Information and Policies
Introduction
A degree in Latin American and Latino studies (LALS) trains students to be critical and analytical thinkers, to be active, engaged global citizens, and to be skilled strategic activists in making the world a more just place for all. An LALS bachelor of arts (B.A.) prepares students to learn from and work with people from a variety of cultures and perspectives, to understand the complexity of our current political, social, and cultural moment, and to use skills from many disciplines and fields.
Academic Advising for the Program
LALS Undergraduate Adviser and Program Coordinator
32 Merrill Academic Building
(831) 459-2119
lalsadvising@ucsc.edu
Getting Started in the Major
Students interested in the LALS B.A. are encouraged to enroll in LALS 1, Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies, at their earliest opportunity.
Program Learning Outcomes
All students completing a degree in Latin American and Latino Studies will have proficiency or competency in the following five areas: critical thinking, research methods, communication, language, and lifelong learning skills.
- Critical Thinking. Ability to analyze from a transnational/transborder/translocal perspective—to see the interconnections between Latin American and Latino issues, people, ideas, problems, and solutions. This includes key skills, such as understanding sources, comparing arguments, analysis, and historical perspective.
- Research Methods. Working knowledge of social scientific and/or humanistic approaches to LALS relevant topics. This includes acquiring qualitative and quantitative skills, gathering or obtaining research data, finding/using primary sources, and other research methods.
- Communication. Key communication skills, including written, oral presentation, and digital, including an understanding of media sources and ability to apply media literacy to cross-cultural analysis.
- Language. Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese, in addition to English.
- Lifelong Learning Skills. Acquisition of practical hands-on skills in community engagement, cross-cultural fluency, familiarity with Latin America, and familiarity with Latino experience acquired through experiential learning while working with community and civic organizations.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
To declare an LALS major, students must successfully complete any one LALS course with a grade of C or better. For an overview of the program, students are encouraged to choose LALS 1, Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies, as their first course.
How to Declare a Major
Students may declare online, via the form on our department website, or in person, in the LALS Advising Office in Merrill Academic Building.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) welcomes transfer students. Students planning to apply in this major are not required to complete specific major preparation courses for consideration of admission to UC Santa Cruz.
Students interested in transferring to UCSC as an LALS major are encouraged to enroll in courses related to the discipline prior to transfer, and to check with the LALS adviser about using a transfer course toward the lower-division elective requirement when possible.
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
Transfer students should enroll in LALS 1, Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies. LALS 1 is offered in fall and winter quarters and during summer session. To make timely progress in the major, transfer students entering in the fall quarter should also enroll in the first course in our core series, LALS 100, Concepts and Theories in Latin American and Latino Studies; students entering in winter quarter should seek a permission number to enroll in LALS 100A, Social Science Analytics.
Letter Grade Policy
The program does not have a letter grade policy.
Course Substitution Policy
Students may substitute two courses taken outside of LALS when satisfying the requirements for the major. Students may use courses from our list of pre-approved electives, or see the undergraduate adviser to petition a new course.
Students studying abroad may substitute a maximum of three courses (including their study abroad coursework) from outside LALS.
Transfer students who have completed LALS-related work prior to transfer should contact the LALS adviser to ask about transfer credit.
No substitutions are permitted for our core curriculum: LALS 1, LALS 100, LALS 100A, and LALS 100B. See the undergraduate adviser for more information.
Study Abroad
Students may study abroad through UC Santa Cruz faculty-led programs, the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), other UC study abroad programs, or through non-UC programs. UCEAP offers opportunities for students to study in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City and Oaxaca, México; Villarrica and Santiago, Chile; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Madrid, Córdoba, Granada, and Barcelona in Spain. In addition to language and culture and university immersion programs, UCEAP also offers a field research program in México, which is an experiential program geared toward juniors and seniors who want to explore the “real” México outside the classroom and at the same time receive undergraduate research training. The program has research sites in states such as Chiapas, Yucatán, Oaxaca, and Michoacán (final site choice depends on the research topic). There is also a leadership in social justice and public policy, México City and Sacramento program; students study abroad in the capital of México and then add a related internship in Sacramento.
Application deadlines are generally about one year in advance of the program, so students should visit global engagement early to plan for study abroad and to begin the application process. The department will consider by petition the approval of courses taken abroad that cover topics appropriate to the LALS curriculum for credit toward the major. All credit for UCEAP classes is fully incorporated into students’ UCSC transcripts; students receive transfer credit for independent study abroad programs. Financial aid may apply to all study abroad programs, which take into account airfare and living costs in addition to tuition and fees. Before departure, students should present an academic plan for courses abroad to the department adviser for review. Credit for up to three study abroad courses may be applied toward the major when courses are approved by the department. (A maximum of three courses of field study and study abroad combined may be applied toward the major requirements.)
Honors
The LALS faculty considers awarding honors in the major based on overall student academic performance in courses that count toward the major. To receive the strongest consideration for honors in the major the following grade point average (GPA) criteria must be met: highest honors, 4.0; honors, 3.7. Students with a 3.5–3.7 GPA in the major will also be considered, and a decision is made based on their grades in core courses and improvement over time.
In addition to honors in the major, LALS may award honors for a thesis, or creative or community action project, or student-taught seminar, by the recommendation of the faculty adviser.
Students may qualify for both honors in the major and honors for a thesis, project, or student-taught seminar. Expanded papers and senior seminars do not qualify for a separate honors designation, but students who choose these options may still qualify for honors in the major.
Field-Study and Internship Opportunities
All majors are encouraged to undertake a field study in Latin America, the Caribbean, or a Latino/a community in the U.S., and/or formal academic study abroad. These paths are the best ways to improve language skills, explore the nature and direction of specific academic and career interests in relation to Latin American and Latino studies, and deepen cross-cultural understanding and relationships.
Field studies are independent, community-based study projects for academic credit, done under faculty sponsorship and arranged on an individual basis. Local opportunities for internships and field study in Latino/a communities on California’s Central Coast are numerous. Credit for up to three upper-division courses may be applied toward the major from field study; however, course credit from field study and study abroad combined may not exceed three upper-division courses. Students should check with the LALS undergraduate adviser for further information about internship and field study opportunities.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
The LALS B.A. major requires 11 courses: two lower-division courses, three upper-division core courses, and six upper-division electives. Students may use a senior exit requirement course as one of their upper-division electives, and two of the required electives must be taught in Spanish or Portuguese.
Lower-Division Requirements
Two Lower-Division Courses
All students are required to take LALS 1, Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies, and one additional lower-division LALS course. These courses are normally taken during the student’s first year.
Language Preparation
In preparation for completing academic work in Spanish or Portuguese, students are expected to become proficient in either or both languages. Students may need to complete language-instruction courses (through SPAN 6 or SPHS 6 or PORT 65B) to be ready to take courses in Spanish or Portuguese.
For language placement, visit the Languages and Applied Linguistics language placement links for Spanish and/or Portuguese.
Upper-Division Requirements
Three Upper-Division LALS Core Courses
All majors must complete the three core courses, which aim to build students' intellectual foundation of the major concepts of Latin American and Latino studies (LALS), identify multiple social scientific approaches to LALS, introduce the fundamentals of research design, and prepare students to use this knowledge in further academic study and real world interventions.
| LALS 100 | Concepts and Theories in Latin American and Latina/o Studies | 5 |
| LALS 100A | Social Science Analytics | 5 |
| LALS 100B | Cultural Theory in the Americas | 5 |
Six Additional LALS Electives
Of the required electives, two must be courses conducted in Spanish or Portuguese. Students can fulfill this language requirement by taking courses offered by the Latin American and Latino Studies Department, other units at UC Santa Cruz, or while participating in a study abroad program.
One LALS elective may be satisfied by completing a senior seminar (LALS 194 series).
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement for the Latin American and Latino Studies B.A. is met by completing:
Comprehensive Requirement
Each student must complete a senior comprehensive requirement to graduate. The preparation and completion of this requirement is structured into the senior year, and the requirement is fulfilled by one of the following four options:
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Passing a Latin American and Latino studies senior seminar (LALS 194 series). In these courses, students must write at least 30 pages cumulatively during the quarter. The final paper must be based on independent scholarly research, demonstrate advanced skills in critical analysis, and have undergone revisions. Senior standing and completion of LALS 100A and LALS 100B are required before taking a LALS 194 course for fulfillment of the senior exit requirement.
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An expanded research paper, a minimum of 20 pages in length. This paper often builds on related course work and requires approval from the relevant faculty adviser before the end of the winter quarter of the senior year. Students must be enrolled in an independent study tutorial to complete this paper.
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A senior thesis, generally between 40–60 pages, based on two or more quarters of sustained independent research under the supervision of the faculty adviser while enrolled in an independent study (done by petition to LALS, and with the approval of the faculty adviser). If the thesis option is selected by a combined major, it should be planned in consultation with an adviser from each department, completed under the supervision of a faculty member from either department, and read and approved by both advisers; one adviser is sufficient if this faculty member is affiliated with both departments. This option is recommended for those students seeking to enter graduate school.
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A senior project, which can be either a creative project or a community-action project. Creative projects include website design, video, performance, slide show, photo exhibit, or other media work. A short written analysis of the student’s experience in conducting the project is required. Community-action projects often involve sustained research and/or activity conducted in a community organization or public interest group, usually stemming from an internship. The required written analysis should be 10 pages minimum.
Planners
Recommended academic plan for students starting as freshmen who place in to SPAN 1 on the language placement exam. Portuguese language track in parentheses for students who choose this option.
Four-Year Sample Planner for Frosh Students
*Course satisfies the ER general education requirement.
**Native speakers can substitute Spanish for Heritage Speaker series, SPHS 4, SPHS 5, and SPHS 6.
Two-Year Sample Planner for Transfer Students
Recommended academic plan for students starting as juniors and who place into Spanish 4 on the language placement exam.
*Course satisfies the ER general education requirement.
**Native speakers can substitute Spanish for Heritage Speaker series, SPHS 4, SPHS 5, and SPHS 6.
Two-Year Sample Planner for Transfer Students Planning Study Aborad
Recommended academic plan for students starting as juniors and who place into Spanish 4 on the language placement exam and plan to study abroad.
*Course satisfies the ER general education requirement.
**Native speakers can substitute Spanish for Heritage Speaker series, SPHS 4, SPHS 5, and SPHS 6.