6. Experience with the diversity and cultural resources of the ever-evolving Latin American, Latinx, Caribbean, and Indigenous city of New York. 

Policies

Program Policies

Credit-Sharing Policy

Majors may share (double-count) two courses with a second major, with permission from the other department/program.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.