Undergraduate Minor
The Center for Latin American Studies falls under the division of Stanford Global Studies (SGS). As a part of SGS, CLAS is pleased to offer a Minor in Global Studies with a specialization in Latin American Studies.
What is Global Studies?
Global studies encompasses the insights and knowledge base of area studies: the interdisciplinary study of world regions and their intersecting cultures, languages, history, politics, and societies. Global studies advances this concept further by applying multi-disciplinary knowledge, from human biology and earth sciences to music and engineering, to better understand the character of world regions, their respective developmental trajectories, and the way those trajectories fit within the larger context of globalization.
Global Studies Minor
The Global Studies Minor is available to Stanford undergraduates from any major, and is designed to provide students an opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary study in one of six specializations, including in-depth language study, while integrating this knowledge within a larger global perspective.
Students planning to pursue the Global Studies Minor with a specialization in Latin American Studies should consult the CLAS Adviser Elizabeth Saenz-Ackermann, or Executive Director of Stanford Global Studies, Kate Kuhns. Then students must declare the Global Studies Minor and subplan in Axess. Students should submit an online proposal of coursework for approval no later than the second quarter of their junior year. CLAS requires that students demonstrate advanced proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese and complete 28 units of coursework certified for the Minor that are not redundant to required units for their majors. Students are urged to pursue field experience or study abroad in Latin America.
All students will be required to complete 28 units, including a three-unit gateway course, Global 101. The remaining 25 credits are unique to each specialization. The minor must be completed by the second quarter of the senior year. Upon completion of the minor, students will present their capstone projects in a seminar with other Global Studies Minor participants. Students participating in the Bing Overseas Studies Program are especially encouraged to enroll.
Global 101
In this introductory course, students will examine globalism and globalization in historical and contemporary contexts; engage with theoretical frameworks and a range of case studies from a variety of national/regional contexts; and use these to analyze global economic, political, environmental, and socio-cultural networks, trends, and issues, exploring the interconnectedness of the local and the global. The aim of this course is to encourage students to think comparatively across major world regions, and to work on issues that integrate specific regions within the larger international community.
Why Study Latin America?
- Engage in the integrated understanding of the region's history and culture, political economy, and environmental sustainability
- Gain a conceptual foundation to pursue a variety of career paths in the public and private sectors pertaining to the region
- Acquire language and cultural competency
Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Honors
The Interdisciplinary Honors Program in Latin American Studies is no longer accepting applications. Please contact the Center for Latin American Studies if you wish to incorporate Latin America into your honors thesis project.
