History and Overview

The Center for Latin American Studies coordinates teaching, research, and service activities related to Latin America and the Caribbean. The Center for Latin American Studies offers an undergraduate certificate and a minor through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in cooperation with the colleges of Agriculture, Architecture, Business, Education, Fine Arts, Journalism and Communications, and others by arrangement. The minor requires a set of courses separate from a student’s departmental major and appears on the transcript. The certificate is a diploma-like document issued by the Center for Latin American Studies to acknowledge a concentration within and beyond a student’s major. A major in Latin American Studies is possible through the Interdisciplinary Major Program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

A major in Latin American Studies is possible through the Interdisciplinary Major Program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for those students with academic goals that cannot be achieved within the existing academic programs in Latin American Studies.

The undergraduate minor and certificate in Latin American Studies are designed for students interested in Latin America and/or the Caribbean who intend to pursue graduate studies or a career in Latin American or Caribbean-related business, government service, or teaching. The minor and certificate will prepare students both for living in Latin America and the Caribbean and for working with people from the region or interpreting their cultures within the U.S.

A student interested in the minor or certificate should first consult with their departmental major adviser, then with the undergraduate adviser at the Center for Latin American Studies, (Cristina Espinosa, 319 Grinter Hall 392-0375 or espinosa@latam.ufl.edu).

Minor in Latin American Studies

A minor in Latin American Studies requires 19 credit hours of Latin American and/or Caribbean courses, distributed as follows:

• at least three of the "core" courses (100 percent Latin American or Caribbean content) completed with a C (9 credits)
• the one-credit FLAC (Foreign Language Across the Curriculum) enhancement section associated with the chosen lecture course;
• one of the Center for Latin American Studies’ interdisciplinary seminar, LAS 4935 (or graduate section LAS 6938, with permission of the instructor (3 credits). A student might take LAS 4935 up to three times as core courses since content varies each term.
• six credits of additional core courses, seminar or elective courses (at least 25 percent Latin American or Caribbean content). The list of core and elective courses is available at the Center for Latin American Studies, 319 Grinter Hall.

Only courses at the 2000 level or above will count toward the minor. Advanced Placement credits do not count. Overseas study credits can count as core or elective courses pending review by the undergraduate advisor at the Center for Latin American Studies.

Additionally, a student must demonstrate high-intermediate proficiency in a Latin American language through course work (Spanish, SPN 2240; Portuguese, POR 3240, or Haitian Créole, HAI 2210) or examination (Advance Placement 4-5 plus approval or SAT II score of 700). Language courses at the 2000 level taken in order to fulfill the language requirement can count as electives; those above the 3000 level can count as core courses. Students with prior knowledge of a Latin American or Caribbean language must demonstrate proficiency through a written placement test (SAT II test for Spanish) or oral examination for speakers of Portuguese or Haitian Créole. Bilingual Spanish speakers are urged to take Spanish for Bilingual Speakers courses as core course options. Course work in a second Latin American language counts as core or elective credits, depending on the level.

Certificate in Latin American Studies

The undergraduate certificate requires at least 24 credits of Latin American and/or Caribbean courses completed with a "C" or better. All course work, including courses in a student’s major or minor, can count toward the certificate. Students are encouraged to take as much Latin American and Caribbean course work within their major as possible. A student can receive both a minor and a certificate. The language and seminar requirements are the same as for the minor. The differences from the minor are as follows:

• Nine of the 24 credit hours must be core courses outside the student’s major.
• Of these, at least one course must be in the humanities, one in the social sciences and one in any field.
• The Foreign Language Across the Curriculum (FLAC) lecture and one-credit enhancement sections are strongly recommended but not required.
• The certificate may be obtained as a Post-Baccalaureate student.

Study in Latin America

Candidates for both the minor and the certificate are encouraged to spend a summer, a semester or an academic year living in a Latin American country.

The Center for Latin American Studies supports three overseas language and culture study programs: in Brazil, Mexico and Miami/Haiti. The UF programs and other SUS (State University System) programs are usually the best possible value in overseas study, and are catered to area-studies students. The Brazil and Mexico programs feature immersion through homestay housing with local families, and all three programs provide language training customized to a student’s needs and contextualized within a concurrent study of the culture. Intermediate-level language study may count as elective credits and advanced-level as core credits toward the minor or certificate in Latin American Studies. Guaranteed loans may be used for these programs.

Credits obtained from similar programs offered by other institutions may transfer to UF and may be applied to the minor or certificate with prior approval from the UF International center, the student’s major department, and the undergraduate adviser at the Center for Latin American Studies.

This summer program in Brazilian Portuguese and Brazilian culture, established in 1978, is co-sponsored by Florida International University and held in Rio at the Instituto Brasil-Estados Unidos. The six-week program yields six credit hours. To participate, students must have completed one semester of Portuguese (intensive Portuguese POR 3010 is offered Summer A) or two semesters of Spanish.

Since 1985, the center has sponsored a summer and semester or academic-year program at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, in Mérida, Mexico. Summer-program students receive nine credit hours, five in Spanish conversation (intermediate or advanced level) and four in either ecology or anthropology. Students in the semester or academic-year program, which is designed for students with advanced Spanish-language proficiency, take regular courses at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Two university semesters of Spanish are required for the summer program and four semesters for the academic semester or year programs.

This summer program for the study of Haitian Créole language and Haitian culture is co-sponsored by Florida International University. It is held in Miami and includes a fieldtrip to Haiti. Participants are housed on the FIU campus.

Other Activities

The Center sponsors speakers, an annual conference, a film series, art exhibits and musical performances. It supports publication of scholarly work and a newsletter, provides an educational outreach service, and cooperates with other units of the university in overseas research and training programs. Most of these activities are open to undergraduates.