Please see below for information about LACIS’ Course Offerings:
Courses from across the University count towards the LACIS major. It is important to keep in mind that some courses in other schools and colleges (outside Letters and Science) may not count for degree credit. Be sure to check with your advisor to ensure that courses taken outside Letters and Science will count towards the major.
Other non-LACIS courses will count towards the LACIS major if they contain at least 25% of content related to the LACIS area. If you are interested in a course that does not automatically count for LACIS credit, but which has significant LACIS content, you may petition for its inclusion by filling out the Course Content Petition form and the Course Content Verification form. Because the content of a course is dependent on who teaches it in a given semester, it is important to always check with your advisor to be sure that the courses you plan to take are still eligible for LACIS credit. Because course content changes frequently, LACIS reserves the right to deny credit for any course at any time if the content of that course does not meet the 25% standard (even if the course appears or has appeared on one of the course lists in the past).
Please note that the lists below include courses being offered by LACIS, as well as courses being offered by faculty affiliated with LACIS from other programs and departments. In most, if not all cases, these courses will count towards your LACIS major.
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FALL 2024 (LACIS) Graduate Courses:
LACIS 982: Empire and Difference in Colonial Latin America (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:25 PM – 5:25 PM, R
INSTRUCTOR: Marcella Hayes
FALL 2024 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses
LACIS 243: Colonial Latin America: Invasion to Independence (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM, MW
INSTRUCTOR: Marcella Hayes
LACIS 361: Elementary Quechua (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50 AM – 9:40 AM, MTWR
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS 363: Intermediate Quechua (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55 AM – 10:45 AM, MTWR
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS 367: The Literature of Migration and the Migrant Experience in the Americas (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM, TR
INTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
LACIS 376: First Semester Yucatec Maya (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50 AM – 9:40 AM, MTWR
LACIS 440: Topics in Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
FALL 2024 (Non-LACIS) Courses:
ART HIST 430/600: Caribbean Entanglements (3 Credits)
MEETS: 1:00 PM–2:15 PM, TR
INSTRUCTOR: Guillermina De Ferrari
ANTHRO 690: Problems in Anthropology – Policy and Practice for Biodiversity and Climate Change in Brazil (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:25 PM – 4:55 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Fabio Feldmann
Civil Soc & Community Studies 500: Global Health and Communities: From Research to Praxis (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM, TR
INSTRUCTOR: Lori Diprete Brown
Spanish 851: Don Quijote (3 Credits)
MEETS: 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM, R
INSTRUCTOR: Steven Hutchinson
INTL ST 403: Life Stories from Latin America (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM, MW
INSTRUCTOR: Katherine Jensen
HORT 376: Tropical Horticulture (2 Credits)
MEETS: 1:20 PM -3:15 PM, W
INSTRUCTOR: Claudia Irene Calderón
SUMMER 2024 (Non-LACIS) Courses:
Spanish 468: Truth and Justice in Spanish American Culture (3 Credits)
MEETS: Jul 15 – Aug 11 (HDD) (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Ksenija Bilbija
SUMMER 2024 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (3 Credits)
MEETS: MAY 20 – JUN 16 (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Hernandez
LACIS 367: Migration and the Migrant Experience in the Americas (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:00 – 10:30 AM, MTWR
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
LACIS 440: Contemporary Mayas: Bioculture (3)
MEETS: JUL 15 – AUG 11 (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
SPRING 2024 (Non-LACIS) Courses:
CHICLA/SPANISH 215: Border & Migration Studies in LatinX America (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Paola Hernandez (taught in English)
MEETS: 1:20-2:10 PM, M/W
COM ARTS 969: “Migration, Mobility & Stoppage” (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Sara McKinnon
MEETS: 4-6:30 PM, Tuesdays
C&I 366: “Internationalizing Educational Knowledge” (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Popkewitz
MEETS: 1:45-4:25, Mondays
GEOG 901/CHICLA 530: “LEGAL GEOGRAPHIES: BORDERS AND MIGRATIONS” (3 Credits) — for graduate students and upper level undergraduates
INSTRUCTOR: Almita Miranda
MEETS: 2:25-4:55, Wednesdays
RELIG ST 403: FOOD, MEANING, IDENTITY (3 Credits) — Ethnic Studies Credit
INSTRUCTOR: Corrie Norman
MEETS: 1:00-2:15 PM, T/R
SPRING 2024 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Jorell Badillo
LACIS/ANTHRO 362: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 364: ADVANCED QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55-10:45 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ILS 367: MIGRATION AND THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN THE AMERICAS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11:00-11:50 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
LACIS/ANTHRO 377: SECOND SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440-001: CURRENT ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12-1:15 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
CANCELED! LACIS 440-006/SPANISH 460: “MEXICAN WOMEN WRITERS” (3 Credits) – CANCELED!
MEETS: 2:30-3:45 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor Lucia Melgar
LACIS 440-007/ED POLICY 420: “EDUCATION FOR GLOBAL CHANGE” (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11:00 AM-12:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor Luis Gandin
FALL 2023 (LACIS) Graduate Courses:
LACIS 982 – SEC 002: INTERDEPARTMENTAL GRADUATE SEMINAR IN THE LATIN-AMERICAN AREA (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
MEETS: 3:30-5:30 PM, W
LACIS 982 – SEC 003: PERFORMING BLACKNESS (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Kathryn Sanchez
MEETS: 3:30-5:30 PM, M
FALL 2023 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Iber
LACIS/ANTHRO 361: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 363: INTERMEDIATE QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55-10:45 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ILS 367: MIGRATION AND THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN THE AMERICAS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11:00-11:15 AM, 1221 Computer Sciences
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
LACIS/ANTHRO 376: FIRST SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40 AM, M-R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440-001: CURRENT ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12-1:15 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
CANCELED! LACIS 440-003: COMING BACK FROM SPAIN (3 Credits) – CANCELED!
MEETS: 4-5:15 PM, M/W
INSTRUCTOR: Victor Goldgel-Carballo
Fall 2023 (Non-LACIS) Courses:
ANTHRO 458: PRIMATE BEHAVORIAL ECOLOGY (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: KAREN STRIER
ANTHRO 668: PRIMATE CONSERVATION (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:25-4:55 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: KAREN STRIER
CHICLA 302: MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11-12:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: BENJAMIN MARQUEZ
IS 601-022: AFTER CIVIL WAR: LATIN AMERICA AND BEYOND (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:30-3:45, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Molly Minden
IS 620: GLOBAL MOVEMENT: CASE STUDIES IN FORCED MIGRATION (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:25-5:25, M
INSTRUCTOR: JACOB KUSHNER
JOURN 822: GLOBAL COMMUNICATION (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30 AM TO 12:00 PM, R
INSTRUCTOR: TINKER VISITING PROFESSOR JESUS ARROYAVE
LAW 940-014: POPULISM, AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY (2-3 Credits)
MEETS: 1:10-3:10, W
INSTRUCTOR: TINKER VISITING PROFESSOR, JAVIER COUSO
Summer 2023 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (3 Credits)
MEETS (ONLINE): May 22-June 18 (ZDD)
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Hernandez
LACIS 440: CONTEMPORARY MAYAS: BIOCULTURE AND THE DEFENSE OF TERRITORY (3 Credits)
MEETS (ONLINE): July 31-Aug 27 (JDD) – ASYNCHRONOUS (Available in English or Spanish)
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
ABOUT THE COURSE: There has been hardly any culture as resistant to colonial and post-colonial assimilation as that of the Mayas. They have been able to retain the wisdom and the practices of their ancient culture through periods of isolation, political upheaval, and outright rebellion. In recent times, they have also taken advantage of national and international regulations protecting native peoples and the environment. This class will introduce students to Maya history and contemporary issues, including the defense of their territory, through the lens of the relationship between the indigenous people and their natural world (bioculturality).
Was there ever a collapse of the Maya civilization or was it more of a conscious and deliberate transformation from within? Why, during the longest lasting Maya anti-colonial rebellion, did the Maya army decide against ransacking the colonial capital and claiming a tremendous victory? How did the 20th and 21st centuries’ changing politics and economic systems affect Maya culture? How has Maya bioculture been fundamental in their cultural resistance and survival? How is Maya spirituality, health, and ethics connected to nature? How are Mayas divided when confronting current cultural and socio-economic issues such as development in their region, the “May(LL)a Train,” Zapatismo, and Intercultural Education?
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Spring 2023 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POL SCI/C&E SOC/SOC/SPANISH 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30 AM-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Jorell Melendez Badillo
CANCELED! – LACIS 285: RACE AND CULTURE IN THE AMERICAS (3 Credits) – CANCELED!
MEETS: 4:00-5:15, M/W
INSTRUCTOR: Víctor Golgel-Carballo
LACIS/ANTHRO 362: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE 8:50-9:40 AM, M/T/W/R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 364: ADVANCED QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE 9:55-10:45 AM, M/T/W/R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 377: SECOND SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: 8:50-9:40 AM, M/T/W/R
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440: CURRENT ISSUES IN LACIS REGION (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12-1 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
SPRING 2023 (NON-LACIS) Undergraduate Courses (that count for LACIS Credit):
C&I 366: INTERNATIONALIZING EDUCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE (3 Credits)
MEETS: 1:45-4:15 PM, M
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Popkewitz
ILS 371: MIGRATION TO THE AMERICAS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 1-2:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
ILS 371: SEX, DRUGS, AND LITERATURE IN LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11 AM TO 12:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
SPRING 2023 (NON-LACIS) Graduate Courses:
AFRO AMER 802: CARIBBEAN ENTANGLEMENTS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 3:30-6:00 PM, W
INSTRUCTOR: Guillermina de Ferrari
Fall 2022 (LACIS) Undergraduate Courses:
LACIS/ANTHRO 361: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 363: INTERMEDIATE QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55-10:45 AM, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 376: FIRST SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440: CURRENT ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12-1, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
Fall 2022 (LACIS) Graduate Courses:
LACIS 982 – SEC 002: CHALLENGES WITH SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor of Sociology, Glauco Arbix
MEETS: M, 2:00-4:00 PM
LACIS 982 – SEC 003: IMAGINING THE AMAZON IN LITERATURE AND FILM (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Kathryn Sanchez, Professor of Spanish & Portuguese
MEETS: W, 3:30-5:30 PM
FALL 2022 (Non-LACIS) Undergraduate & Graduate Level Courses that Count for LACIS Credit:
IS 403: SOCIAL INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION IN GLOBAL CONTEXT
INSTRUCTOR: Kurt Kuehne
MEET: T: 3:30-5:25 PM
DESCRIPTION: Examines varied forms of power, authority, and violence that are used to construct social boundaries within and between populations. We ask: What is power? How is it felt? How do political actors layer multiple forms of power to selectively include, marginalize, or exclude identified populations? We draw case studies from various world regions and social science disciplines. Key populations of focus include: temporary labor migrants, refugees, low-wage workers, and slum residents, among others. Key topics include: surveillance & policing, urban planning & the architecture of control, global labor relations, migration, citizenship, and resistance. Students will come to understand global challenges around social marginality and justice, and will learn to apply complex theory to real-world social problems.
POLI SCI 460-003: LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Eduardo Schmidt-Passos
MEETS: T/R, 4:00-5:15 PM
DESCRIPTION: This course will engage students in a fascinating intellectual journey into the history of political thought in Latin America. The class will explore the colonial debate on the legal status of the natives (Bartolome de las Casas and Juan Gines de Sepulveda), Latin American Founding Fathers’ struggle for liberty and stability (Simon Bolivar, Jose Mart , and Jose Bonifacio), the post-independence liberalism and the abolition of slavery (Joaquim Nabuco and Domingo Sarmiento), the early 20th-century quest for identity in mixed-race societies, race theory, and modernization (Jose Vasconcelos and Sergio Buarque), and, finally, the recent debates on the influence of American institutions, Marxism, liberation theology, populism, and the environmental crisis.
ANTHRO 940: LATIN AMERICAN DIASPORAS (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Falina Enriquez, Assistant Professor
MEETS: F, 10:00 AM-12:30 PM
DESCRIPTION: This graduate seminar focuses on diasporic Latin American populations in North America and elsewhere. We will also, however, examine diasporic populations within Latin America. Through an anthropologically grounded discussion of these diasporic groups, we will consider themes like migration, (de)colonization, imperialism, and ethnoracial capitalism. Ethnographic as well as humanistic texts and other media will structure our conversations.
CSCS 501: THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH: GLOBAL AND LOCAL PERSPECTIVES (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Lori DiPrete Brown
MEETS: T/R, 2:30-3:45
DESCRIPTION: Human rights precepts, policies, and frameworks for change in governments and civil society. Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), the principal human rights convention related to children, and other human rights policies related to children and young people. Critically analyze the CRC and access information from the Reports of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Legal and policy frameworks which address the needs of children in adversity Internationally. Review and develop case studies from around the world and from the United States on child rights topics, including a statement of intention and profiles of relevant research, advocacy, or service organizations. (Open to upper level undergraduates and graduate students.)
Summer 2022 Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: May 23rd to June 19th
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Hernandez
DESCRIPTION: Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective; historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present; political movements; economic problems; social change; ecology in tropical Latin America; legal systems; literature and the arts; cultural contrasts involving the US and Latin America; land reform; labor movements; capitalism, socialism, imperialism; mass media.
LACIS 440: TRAVEL IN LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: May 31st to June 26th
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
DESCRIPTION: When the time comes, don’t just be a tourist–be a traveler. Regardless of whether you intend to travel through Latin America for pleasure or scholarship, this course will provide you with a useful methodological framework for building your future trip. We will explore both tips to keep you healthy and safe, and ways to help you contribute to local economies and minimize the environmental toll of your trip. We will focus on the principles of participatory research, volunteering, and the construction of ethnographies and interviews that you might carry out. Course materials will consist of travel narratives, documentaries, and guides to the territories whose stories they tell. Readings and films will help connect us to the traditions, problems, and struggles of the peoples who will virtually visit us through this course. There will be optional readings in Spanish for those who need a language credit, and Spanish majors will need to complete readings in Spanish. As an outcome of this class, we will construct together a functioning philosophy of traveling through Latin America. Assignments will include building and researching your ideal future trip. If you miss traveling, this class will provide a virtual substitute.
SPRING 2022 (LACIS) Undergraduate Level Courses:
LACIS/AFROAMER/ANTHRO/GEOG/HISTORY/POL SCI/C&E SOC/SOC/SPANISH 260 (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55 AM-10:45 AM, M/W/F
INSTRUCTOR: Marcella Hayes
LACIS/ANTHRO 362: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50 AM-9:40 AM, M/T/W/R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 364: ADVANCED QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55 AM-10:45 AM, M/T/W/R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 377: SECOND SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50 AM-9:40 AM, M/T/W/R (ONLINE)
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440: CURRENT ISSUES IN LACIS REGION (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12:00-1:00 PM, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
LACIS 440 (MEETS WITH ART HIST 430/600): LATIN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY (3 Credits)
MEETS: 1:00 PM-2:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Guillermina de Ferrari
SPRING 2022 (Non-LACIS) Undergraduate Level Courses that Count for LACIS Credit:
ILS 371 (SEC 001): Sex, Drugs, and Literature in Latin America (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30 AM-10:15 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
FALL 2021 Undergraduate Level Courses:
AAE/ECON/INTL BUS 462: LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (3 Credits)
MEETS: 11 AM-12:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Brad Barham
BOTANY 265: RAINFOREST AND CORAL REEFS (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Catherine Woodward
ILS 369: MAGIC REALISM AND POSTMODERNITY (3 Credits)
MEETS: 1-2:15 PM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
ILS 371: SEX, DRUGS, AND LITERATURE IN LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
MEETS: 9:30-10:45 AM, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Beatriz Botero
CANCELED! LACIS 268: US AND LATIN AMERICA: FROM THE COLONIAL ERA TO THE PRESENT (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: 11-12:15, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Barrett
LACIS/ANTHRO 361: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 363: INTERMEDIATE QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 9:55-10:45 AM, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
LACIS/ANTHRO 376: FIRST SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: 8:50-9:40, M-R
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
LACIS 440: CURRENT ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA (1 Credit)
MEETS: 12-1, T
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
LACIS 440: SLAVERY IN BRAZILIAN CULTURE (3 Credits)
MEETS: 10:30-11:45, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor, Diana Klinger, Professor of Literary Theory, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
POL SCI 400: LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT (3 Credits)
MEETS: 4:00-5:15, T/R
INSTRUCTOR: Eduardo Schmidt Passos
SPANISH 445: CULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE LUSO-HISPANIC WORLD (3 Credits)
MEETS: 2:30-3:45, M/W
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
FALL 2021 Graduate Level Courses:
LACIS 982: GRADUATE SEMINAR ON LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
MEETS: 3:30-5:30, T
HISTORY 705-001: HISTORICAL POLITICAL ECOLOGY: ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS, EMPIRE, AND CAPITALISM (3 Credits)
MEETS: 3:30-5:25, R
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor German Palacio, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Leticia)
PUBLIC AFFAIRS 974: INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY (3 Credits)
INSTRUCTOR: Tinker Visiting Professor Carlos M. Urzua, Professor of Economics at Tecnologico de Monterrey
MEETS: 1:20-3:15, F
ABOUT: This course will examine the main issues that have to be considered in development policy. Among them: impact evaluation of policies, poverty analysis, inequality analysis, social assistance programs, population and migration, education and health, and sustainable development. Since Latin America is the developing region known better by the instructor, the applied examples to be given in class will be drawn from there. However, students interested in other world regions are also welcome to enroll.
SUMMER 2021 Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: June 14th to July 11th (Session DDD)
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Hernandez
DESCRIPTION: Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective; historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present; political movements; economic problems; social change; ecology in tropical Latin America; legal systems; literature and the arts; cultural contrasts involving the US and Latin America; land reform; labor movements; capitalism, socialism, imperialism; mass media.
LACIS 440: HOW TO TRAVEL IN LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: June 1st to June 27th (Session BDD)
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
DESCRIPTION: When the time comes, don’t just be a tourist–be a traveler. Regardless of whether you intend to travel through Latin America for pleasure or scholarship, this course will provide you with a useful methodological framework for building your future trip. We will explore both tips to keep you healthy and safe, and ways to help you contribute to local economies and minimize the environmental toll of your trip. We will focus on the principles of participatory research, volunteering, and the construction of ethnographies and interviews that you might carry out. Course materials will consist of travel narratives, documentaries, and guides to the territories whose stories they tell. Readings and films will help connect us to the traditions, problems, and struggles of the peoples who will virtually visit us through this course. There will be optional readings in Spanish for those who need a language credit, and Spanish majors will need to complete readings in Spanish. As an outcome of this class, we will construct together a functioning philosophy of traveling through Latin America. Assignments will include building and researching your ideal future trip. If you miss traveling, this class will provide a virtual substitute.
SUMMER 2020 Courses:
LACIS 260: LATIN AMERICA: AN INTRODUCTION (3 Credits)
MEETS ONLINE: June 1st to June 28th
INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Hernandez
DESCRIPTION: Latin American culture and society from an interdisciplinary perspective; historical developments from pre-Columbian times to the present; political movements; economic problems; social change; ecology in tropical Latin America; legal systems; literature and the arts; cultural contrasts involving the US and Latin America; land reform; labor movements; capitalism, socialism, imperialism; mass media.
NOTES: Fulfills LACIS’ Introductory Course Requirement.
FALL 2020 Courses:
LACIS 268: THE U.S. & LATIN AMERICA FROM THE COLONIAL ERA TO THE PRESENT (3 Credits)
MEETS: T/R, 9:30-10:45
INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Barrett
DESCRIPTION: A critical examination of US-Latin American relations from the colonial era to the present, tracing the emergence and evolution of the United States as a hemispheric and global power and its political and economic impact on Latin America. Primary attention will be focused on US relations with Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, but other Latin American countries will figure prominently during certain episodes.
LACIS 440 (Section #1): CURRENT ISSUES IN THE LACIS REGION (1 Credit)
MEETS: T, 12:30-1:30 (A free lunch is served from 12:00-12:30 on a first-come, first-served basis)
INSTRUCTOR: Alberto Vargas
DESCRIPTION: The Latin American Caribbean and Iberian Colloquium brings together undergraduate and graduate students with experienced scholars in the field. Its goal is to contribute actively to the professional development of Latin American scholars by giving them an opportunity to present and discuss their research in a constructive atmosphere. The Colloquium will thus provide the opportunity to meet experts as well as fellow students and community members from different backgrounds working on related topics.
LACIS 440 (Section #2): RACE IN THE AMERICAS (3 Credits)
MEETS: M/W, 4:00-5:15
INSTRUCTOR: Victor Goldgel-Carballo
DESCRIPTION: Why is it that the same person can be white in Cuba or in Brazil but black in the U.S.? How does racism work in countries where “there are no races”? How does Latin America help us understand what race means in the U.S.? With a focus on the present, this course is an introduction to the contradictory notions of race that have developed across the Americas, and in Cuba, Brazil, and the U.S in particular. We will focus on how race was transformed after the revolutions of independence, and on key concepts such as mestizaje, racial democracy, and color-blindness. Through an analysis of key texts produced in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the US, we will explore how race intersects with gender, class, and migration in light of major historical processes, including slavery, anti-colonial struggles, and US expansionism. The course will be conducted in English and readings will be drawn from a variety of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
LACIS 982: INTERDEPARTMENTAL GRAD/UNDERGRAD SEMINAR ON LATIN AMERICA (3 Credits)
MEETS: T, 2:30-4:30
INSTRUCTOR: Kata Beilin
DESCRIPTION: This seminar introduces a series of topics and issues that are central to an interdisciplinary understanding of the Latin American region. We consider a range of topics including the region’s history, indigenous cultures, economic and environmental challenges, media systems, legal and human rights debates, educational policies, gender issues, science and technology, agriculture, and new social movements. This seminar is designed to serve the needs of graduate students specializing in various fields of social sciences, humanities and also science students interested in acquiring more knowledge about the region.
NOTES: Advanced undergraduate students may enroll with instructor’s consent.
ANTHRO/LACIS 361: ELEMENTARY QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: M/T/W/R, 8:50-9:40
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
DESCRIPTION: Phonology and morphology; concentration on the acquisition of conversational skills; reading of texts of graded difficulty; three hours classroom and one hour lab.
ANTHRO/LACIS 363: INTERMEDIATE QUECHUA (4 Credits)
MEETS: M/T/W/R, 9:55-10:45
INSTRUCTOR: Armando Muyolema
ANTHRO/LACIS 376: FIRST SEMESTER YUCATEC MAYA (4 Credits)
MEETS: M/T/W/R, 8:50-9:40
INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Hurley
Are you a faculty member looking to submit your course to the LACIS approved course list? If so, please complete the submission form here. Please note: In order for a course to meet our criteria, 25% of its content must focus on Latin America, the Caribbean and/or Iberian Peninsula. This 25% minimum is aggregate over the entire semester and can be a combination of different countries/regions/topics, etc