Department of Latin American, Caribbean & U.S. Latino Studies

Distinguished Professors
 Edna Acosta-Belén, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
  Columbia University
 Daniel C. Levy, Ph.D.,
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Professors
 Jeanette Altarriba, Ph.D.
  Vanderbilt University
 Christine Bose, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
  Johns Hopkins University
 Louise Burkhart, Ph.D.
  Yale University
 Max Lifchitz, M.M. (Department Chair)
  Harvard University
 Colbert I. Nepaulsingh, Ph.D.
  University of Toronto

Associate Professors
 José Cruz, Ph.D.
  City University of New York
 Glyne Griffith, Ph.D.  
  University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
 Fernando Leiva, Ph. D.
  Universty of Massachusetts at Amherst 
 Gilbert Valverde, Ph.D.
  University of Chicago
 James W. Wessman, Ph.D.
  University of Connecticut

Assistant Professors
 Susan Gauss, Ph.D.
  SUNY-Stony Brook
 Patricia Pinho, Ph.D.
  State University of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
 Barbara Sutton, Ph.D.
  University of Oregon

Adjuncts and Lecturers
 Teresa Carranza, Ph.D.
  University at Albany
 C. Aida Torres-Horwitt, Ph.D.
  University at Albany
 
Adjuncts (estimated): 3
Teaching Assistants (estimated): 7

The Department of Latin American, Caribbean, & U.S. Latino Studies has a cross-disciplinary faculty prepared to train undergraduates for research, service, and applied careers dealing with the U.S. Latino communities and with the Caribbean and Latin American regions.

The department offers two undergraduate major options: 1) Latin American studies and 2) Puerto Rican studies.

The interdisciplinary major in Latin American studies has been designed to prepare students for professional and research careers; domestic service with federal and state governmental agencies; careers in the United States foreign service; careers with business and educational organizations, public and private foundations, and other private or public agencies engaged in developing, improving, and promoting trade and the social, political, and economic life of the peoples of Latin America; editing and journalism; and paramedical and paralegal careers.

This major requires interdisciplinary course work with Latin American content and competence in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Opportunities for study abroad are also available through the University’s Office for International Education.

The interdisciplinary major in Puerto Rican studies has been designed to provide students with an opportunity for intensive interdisciplinary exploration of the Puerto Rican experience in the Caribbean and in the United States. In addition the program provides an integrated, broadly based knowledge of the islands of the Caribbean, the rest of Latin America, and the United States. Courses deal with aspects of the life of Puerto Ricans: cultural, social, political, and economic processes; language; literature and the arts; and education. In addition, the program provides the opportunity for comparative study of other Latino groups in the United States.

Undergraduate students in the department are also provided with opportunities for community-oriented research, community service, and study abroad. Upon completion of the program requirements, students should possess a reading knowledge of Spanish. Most students enrolled in Puerto Rican studies are also encouraged to have a second major in one of the traditional disciplines.

Minor sequences in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, in U.S. Latino Studies, and in Globilization of the Americas are is also currently offered by the department.

Courses focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean are also offered in the Departments of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, History, Geography and Regional Planning, Anthropology, Sociology, Africana Studies, Education, Economics, and Political Science, and Women's Studies.

General Program B.A.: A minimum of 36 credits, 12 of which must be at or above the 300 level, as follows:
Introduction (3 cr): A LCS 100.
Latin America and the Caribbean (3 cr): A LCS 102 or 269 or 360 or 405.
Latin America and Puerto Rico (3 cr): A LCS 150.
Latin Americans in the United States (3 cr): A LCS 201 or 302.
Social Science Requirements (3 cr): A LCS 233 or 250 or 354 or 357 or 359 or 361.
Humanities and Fine Arts Requirement (3 cr): A LCS 216 or 268 or 312 or 315 or 316 or 317 or 318 or 319 or 326 or 327 or 414 or 415.
Race, Gender and Ethnicity (3 cr): A LCS 240 or 282 or 451.
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (3 cr): A LCS 400.
Electives with Latin American or Caribbean content as advised (12 cr).
Reading proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, or French:
The department will administer the proficiency examinations. The intent is to test the student’s ability to read and understand research material written in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. The examination will consist of questions about selected passages in the appropriate language. Students can build proficiency through completion of the appropriate reading courses in Portuguese, Spanish, or French. Students are also encouraged to use appropriate materials and media in the Interactive Media Center in the University Library to build their reading skills. To schedule an examination, students should contact the undergraduate program director, Department of Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies, for more details.

General Program B.A.: A total of 36 credits, 12 of which must be at or above the 300 level, as follows:
Core Courses on Puerto Ricans (9 cr): A LCS 150, 329, and 429.
Puerto Rico and the Caribbean (9 cr): A LCS 102, 269, and 405.
Puerto Rico and Latin America (3 cr): A LCS 100 or 357 or 361.
Race, Gender, and Ethnicity (3 cr): A LCS 201 or 240 or 282 or 302 or 451.
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (3 cr): A LCS 400.
Electives with Latin American or Caribbean content as advised (9 cr)
Reading proficiency in Spanish:
The department will administer the proficiency examinations. The intent is to test the student’s ability to read and understand research material about Puerto Rico written in Spanish. The examination will consist of translations of selected passages in Spanish. Students can build proficiency through completion of the appropriate reading courses in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Students are also encouraged to use appropriate materials and media in the Interactive Media Center in the University Library to build their reading skills.To schedule an examination, students should contact the undergraduate program director, Department of Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies.
 
Honors Program

The Honors Program in the Department of Latin American, Caribbean, & U.S. Latino Studies consists of at least 12 credits of course work designed to enhance and intensify the undergraduate experience for the honors student.

To be eligible for admission to the honors program, the student must have declared either the Latin American Studies or the Puerto Rican Studies major. The student must also have completed at least 12 credits of course work within the given major. In addition, the student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.25, and 3.50 in the major, both of which must be maintained in order to graduate with honors.

To be admitted to the Honors Program, majors with the required grade point averages must complete A LCS 400 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (3 credits) with a grade of A or A-.

After admission to the Honors Program, the student must complete with a grade of A or A- a specifically designed 3 credit junior or senior level independent honors project (A LCS 497) under the direction of an Honors Committee selected by the chair of the department in consultation with a faculty director chosen by the student.