UBC Okanagan

Latin American Studies

Major in Latin American Studies

An interdisciplinary degree program at the UBC Okanagan campus.

Note: The UBC Okanagan campus offers other interdisciplinary programs, including the Major in International Relations, the Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and the Minor in Gender and Women's Studies.

Latin American Studies is an undergraduate program designed to give students a broad general knowledge of Latin America and its diverse peoples and to allow them to construct a truly interdisciplinary approach to study the language, culture, society, geography, political systems, and history of Latin America. The program stresses language skills, historical breadth and depth, and theme-based focus within individual programs of study; its faculty members are drawn from many departments and two faculties of the University.

The Major program is intended to provide a focused approach to critical examination of Latin America in its tremendous complexity and its contemporary regional and international context. A bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies provides a solid foundation for diverse career and academic options, such as international law, international business, politics, foreign service, teaching, international NGO work, media and communication, and most discipline-based arts and professional graduate programs. Students majoring in Latin American Studies are encouraged to study and travel in other countries as part of the B.A. program.

Students should meet with a program advisor for the Latin American Studies program during their first year to plan their Major.

Latin American Studies Major Degree Requirements:

• B.A. requirements;
• Language: students completing a Major in Latin American Studies must complete at least 12 credits of Spanish language at UBC or at an approved institution in a Spanish-speaking country, at least 6 of which must be at the 300 or 400 level. Students with previous knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese should consult with the Spanish Program Advisor. Proficiency exams may be administered in lieu of this requirement, but do not exclude credit towards SPAN courses required to complete the Major.

First and Second Years

• SPAN 150;
• HIST 151;
• HIST 240 or INDG 203;
• INDG 210; and
• Any 200-level Spanish course.

Third and Fourth Years

Students should not assume that the same courses will be offered two years in a row. When selecting courses for third year, students are advised to take as many required courses as possible. Students are advised to make themselves aware of any prerequisites to courses as they plan their degrees.

Part A: Requirements

Students are required to complete the following:

• POLI 318 and 319;
• SOCI 440;
• 6 credits of HIST 351, 352, 353, 354, 444, 450, 452, 453, 454, or INDG 310;
• 6 credits of ANTH 320, 323, 363, or 411; and
• 6 additional credits of SPAN 310, 311, 408, 410, 411, 412, or 420.

Part B: Electives

Students are required to take 9 credits of additional 300- and 400-level courses with relevant content approved by the program advisor.

Minor in Latin American Studies

This is an interdisciplinary program intended to provide students with a broad exposure to the cultures, histories, and languages of Latin America. Ideally, the Minor complements a major in one of the participating disciplines that comprise Latin American Studies, but it can be combined with any major program in Arts or Sciences. The Minor in Latin American Studies requires completion of 30 credits, organized into 12 lower-level credits and 18 upper-level credits from the following list. Completion of SPAN 302 is strongly recommended for the Minor, but not required. For Science students, the Minor requires the completion of 18 lower-level credits and 12 upper-level credits drawn from the following:

Lower-Level Courses

SPAN 150, 280; ANTH 241; ARTH 250; HIST 145, 151, 240, 241; INDG 203, 210

Upper-Level Courses

ANTH 320, 323, 363, 411; HIST 325, 351, 352, 353, 354, 401, 444, 450, 452, 453, 454; INDG 310; POLI 318, 319, 371, 377; SOCI 440; SPAN 303, 304, 310, 311, 315, 380¹, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 419, 420, 425, 495¹

Students should meet with a program advisor for the Latin American Studies program during their first year to plan their Minor.

¹Only when content is focused on Latin America.