Oct 10, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Latinx and Latin American Studies (BA)


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The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Latinx and Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary major that covers the important region of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean and of Latinx people in the United States. The program promotes intercultural understanding, and offers students an opportunity to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of Latin America in its many aspects and from many different points of view. Participating faculty specialize in political economy, border studies, anthropological approaches, exile studies, as well as Latinx and Latin American history, literature and film. Coursework in the program offers students a solid foundation in the history, politics, economics, culture, and literature of Latin America and the Caribbean and of Latinx communities in the United States.

Please see the UNLV College of Liberal Arts, Latinx and Latin American Studies web page at www.unlv.edu/interdisciplinary/latin-american-studies for information about department programs, faculty and facilities. Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plan for the major are available at www.unlv.edu/degree/ba-latin-american-studies.

Learning Outcomes

  1. To gain a multidisciplinary understanding of the history, politics, economics, and culture of Latin America and of the history, contributions, life, and culture of Latinx people in the United States and their transnational contexts from their indigenous origins to the present.
  2. To learn about the literature and creative works of the region, from the pre-Colombian period to the present.
  3. To expand and facilitate collaborative research and scholarship on Latinx communities/populations both locally and nationally, preparing out students for academic success, employment and leadership positions. 
  4. To acquire a capacity to summarize and evaluate critically theories and concepts used in the analysis of the history, politics, and economic development of Latin America.
  5. To expand critical thinking, communication, and research opportunities through an engaged interdisciplinary curriculum across the university and to improvewriting and research skills, including an ability to develop a research question, review the relevant research literature, collect information and data from a variety of sources, and support an argument with evidence and data.
  6. To promote a vision of social justice through student-centered teaching/mentoring, research and service by including explorations of race, class, gender and sexuality paradigms and to gain awareness of cultural diversity in Latin America, the U.S., and other parts of the world.
  7. To utilize Las Vegas as a laboratory for inquiry as its transformation and development socially, economically, politically, demographically and culturally impact and are impacted by its Latinx communities.

Advising


Please see advising information at the UNLV College of Liberal Arts Wilson Advising Center.

Modality: Blended


This program requires some In-Person courses to graduate, while other courses can be taken online. A blended student is one who has committed to pursuing their degree, minor, certificate, or microcredential through both in-person and online education.

Accreditation


For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

University Graduation Requirements


Please see Graduation Policies  for complete information.

Latinx and Latin American Studies (BA) Degree Requirements - Total: 120 Credits


General Education Requirements - Subtotal: 37-41 Credits


First-Year Seminar - Credits: 3


English Composition - Credits: 6


Second-Year Seminar - Credits: 3


Constitutions - Credits: 4-6


Mathematics - Credits: 3


Distribution Requirement - Credits: 18-20


Please see Distribution Requirements  for more information.

  • Humanities and Fine Arts: 9 credits
    • Two 3-credit courses in the humanities and one 3-credit course in fine arts.
  • Social Science:
    • Automatically satisfied by Major requirement
  • Life and Physical Sciences and Analytical Thinking - 9-11 credits

Multicultural and International


Multicultural, one 3 credit course required
International, one 3 credit course required

These courses may overlap with general education and major requirements.  A single course may not meet the multicultural and international requirements simultaneously. For the list of approved multicultural and international courses, go to: www.unlv.edu/provost/multicultural-requirements.

Major Degree Requirements - BA in Latinx and Latin American Studies - Subtotal: 54 Credits


Latinx and Latin American Studies Major Requirements - Credits: 36
Additional Requirements - Credits: 18

  • Foreign Language/Foreign Culture: 6 credits (see note 2 below)
  • Social Science: 9 credits
  • Fine Arts: 3 credits

 

General Electives - Credits: 25-29


Total Credits: 120


Notes


  1. A semester or year at a Latin American university or extensive field work in a Latin American country is strongly recommended.
  2. In addition to the foreign language requirements of College of Liberal Arts, two years of Spanish language courses or the equivalent knowledge established by examination are required.
  3. Please consult with an advisor regarding satisfying the Milestone Experience requirement for Latinx and Latin American Studies B.A.
  4. IDS 495A  is a Culminating Experience course for Latinx and Latin American Studies B.A.

Committee


For information concerning the Latin American Studies Committee and its members go to www.unlv.edu/interdisciplinary/latin-american-studies.

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