Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.

Hispanic Studies

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/hispanic-studies/

Director, 2008-09: Sylvia Graciela Carullo (Romance Languages), Hispanic literature, culture and art

Faculty, 2008-09: Gwendolyn Barnes-Karol (Romance Languages), Hispanic culture and literature; Maggie Broner (Romance Languages), Hispanic culture and literature; Christopher Chiappari (Sociology/ Anthropology), anthropology of religion, Guatemala; Jeane DeLaney (History), Latin American history-past and present; León Narváez (Romance Languages), Hispanic culture and literature, migration studies; Bruce Nordstrom-Loeb (Sociology/Anthropology), sociology/anthropology; Nancy Paddleford (Music), Latin American/Spanish music; David Schodt (Economics), economic development, Ecuador; Kathleen Shea (Biology), tropical biology; Ariel Strichartz (Romance Languages), Hispanic literature and culture; Kristina Thalhammer (Political Science), comparative politics, human rights

Hispanic Studies offers an interdisciplinary structure for the systematic study of Latin America, Spain, and U.S. Latinos, with distinct geography and cultures unified by elements of a common heritage. Profound geographic variations, differing economic resources, and the interactions of Hispanic and indigenous cultures have yielded complex and diverse Spanish-speaking societies. Increasing socioeconomic contacts between states and societies in the Americas and the growing presence of Latinos in United States underscore the need for U.S. citizens to deepen their understanding of the region. The St. Olaf Hispanic Studies program offers courses, and a major and a concentration with an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach that contribute to the investigation of political, economic, ethnic, gender, religious, and cultural issues of the Spanish-speaking world. The support of perspectives and methodologies of several disciplines inspires students to seek a deeper understanding of the Spanish speaking world. In addition, students find opportunities for reflecting on their own culture and society.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE MAJOR

https://www.stolaf.edu/committees/curriculum/ge/learning-outcomes.html

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

The requirements for the completion of a Hispanic Studies major consist of eight courses: Spanish 270 or 271; Spanish 272, 273, or 274 (or a substitute course approved by the director of Hispanic Studies); the interdisciplinary seminar, Hispanic Studies 333, Contemporary Issues in Latin America, and five approved courses dealing with Latin America, Spain, or U.S. Latinos. These courses may be chosen from among history, economics, anthropology, sociology, political science, religion, and art, with no more than two courses in any one discipline.

Students may count one Independent Research study towards the major, and they may also count up to three study-abroad courses taken in Latin America or Spain. With the approval of the Hispanic Studies director, students may have any course with substantial Hispanic content counted toward their major.

Students should contact the Hispanic Studies director as early as possible to plan a major.

Requirements for the Latin American/ Latino Studies Concentration

Students majoring in any discipline except Hispanic Studies who have an interest in Latin America and U.S. Latinos can pursue a Latin American/Latino Studies concentration, which enables them to enhance their understanding of Latin American countries and peoples, U.S. Latinos, and the interconnectedness of Latin America and the United States. Topics explored might include: the nature of social and political change, economic development, social mobility and discrimination, the role of women in society, the changing nature of Hispanic life, patterns of migration, and adaptation and challenges to cultural and artistic traditions.

The Latin American/Latino Studies Concentration is an individual verbal contract negotiated between the student and the Hispanic Studies director. (Hispanic Studies majors may not obtain a concentration in Latin American/ Latino Studies).

The requirements for the completion of the Latin American/Latino Studies Concentration consist of a minimum of five approved courses, subject to the following requirements: One of the courses must be the interdisciplinary seminar, Hispanic Studies 333, Contemporary Issues in Latin America. A maximum of two courses in a given discipline may be counted. A maximum of two courses from off-campus programs may be counted. Either Sociology 264 or ARMS 121 may be included in the concentration, but not both. In addition, an interdisciplinary paper* focusing on a theme related to the concentration must be written for one of the courses offered for the concentration. This paper will be developed in consultation with faculty advisors from two different disciplines. Students must contact the Hispanic Studies director as soon as possible to discuss this requirement.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Hispanic Studies majors are encouraged to take advantage of the many off-campus programs available to them. Foreign study opportunities in the Hispanic area currently offered to St. Olaf students include: interims in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Spain; the CIEE Program in Seville, Spain; the ACM Programs in Costa Rica, HECUA programs in Guatemala and Ecuador; and the IES and CIEE Programs in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Valparaíso, Chile. Students must secure prior approval for foreign study from the Hispanic Studies director.

Hispanic Studies faculty members participate in the Foreign Language Across the Curriculum program, which offers students the opportunity to use their foreign language skills in selected courses. (See FOREIGN LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM under Academic Programs in this catalog.)

HISPANIC STUDIES COURSE

Hispanic Studies 333 Contemporary Latin American Issues

This seminar focuses on the implications of studying Latin America, or the way in which different conceptualizations of this region have helped to shape Latin America as an object of study. Possible topics for approaching this question include the history of Latin American studies in the United States and the relation between scholarship on Latin America and U.S. policy in the region; Latin American responses to U.S. representations of the region; the production of images of "lo indigena" according to Western expectations; and indigenous cultures and globalization. Offered in alternate years. FLAC option available.

REQUIRED SPANISH COURSES

 

ELECTIVE COURSES

Economics 243, Economic Development
History 125, The Maya: Colonial Times to the Present
History 240,* Major Seminar: Non-Western History
History 241, Historical Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
History 242, Modern Latin America
History 243, 20th Century Cuba
History 244, Revolutionary Cuba (Abroad)
History 340,* Non-Western Seminar
Political Science 252, Politics and Development
Political Science 257, U.S.-Latin American Relations
Political Science 264, Latin American Politics
Political Science 367, Seminar in Latin American Politics
Sociology/Anthropology 237, Forging a Latin American Culture
Sociology/Anthropology 264, Race and Class in American Culture

* When focused on a Latin American topic