Latin American Studies

A dancer in a traditional costume at Carleton's annual Dia de los Muertos celebration

Carleton’s Latin American Studies program provides a framework for understanding the culture and institutions of the region. Students examine the ideas, literary and aesthetic forms, and historical events of Latin America. We view human problems and experiences from many viewpoints. And we use tools and methodologies from several scholarly disciplines.

The Latin American Studies program provides a framework for studying the diverse societies of Latin America. With its cultural mosaic shaped by the meeting of Native American, European, African, and Asian peoples, and its profound geographic, social, and economic variations, Latin America presents rich opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural study. By drawing upon the perspectives and methodologies of several disciplines, students are challenged to pursue a deeper understanding of the cultures, institutions, and experiences of Latin Americans. The program provides a forum for examining the intersection of issues of politics, economic development, ethnicity, gender, religion, and cultural expression.

Students interested in exploring Latin American Studies are strongly encouraged to enroll in at least one of several gateway courses early in their career at Carleton. Those designated courses are: HIST 170: Modern Latin America; POSC 221: Latin American Politics (not offered 2026-27); and SPAN 242: Introduction to Latin American Literature.

Students pursuing the Latin American Studies major are expected to demonstrate competency in the Spanish language by completing SPAN 205: Conversation and Composition or an equivalent course.

Students pursuing the Latin American Studies minor are expected to demonstrate competency in the Spanish language by completing SPAN 204: Intermediate Spanish or an equivalent course.

Major Requirements – 66 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 12 credits

HIST 170: Modern Latin America
LTAM 300: Issues in Latin American Studies

300-level SPAN Courses Focused on Latin America – Required 12 credits

SPAN 319: Works on Work: Films and Literature on Labor in Latin America (not offered 2026-27)
SPAN 356: The Political and Cultural History of the Cuban Revolution (not offered 2026-27)
SPAN 360: Green Labyrinth: Storytelling and Sacred Plants
SPAN 366: Jorge Luis Borges: Less a Man Than a Vast and Complex Literature (not offered 2026-27)
SPAN 376: Mexico City: The City as Protagonist (not offered 2026-27)
SPAN 385: Riots, Rebellions & Revolutions in Latin America

300-Level HIST, SOAN or POSC Course Focused on Latin America – Required 6 credits

Elective Courses – Required 30 credits

Students must complete an additional 5 electives (30 credits) from the LTAM Elective/Additional Courses List below.

Senior Integrative Exercise – Required 6 credits

LTAM 400: Integrative Exercise

Additional Departmental Notes

Students are strongly encouraged to complete the non-Spanish 300-level course prior to writing their integrative exercise, and to select a 300-level course in a discipline appropriate to the focus of their anticipated comps topic. Students who complete this requirement with a 300-level history course must take at least one approved sociology and anthropology or political science course as an elective.

Up to 27 credits from approved off-campus programs may be counted as electives for the major. Credits in natural science courses taken in Latin America may be applied toward the electives requirement if the director approves. Up to twelve elective credits may be comparative or Latinx in focus (Economics 240, 241, Religion 227, Sociology/Anthropology 203, 233). No more than four courses (twenty-four credits) in any one discipline may apply to the major.

Minor Requirements – 42 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 18 credits

HIST 170: Modern Latin America
LTAM 300: Issues in Latin American Studies
LTAM 398: Latin American Forum

Latin American Literature Course – Required 6 credits

SPAN 219 (not offered 2026-27) or higher and not in translation

200/300 Level ECON, POSC or SOAN Course Focused on Latin America – (6 credits)

Elective Courses – Required 12 credits

Students must complete and additional 2 electives (12 credits) from the LTAM Elective/Additional Courses listed below.

Additional Departmental Notes

Up to 12 credits from approved off-campus programs may be counted as electives for the minor.

Major Requirements – 66 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 12 credits

300-level SPAN Courses Focused on Latin America – Required 12 credits

300-Level HIST, SOAN or POSC Course Focused on Latin America – Required 6 credits

Elective Courses – Required 30 credits

Senior Integrative Exercise – Required 6 credits

Additional Departmental Notes

Minor Requirements – 42 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 18 credits

Latin American Literature Course – Required 6 credits

200/300 Level ECON, POSC or SOAN Course Focused on Latin America – (6 credits)

Elective Courses – Required 12 credits

Additional Departmental Notes

LTAM 101 Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil Program: Elementary Portuguese

LTAM 102 Unsettling Latin America: New Encounters

LTAM 110 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers

LTAM 113 Archaeology of Ancient Latin America

LTAM 220 Eating the Americas: 5,000 Years of Food

LTAM 230 Ancient People of the Andes

LTAM 300 Issues in Latin American Studies

LTAM 330 Ancient Peoples of the Andes

LTAM 398 Latin American Forum

LTAM 400 Integrative Exercise

About Latin American Studies

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Major

Major Requirements – 66 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 12 credits

300-level SPAN Courses Focused on Latin America – Required 12 credits

300-Level HIST, SOAN or POSC Course Focused on Latin America – Required 6 credits

Elective Courses – Required 30 credits

Senior Integrative Exercise – Required 6 credits

Additional Departmental Notes

Requirements for the Latin American Studies Minor

Minor Requirements – 42 Total Credits

Required Courses – Required 18 credits

Latin American Literature Course – Required 6 credits

200/300 Level ECON, POSC or SOAN Course Focused on Latin America – (6 credits)

Elective Courses – Required 12 credits

Additional Departmental Notes