Latin American and Caribbean Studies Minor

Coordinator: Myron Avila

The Minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies is designed to introduce students to the study of Latin American culture, history, geography, language, politics, and society. The minor provides an interdisciplinary coherent unit of study that certifies competency in a subject area outside the traditional major. The minor is not designed to compete with existing programs, but rather to complement them. This program offers an opportunity for students to pursue an area of specialization that may not be offered by departmental curricula or may not be met in conventional majors. Students interested in the minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies take eighteen semester hours from an approved list of courses and must achieve a grade of C or better in each class. If a student knows of a course not found on this list that focuses on Latin American and Caribbean issues, he or she can petition the Latin American and Caribbean Studies coordinator for approval to use it in his or her program.

Students who complete this program may also apply for a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies through the University System of Georgia Americas Council.  Students should contact the Latin American and Caribbean studies coordinator for more information about this option.

Language Requirement (0-6 hours)

Students MUST be able to demonstrate oral and written proficiency in at least one language other than English that is spoken in Latin America and/or the Caribbean. Languages currently offered at GC include Spanish and French; other languages may be added as appropriate.

The language requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:

• Six hours of language course work at the 3000 level or higher (with a grade of C or better). These hours may be taken as part of a University System of Georgia approved Study Abroad program.

  OR

• Demonstration of language proficiency above the intermediate level as defined by ACTFL standards through examination. Accepted demonstration consists of a passing grade on a nationally recognized language proficiency exam, or the successful completion of an oral and written examination evaluated by a qualified USG faculty member. For other languages (e.g., Haitian Creole, Quechua, Dutch), both written and oral exams must be evaluated by a qualified faculty member.

Latin American and Caribbean Area (12 hours)

The 12 hours are distributed as follows:

• One 3-hour course which focuses entirely on Latin American and/or Caribbean culture and civilization

  AND

• Three courses (9 hours) in Latin American or Caribbean Studies, two of which must be outside the student's major, from the following options:
  1. Any Latin American and/or Caribbean upper division (3000-4000 level) courses offered at Georgia College
  2. Six hours may come from courses that have a minimum 25% Latin American component (syllabus must be specifically designed to show 25% Latin American content). The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Coordinator, in consultation with the course instructor, will determine whether the course meets the 25% Latin American content requirement.
  3. Up to 6 hours may come from Study Abroad or internships.

Honors Option

A student may receive an Honors Certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies if he/she:

1. Maintains an overall GPA of 3.3 and a GPA of 3.5 in his/her Latin American and Caribbean Studies courses.
2. Submits a Senior Honors Thesis on a Latin American/Caribbean topic to a participating program faculty member specializing in the field(s) in which, or about which, the paper was written.