Latino Studies (BA)
Program Description
Housed in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis (SCA), Latino studies aims to produce knowledge about people of Latin American descent living in the United States and to integrate this knowledge into the country’s understanding of itself. Latino is a concept grounded in the United States, and Latino studies, in this respect, is clearly distinct from Latin American studies. The program examines such topics as the dynamics of race, class, nationality, generation, language, gender, and sexuality among different Latino subgroups; Pan-Latino/a visions; comparative interethnic dynamics, particularly relations among Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans; transnational linkages and communities, migratory circuits, and transcultural processes; and interactions between U.S. groups and “home” populations.
NYU’s Latino studies program has a distinctive profile that gives it intellectual weight. Its location in New York City makes possible a program built around synergy among the arts, social sciences, and humanities. It offers students training in both field-based and archival research, including opportunities abroad. And finally, it promotes the study of bilingualism, of the politics of language, and of cultural texts, and offers courses designed to develop bilingual research abilities. Existing resources in Spanish and Portuguese support this aim, and the city is a valuable laboratory for research on languages in contact.
Honors Program
Majors who have completed 48 credits of graded work in CAS and have a 3.65 GPA or higher (both overall and in the major) are encouraged to register for SCA-UA 92 in the fall semester of their senior year. Upon successful completion of the seminar requirement, students will be eligible to register for SCA-UA 93 in the spring. Information about honors can be found at as.nyu.edu/sca.
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.
Language and Linguistic Competency
The type of rigorous intercultural study promoted within the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis requires students to recognize the complex modes of communication at work both within and across different social groups. Latino studies therefore strongly encourages its students to develop advanced skills in Spanish, Portuguese, and/or any indigenous languages spoken in the Americas by any of the following means: taking elective courses in sociolinguistics; studying these languages beyond the minimum level required by the College of Arts and Science; pursuing community-based internship fieldwork necessitating the development and use of specific language skills; or undertaking study or research abroad in contexts entailing the exercise of key language or linguistic capabilities.