Interdisciplinary approach to research in area studies on Latin America and the Caribbean. Special emphasis will be placed on research methods in the Social Sciences and the Humanities and how these methods have been applied by leading Latin American scholars. Central themes will be selected and the approaches and conclusions of different disciplines will be compared and contrasted.
Lcs 502 Latin American and Caribbean Cultures and Societies I (3)
Interdisciplinary study of the interactions between Amerindian, European, and African cultures in the creation of Latin American and Caribbean societies. Analysis of the relationships between cultural development and physical environment.
Lcs 503 Latin American and Caribbean Cultures and Societies II (3)
Comparative study of the interrelationships between the social, economic, and political development of the diverse Latin American and Caribbean countries. Emphasis on societies, economics, and political systems.
Lcs 504 Seminar: Latin America (3)
An in-depth examination of classic and current research on Latin American mainland. Emphasis on the formulation of research questions regarding contemporary conditions and on ideas in Latin American development.
Lcs 505 Seminar: The Caribbean (3)
An in-depth examination of classic and current research on the Caribbean rimland including the island societies as well as those coastal mainland areas that historically and culturally comprise part of the region. Emphasis on the formulation of research questions regarding contemporary conditions and on ideas and issues in Caribbean development.
Lcs 506 Leaders and Societies of the English-Speaking Islands (3)
An examination of the emergence from island society of leaders capable of confronting the British legacy of post-colonial island nations. Designed to sharpen the research and writing skills at the beginning graduate level.
Lcs 507 Three Island Revolutions (3)
An in-depth analysis of the revolutions of Haiti (1971), Cuba (1959), and Grenada (1979) designed to sharpen research and writing skills at the beginning graduate level.
Lcs 508 Seminar: U.S. Latinos (3)
An in-depth examination of classic and current research and topics central to the understanding of the U.S. Latino experience. Emphasis on the formulation of research questions regarding contemporary conditions and on issues such as (im)migration, transnationalsim, and hemispheric integration.
Lcs 509 (Soc 576) International Migration: Migration and Transnationalism (3)
The first module covers basic technical and theoretical concepts and substantial issues related to the study of IM. The second module deals with the study of transnationalism (its economic, cultural, and political manifestations.) We will explore how these phenomena are studied from the sociological, anthropological, political economy, foreign policy, and political science perspectives. We will also explore the role of general frameworks, such as postcolonial studies and world-systems analysis in their study. Geographically, we will privilege the study of the cases of U.S. bound Latin America, Caribbean, and East Asian migration.
Lcs 510 Workers and Globalization in the Americas (3)
This course explores different theoretical perspectives for assessing the impact of "globalization" upon male and female workers in the hemisphere. It examines current debates and emerging research issues regarding the effects of structural adjustment programs, export processing zones and regional trade agreements upon society as well as workplaces. It also seeks to illuminate the nature of the challenge posed by global -- hyper-mobile -- capital to worker resistance, regulatory frameworks and alternative policy formulation.
Lcs 511 (Spn 511) Introduction to Latin American Cultural Studies (3)
The course reviews major concepts of cultural studies, such as subjectivity and consciousness, ideology and hegemony, critique and polisemy and their manifestation in Latin American texts. Authors studied will be: Angel Rama, Néstor García Canclini, Eduardo Galeano, Diamela Eltit, Roger Bartra, Román de la Campa, Nelly Richard, Alberto Moreiras, John Beverly, Paulo Freyre, Roberto Schwarz.
Lcs 512 Tourism, Culture, and Identities (3)
An in-depth interdisciplinary examination of tourism in relation to culture
and its impact on the identities of both hosts and guests. Some of the questions
to be explored include the role of tourism in the formation of regional, national,
and transnational identities, how tourism reflects global inequities, and the
impact it has on local Latin American communities.
Lcs 514 (Spn 531) Literature of the Hispanic Caribbean (3)
Selected major writers of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Special consideration of literature as a reflection of situations and problems peculiar to the Hispanic Caribbean. Conducted in Spanish.
Lcs 515 Latinos en EE.UU.: Historia, Cultura, y Literatura
(3)
A study of the historical, cultural, and socioeconomic development of U.S. Latino
groups. Emphasis on the experiences of Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and
Mexicans. Particular attention will be given to how gender, race, ethnicity,
and class shape the U.S. Latino experience. Prerequisite: Knowledge of Spanish
at the 300 level or above is required.
Lcs 517 Cultural Foundations of Latin American Literature (3)
Latin American civilization from the pre-Columbian period through the colonial era and independence to the present, social and anthropological considerations, economic development and political institutions emphasizing their relationship to literature. Offered in Spanish. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Lcs 529 (Pub 531, Pln 529) Planning for Jobs, Housing and Community Services in Third World Cities (3-4)
Reviews the potential for community development and the improvement of physical, social and economic conditions in the poor urban neighborhoods of countries characterized by mass poverty. Focuses on shanty-town upgrading, sites and services, job-creation programs, and micro-enterprise promotion. Discusses the roles of local and national governments, community participation, business, non-profits, and international aid.
Lcs 530 (Aas 529, Wss 530) Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism,
Sexism (4)
In Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism, and Sexism we will explore how,
racism, classism and sexism effect current environmental "events",
including environmental policy-making, public health outcomes, and the rhetoric
and politics of environmentalism. Surveying the development of environmental
awareness among the public, philosophies behind such awareness and resulting
shifts in policy, we will focus on the growth of the environmental justice movement,
and will consider how various groups have addressed environmental degradation
and justice. Also, under consideration will be a set of related issues: how
globalization has effected these events, the feminist critique of science and
its impact, relationships between grass-roots activism (for example, native
American activists and other Environmental Justice group) and between these
groups and more scholarly approaches and contributions by artists, labor-rights
groups, religious leaders, animal rights activists, and deep ecologists. Prerequisite:
Students, at whatever level, are welcome. The requirements will differ for graduate
and undergraduate students. For example, graduate students will be reading more
theoretical articles, and will be responsible for explaining these to the undergraduate
students. In addition, graduate students will be required to submit a final
research paper that is much longer (12-20 pages) than that required for undergraduate
students.
Lcs 550 Legislative Internship (3-6)
Off-campus participation in the NYS Legislature, with collateral academic study. Contingent on approval of a faculty member willing to supervise study and evaluate on-site reports of student's progress. Students will work with legislative members of the NYS State Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. Must apply two weeks prior to start of the academic term; subject to interview and selection process. Prerequisite: Open only to graduate students that have completed at least one year of graduate study and are in good academic standing. Bilingual and multicultural skills will prove particularly useful.
Lcs 551 (Wss 551, His 551) Gender and Class in Latin American Development (3)
The study of the historical interplay of cultural, ideological, and structural factors affecting women's lives during the course of Latin America's experience with modernization and industrialization during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics covered may include: household work, paid work, migration, growth of female headed households, women's political participation, and women's participation in social movements. Prerequisite(s): Any course in Latin American Studies and/or Women's Studies and/or History.
Lcs 556 (Pos 556) Authoritarian and Comparative/Representative Regimes in Latin America (4)
A review of the ideological foundations, sources of support, and administrative styles of authoritarian and competitive/representative regimes. Power elites are examined to evaluate their programs and proposals, as well as the extent of the elites' effectiveness to implement them. Special attention will be paid to elite recruitment and to systemic response to societal demands.
Lcs 575 Caribbean Migration (3)
Focus on post-World War II migration between the Caribbean and the United States. Interdisciplinary in nature, though highlighting approaches from the fields of economics, sociology, political science and history. Major topics include Migration theory; U.S. migration policy impact on receiving and sending populations; socio-historical background to post- war Caribbean Migration; and specific migrations from Cuba, the West Indies, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
Lcs 585 Land and Labor in Latin America (4)
An interdisciplinary study of Latin American economies including analysis of productive systems and institutions, with emphasis on the relations between economic and cultural domains. Prerequisite: Admission to any graduate program.
Lcs 592 Transnationalism, Culture, and Power (3)
This course is designed for graduate students seeking a deeper understanding of the process of transnationalism and how it affect cultural logic, power relations, and hegemonic practices. Methodologically, it juxtaposes political economy, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and transnational approaches that problematize class, gender, and ethnicity in a comprehensive framework. It focuses on transnational practices in East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean in a comparative perspective.
Lcs 593 (Pos 593) International Relations of Latin America (4)
A review of the foreign policies of those Latin American nation-states which attempt to play a significant role at the supra-national level. The readings and discussion will include regional exchanges, as well as relations with the developed nations and with the rest of the Third World.
Lcs 599 Special Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (2-6)
Specific topic, indicated by a discrete title, to be selected by instructor. May be repeated for credit under different titles. Format may include a regular course, seminar, or workshop. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Lcs 691 Directed Reading (1-6)
This course is designed to ensure that the required reading for the Master’s Project is systematically accomplished under the direction of the project director. In accordance with departmental guidelines, the student will prepare an annotated bibliography based on a reading list approved by the project director. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor.
Lcs 692 Directed Reading (1-6)
Independent research on subjects pertinent to the student's course of study. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Lcs 695 Independent Study and Research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (1-6)
Study and research of a selected topic under faculty supervision. Students should select a topic within their selected area of specialty. Prerequisites: Graduate enrollment and consent of supervising faculty member or department chair.
Lcs 696 Selected Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (3)
LACS core faculty according to their specialty will assign discrete titles. The course will be aimed at LACS Master's and doctoral students. May be repeated for credit.
Lcs 697 Directed Master's Project (3)
Supervised research pertinent to the student's course of study and leading to an acceptable written paper for a master's degree. Prerequisites: Enrollment in the LACS MA program and consent of the instructor.
Lcs 781 Directed Reading (1-6)
This course is designed to ensure that the required reading for the doctoral dissertation is systematically accomplished under the direction of the dissertation director. In accordance with departmental guidelines, the student will prepare an annotated bibliography based on a reading list approved by the dissertation director. Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor.
Lcs 782 Independent Field Research (2-15)
May be repeated for credit if advised. Prerequisites: Admission to Ph.D. program and consent of advisor.
Lcs 899 Doctoral dissertation (3-12)
Required of all candidates completing the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prerequisite: Advancement to Candidacy in the LACS track of the Spanish Ph.D. Does not count toward the 60 credit requirement.