Latin American, Iberian, and Latinx Studies
Academic Programs
Department Website:
https://www.haverford.edu/lails
The Latin American, Iberian, and Latinx Studies Concentration is an interdisciplinary program for students majoring in a related discipline who wish to undertake a comprehensive study of the cultures of Spanish America, Brazil, or the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
Students supplement a major in one of the cooperating departments (e.g., history, history of art, religion, political science, anthropology, economics, comparative literature, linguistics or Spanish) with courses that focus on Latin American, Iberian, and US-Latinx issues and themes.
Learning Goals
- Students will develop a substantial understanding of the diverse people, cultures and histories of the Latin American and Iberian worlds, including US-Latinx's.
- Students will enhance their studies within established majors through a coordinated multi- and interdisciplinary focus on specific regions, cultural zones and languages.
Haverford’s Institutional Learning Goals are available on the President’s website, at http://hav.to/learninggoals.
Concentration Requirements
Requirements for the concentration (six courses and one essay):
- Concentrators must demonstrate competence in Spanish to be achieved no later than the junior year, demonstrated by the completion of at least one course in Spanish at the 200 level or above.
- SPAN H240 at Haverford, or GNST B245 at Bryn Mawr. One of these two courses will be taught every year, usually in spring, alternating between Haverford and Bryn Mawr.
- At least two, and no more than three, courses must be completed in the departmental major.
- At least two other courses in Latin American or Iberian Studies, representing at least two departments outside of the major. These courses are to be chosen from the offerings listed under the concentration in the Catalog or the Course Guide. Students should consult with their advisors as to which courses are most appropriate for their major and special interests: some apply more to Latin America, some to the Iberian Peninsula and others to the United States. Students may have other courses approved to fulfill this requirement if they can demonstrate their pertinence to the concentration. The concentration coordinator will approve courses not listed in the Catalog or Course Guide on a case-by-case basis. These can include courses offered at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, the University of Pennsylvania, or in approved study abroad programs.
- One of the courses fulfilling the third or fourth bullet point must be at the 300 level.
- A long paper (at least 20 pages) on Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, or the Latinx experience in the United States to be completed no later than the first semester of the senior year, as part of the work for a course in the student’s major or the concentration. Students must submit in advance a proposal for the paper topic, accompanied by a bibliography, for the concentration coordinator’s approval. Although the topic is open and should reflect the student’s interests in a particular discipline, the paper should demonstrate the student’s ability to discuss cogently the history, literature, social, or political thought of Latin America or Spain as it applies to the individual student’s research project. The concentration coordinator may on a case-by-case basis approve creative works, such as films and other types of art requiring work comparable to a long paper, to fulfill this requirement.
- A 2-page reflection on how the courses students took for the LAILS concentration helped them understand the topic of research, and/or other specific issues in Latin America and Spain more deeply.
- A brief presentation of the project and reflection to be scheduled at the end of the Spring semester.
- No more than two credits towards the concentration will be awarded for work done beyond the Tri-Co, whether abroad or in the U.S.
Affiliated Programs
Accelerated Degree Program with the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University
Haverford has been invited to join other distinguished colleges and universities in an agreement with the Center for Latin American at Georgetown University to participate in a five-year joint degree program. The cooperative agreement allows undergraduate concentrators in Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies to pursue an accelerated course of study in a graduate degree.
The program offers the highest qualified applicants the opportunity to count four courses from their undergraduate study toward the M.A. program in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, enabling them to complete the degree in two semesters and one summer.
The five-year B.A.-M.A. program is designed for those students who demonstrate excellence at the undergraduate level. Qualified undergraduates must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5, declare an interest in the Accelerated Degree Program during their junior year, and participate in the Center’s summer study abroad program. During the senior year, candidates apply through the normal Georgetown M.A. application cycle. If accepted into the M.A. program, students may transfer up to four courses (two from the CLAS summer study program in Mexico or Chile and two advanced courses from the undergraduate institution) to be applied to the M.A. All M.A. prerequisites must be completed during the student’s undergraduate education, and students must have concentrated in Latin American Studies at the undergraduate level.
For more detailed information, consult with the LAILS coordinator or visit the Georgetown Center for Latin American Studies website: https://grad.georgetown.edu/latin-american-studies/.