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Latin American Studies

• Latin American Studies Major | Latin American Studies Minor
• Latin American Studies Courses

Faculty

The Latin American Studies program at the University of Toronto provides students in the social sciences and humanities an opportunity to engage and deepen their understanding of Latin American regions, their histories, politics, cultures, economies and societies. Courses encourage students to situate both their special interests and the contemporary debates in fields such as anthropology, political science, geography, literature, history, or sociology within a broader interdisciplinary framework, while at the same time committing themselves to an understanding of the historical, cultural and political experiences of Spanish and Portuguese America. Through an engagement with different texts and faculty expertise, this program trains students in current themes such as postcolonial thinking, critical readings of colonial histories, literary and anthropological genres, comparative politics, politics of indigeneity and human rights, as well as in environmental policies and political economy of Latin America and the Americas as a transnational whole. With the possibility to carry out curricula experience in Latin America and internship stages in Canada, this program also offers an important lead for career development experiences on Latin America. This knowledge is increasingly necessary for Canada, as the country enters into new trade, political, environmental, and academic agreements with our emerging hemispheric partners.

Students seeking counselling and information should visit the LAS website: http://las.utoronto.ca and/or contact Dr. Berenice Villagómez, the Program Coordinator at las.coord@utoronto.ca

Latin American Studies Programs

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

There are no specific first-year requirements. However, first-year students are encouraged to take a Spanish or Portuguese language course (SPA100Y, SPA219Y, SPA220Y, SPA320Y, PRT100Y, PRT110Y, PRT220Y), which counts towards the Latin American Studies Major.

(7 FCEs or equivalent. Includes a minimum of 2 FCEs at the 300+-level, at least 0.5 FCE of which must be at the 400-level.)

A. Course work: Students must successfully complete seven full courses or their equivalents sponsored or approved by LAS, as well as satisfy the requirements of their departmental specialization. The requirement is six full courses for students who begin their language study in PRT220Y1 or SPA220Y1/SPA219Y1 (previously SPA319Y1), or who demonstrate language proficiency by exam.

Of the required courses:
1. LAS200Y1
2. LAS300H1 / LAS301H1. Please note that if the subject matter and/or instructor has changed, it will be possible to take, and be credited for, LAS300H1 or LAS301H1 more than once.
3. JQR360H1 or an alternative, but similar, 0.5 FCE course on the combination of quantitative and qualitative reasoning / research design can be taken in consultation with LAS administration.
4. LAS400H1 or an equivalent fourth year-level course, approved by LAS administration.

B. Language: Students must successfully complete (with a grade of at least 65%) the first two levels of instruction in the Spanish or Portuguese language by the end of the third year of study (SPA100Y1, then SPA220Y1; PRT100Y1/PRT110Y1 then PRT220Y1). Spanish Heritage speakers must succesfully complete (with a grade of at least 65%) SPA319Y1 (before September 2012) or SPA219Y1 (after September 2012), as these courses are viewed by the programme as an equivalent of SPA220Y1. Students can also demonstrate equivalent proficiency in the given language through examination by LAS before the end of the second year.

This program has unlimited enrolment and no specific admission requirements. All students who have completed at least 4.0 courses are eligible to enrol.

There are no specific first-year requirements. However, first-year students are welcome to take a Spanish or Portuguese language course (SPA100Y, SPA219Y, SPA220Y, SPA320Y, PRT100Y, PRT110Y, PRT220Y), which counts towards the Latin American Studies Minor.

(4 FCEs or their equivalent, including LAS200Y1 and at least one full course at the 300+ level.)

1. LAS200Y1
2. LAS 300H / LAS301H / LAS302H
3. 2.5 FCEs chosen from LAS courses of the list of approved courses eligible for programme credit. A minimum of 0.5 FCE must be from the Social Sciences; another 0.5 FCE must be from the Humanities. (LAS300H1 can be used to cover the Social Science requirement and LAS301H1, towards the Humanities requirement).

Spanish or Portuguese language study is recommended, but not a requirement. In the Minor programme, language can be counted either towards the 300+ level requirement or as one full course (1 FCE).

The following is a list of undergraduate courses offered by academic units affiliated with LAS. Courses not appearing below may be considered for credit in a Latin American Studies program with permission of the Director. For up-to-date information on this list, please check our website: http://las.utoronto.ca
Students are responsible for checking the co- and prerequisites for all courses in this list. For updates on courses being offered by affiliated units, please check individual departmental websites.

Anthropology
ANT316H1 Ancient Cultures of Mesoamerica
ANT320H1 Ancient Cultures of the Andes
ANT340H1 Anthropology of Latin America
ANT407H1 Inka and Aztec States

Diaspora and Transnational Studies
DTS200Y1 Introduction to Diaspora and Transnational Studies
DTS300H1 Research Design for Diaspora and Transnational Studies

Economics
ECO324Y1 Economic Development
ECO403H1 Topics in Development Economics and Policy

Forest Conservation
FOR201H1 Conservation of Tropical and Subtropical Forests

Geography
GGR101H1 Ancient Civilizations and their Environments
GGR216H1 Global Cities
GGR240H1 Historical Geography of North America
GGR249H1 Contemporary Latin America
GGR341H1 Changing Geography of Latin America
JGE321H1  Multicultural Perspectives on the Environment

History
HIS291Y1 Latin America: The Colonial Period
HIS292Y1 Latin America: The National Period
HIS294Y1 Caribbean History and Culture: Indigenous Era to 1886
HIS301Y1 Imperial Spain
HIS333Y1 Revolution in 20^th Century Latin America
HIS359H1 Regional Politics and Radical Movements in the 20th Century Caribbean
HIS390Y1 Latin America in the Age of Revolution
HIS441H1 Conversion & Christianities in the Early Modern Spanish World
HIS456Y1 Black Slavery in Latin America

Music
MUS305H1 Latin American and Caribbean Music

New College Caribbean Studies
NEW223Y1 Caribbean Literature and Society
NEW324Y1 Caribbean Thought II

Political Science
POL305Y1 Politics and Society in Latin America
POL442H1 Topics in Latin American Politics

Portuguese
PRT100Y1 Beginners Portuguese
PRT110Y1 Elementary Portuguese
PRT220Y1 Intermediate Portuguese
PRT255H1 The Brazilian Puzzle: Culture and Identity
PRT258H1 Introduction to Luso-Brazilian Studies
PRT320Y1 Composition and Oral Practice
PRT351H1 Literature and the Age of Discovery (formerly PRT351Y1)
PRT355H1 Topics in Brazilian Studies
PRT357H1 Modern and Contemporary Brazilian Literature
PRT358H1 Transatlantic Africa and Brazil
PRT365H1 The Rise of Modern Identity
PRT443H1 Machado de Assis: The Creation of the Modern Self (formerly PRT342H1/PRT455Y1)
PRT454Y1 The Luso-Brazilian Identity
PRT458H1 The Luso-Brazilian Short Story

St. Michael's College, Christianity and Culture
SMC207H1 Christianity in Latin America

Spanish
SPA100Y1 Spanish for Beginners
SPA219Y1 Spanish for Bilingual and Native Speakers (previously SPA319Y1)
SPA220Y1 Intermediate Spanish
SPA258H1 Introduction to Hispanic Literary Studies
SPA259H1 Introduction to Hispanic Cultural Studies
SPA320Y1 Advanced Spanish
SPA326H1 Latin American Varieties of Spanish Through the Media
SPA375H1 Latin American Cinema
SPA381H1 Nation, Identity and Literary Modernism in Spanish-America
SPA382H1 Spanish American Women in Art, Film and Literature
SPA384H1 Avant-Garde Movements in Spanish America
SPA385H1 Literature and Social Change in Spanish America
SPA386H1 Literary Landscapes of the Mexican Revolution
SPA387H0 Contemporary Mexican Literature
SPA422H1 Sociolinguistics of Spanish
SPA467H1 Topics in Spanish-American Culture
SPA468H1 Topics in Modern Spanish-American Literature
SPA471H1 The Historical Novel in Spanish America
SPA480H1 Theories of Culture in Latin America
SPA482H1 20th Century Spanish American Narrative
SPA486H1 Contemporary Caribbean Literatures and Identities
SPA487H1 The Culture of Revolution
SPA488H1 Central America Postwar Narrative

UTM Courses
GGR369H5 The Changing Geographies of Latin America
HIS290H5 Introduction to Latin American History
HIS330H5 Politics and Political Change in Latin America
HIS345H5 Popular Culture in Latin America
HIS390H5 Revolutions and Nations in Latin America
HIS391H5 Mexico from Aztec to Zapatista
HIS454H5 Race, Gender and Nation in Modern Latin America
HIS490H5 Religion and Society in Latin America
POL438Y5 Topics in Comparative Politics: Latin America
SOC332H5 Race and Ethnicity 1
SPA100Y5 Spanish for Beginners
SPA220Y5 Intermediate Spanish
SPA259H5 Introduction to Hispanic Culture
SPA320Y5 Advanced Spanish

UTSC Courses
ANTB18H3 Development, Inequality and Social Change in Latin America
HISC38H3 Mexico Through American Eyes
HISD08H3 Borderlands and Beyond: Thinking About a North American History
LGGA30H3 Introductory Spanish I
LGGA31H3 Introductory Spanish II
LGGB32H3 Intermediate Spanish I
LGGB33H3 Intermediate Spanish II
LGGC30H3 Advanced Spanish: Language, Culture and Literature
POLB90H3 Comparative Development in International Perspective
POLB91H3 Comparative Development in Political Perspective
POLC90H3  Development Studies: Political and Historical Perspectives
POLC91H3 Latin America: Dictatorship and Democracy
POLC94H3 Globalization, Gender and Development
POLC99H3 Latin America: The Politics of the Dispossessed

Latin American Studies Courses

The 199Y1 and 199H1 seminars are designed to provide the opportunity to work closely with an instructor in a class of no more than twenty-four students. These interactive seminars are intended to stimulate the students’ curiosity and provide an opportunity to get to know a member of the professorial staff in a seminar environment during the first year of study. Details can be found at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/fyh-1/.

An introductory course that studies the development of societies in the Latin American region from its pre-Columbian past to its heterogeneous present. Cultural, geographical, historical, literary, political and social topics will be examined combining traditional historical narratives and supporting documents with art, cinema, music and other texts from popular culture and mass media. This course is open to students in at least their second year of undergraduate study. It provides both a broad foundation, and an invitation to delve deeper in further courses and in different disciplinary concentrations.

The goal of this course is to critically analyze the current economic, social, and political realities of Latin America, based on an insightful knowledge of its past and present. Topics of the course vary depending on the needs of the program and the interests of students.

The goal of this course is to critically analyze the Latin American social imaginaries as expressed in art, literature and/or film, based on close readings of texts. Topics of the course vary depending on the needs of the program and the interests of students.

This interdisciplinary course examines Cuba's relevance and legacy from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. It explores tensions of Cuban life in counterpoint with its creative rendering in the arts and literature, through a variety of fresh approaches in fields such as cultural studies, historical sociology, anthropology, and sociology of religion.

Examines the Canadian population census through the experience of diasporic groups in Canada. Approaches the census as a statistical tool, an historical source and an ideological project of citizenship and nationalism. Uses census data to explore mathematical and statistical concepts and to integrate numerical ways of thinking with qualitative analysis. (Jointly sponsored by African Studies, Diaspora and Transnational Studies, Caribbean Studies, Equity Studies and Latin American Studies).

An upper level seminar. Topics of the course vary from year to year, depending on the needs of the program and the interests of students. Offered in alternate years.

This course provides an opportunity for students to do academic research related to Latin American issues under the supervision of a faculty member. The intent is that the student, aided and advised by the supervisor, will read relevant literature, and plan, execute, analyze and report on an original and independent investigation of an appropriate topic. For application forms, please visit the "Resources" section of the programme's website. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.