Requirements for Concentration:

12 units, including:

• No more than 2 units at the 100 level, one of which must be LALS 105  
• Work above the introductory level in at least three departments
• Competency in Spanish or Portuguese through the third-year level (at least one course beyond HISP 216 , or Portuguese 310-311, or the equivalent).
  • Maximum of 4 units of language instruction may count toward the concentration, not including intermediate- and advanced-level literature courses.

• At least one “methods” course requirement chosen from the following: HISP 216 , ANTH 245 , SOCI 254 , POLI 207  or POLI 273 .
• At least one course that focuses on the period prior to 1900 out of the following: ANTH 240 , HISP 227 , HIST 262 , HIST 263 .
• At least one course in Latino studies such as:
  • ENGL 230 , LALS 249  or SOCI 253 .
• At least 3 units at the 300-level, which must include the Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program senior seminar, and which may include a 1-unit graded senior thesis and a LALS-approved seminar by an instructor other than the one responsible for the LALS senior seminar.

Senior Year Requirements:

Students may write a multidisciplinary thesis under the co-direction of two thesis advisers, one of whom must be a participating program faculty member. Students may also conduct a community-based senior project, again under the co-direction of two project advisers, one of whom must be a participating program faculty member. The senior project must go well beyond a fieldwork experience, and it will require a well-defined written component.

After the declaration of the major, no courses counting for the major may be elected NRO. Students interested in Latin American and Latino/a Studies should consult with the director or a participating faculty member as early as possible to discuss their program of study. The Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program strongly recommends a structured academic experience beyond Vassar relevant to the student’s program during the junior year, either in Latin America or at an appropriate domestic institution.