Latin American and Caribbean Studies (Minor)

Department Website

Program Description

Jointly offered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies advances critical area studies, examining political, social, and cultural formations in the region from interdisciplinary perspectives. This five-course (20-credit) minor is anchored by a required foundation course, LATC-UA 605 Approaches to Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The four remaining electives are chosen by the student in consultation with their adviser, drawing on courses offered by CLACS, Spanish and Portuguese, and by relevant departments. The course of study may be expansive, engaging wide-ranging topics relevant to the study of the entire region; or they may be more focused, centering the study of a single issue, such as migration or cultural history. In addition, students demonstrate requisite language ability in Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, or Haitian Creole by completing Intermediate II or the equivalent in one of those languages. This minor is best for students who want deeper knowledge of the region, and wish to design a course of study tailored to their individual curiosity and interests. The program encourages students to study away at NYU Buenos Aires, where a range of courses has been specially developed for majors and minor, and/or to participate in the summer program in Recife, Brazil. Students also benefit from the ample programming and resources of NYU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and the vast resources related to the region in the city.

Students interested in the major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies should consult the Bulletin pages on the BA program and reach out to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Minor Declaration

To request declaration of a minor, CAS students should visit the host department. To request declaration of a cross-school minor, CAS students should complete the online Minor Application available in their Albert Student Center. Students may also use the Minor Application in Albert to request cancellation of a CAS or cross-school minor.

Program Requirements

Please note: Students who have completed (or are completing) the requirements for the previous version of the minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies should contact the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for advising.

This interdisciplinary minor requires five 4-credit courses (20 credits) completed with a grade of C or better. Courses are drawn from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, as well as other relevant departments across the University. Students must also demonstrate full intermediate-level proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, or Haitian Creole (see details below).

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Minor Requirements
Introductory Course
LATC-UA 605	Approaches to Latin American and Caribbean Studies	4
Electives
Select four additional courses 1, 2, 3
LATC-UA or SPAN-UA----		4
LATC-UA or SPAN-UA----		4
LATC-UA or SPAN-UA----		4
LATC-UA or SPAN-UA----		4
Total Credits		20

¹

Electives are chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies in Spanish and Portuguese. These courses focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as on the experiences of diasporic Latin American, Caribbean, and Indigenous populations in the United States, Europe, or elsewhere. Courses are offered by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and other relevant departments.  

²

Students may count relevant CORE-UA courses as minor electives, including Cultures and Contexts courses focused on Latin America, Brazil, the Black Atlantic, and the Portuguese Sea, or any First-Year Seminar with Latin American/Caribbean content.

³

Certain language courses offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, Haitian Creole, Nahuatl, or Mixtec may count toward this minor, according to this scheme:

• All levels of Quechua, Haitian Creole, Nahuatl, and Mixtec count as electives (Nahuatl and Mixtec are offered through the beginner level in consortium with CUNY’s Lehman College).
• Both Intermediate and Advanced Portuguese language courses (PORT-UA 3 Intermed Portuguese I, PORT-UA 4 Intermed Portuguese II, PORT-UA 50 Advanced Portuguese) count as electives.
• Advanced Spanish (SPAN-UA 50 Advanced Spanish or SPAN-UA 51 Advanced Spanish for Spanish-Speaking Students) counts toward the minor as an elective, but Conversation courses (numbered in the SPAN-UA 60 range) may not count or be substituted. Beginner and Intermediate levels of Spanish do not count toward the minor.
• If the student’s interests merit the study of French (due to demonstrated interest in the Francophone Caribbean), French Grammar and Composition (FREN-UA 30 French Grammar and Composition.) may be counted (but, again, French Conversation courses may not be counted or substituted.)

Language Requirement

This minor requires students to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, or Haitian Creole by completing Intermediate II or the equivalent in one of those languages. Intermediate-level credits in Spanish do not count toward the minor. Completing a more advanced language course, or completing an upper level course taught in one of these languages, will also satisfy this requirement; in Spanish and Portuguese this includes courses at or above the level of SPAN-UA 50 or PORT-UA 50 (except conversation courses).

Policies

Program Policies

Department of Spanish and Portuguese: Policies Applying to All Minors

Students who wish to minor must declare with this department and select courses in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. All minor courses must be completed with a grade of C or better (Pass/Fail grades do not count). Transfer students must complete at least half the courses for their minor (three courses for a five-course minor) in residence at NYU.

Double-Counting of Courses

Minors may share (double count) one course with a major or a second minor, 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.