LATS Courses
This is a list of courses with the subject code LATS. For more information, see Latina/o/x Studies (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) in the catalog.
LATS:1000 First-Year Seminar 1 s.h.
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, field trips). Requirements: first- or second-semester standing.
LATS:1600 War Stories 3 s.h.
Exploration of the history of U.S. conflicts from Vietnam to the War on Terror through novels, film, and other cultural forms; specific focus on how U.S. social structures influence experiences of war. Same as AMST:1600, SJUS:1600.
LATS:1700 Latina/o/x Literature in the United States 3 s.h.
Introduction to growing cultural production of varied Latina/o/x communities (e.g., Chicano, Puerto Rican American/Nuyorican, Cuban American) that have a strong presence in the United States; recent cultural production from borderland transcultural spaces with physical, cultural, economic, political, and mythical elements; visions of the United States from contemporary Latin American writers who recently have become U.S. residents. Taught in English. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts; Values and Culture. Same as SPAN:1700.
LATS:1898 Introduction to Latina/o/x Communication and Culture 3 s.h.
Introduction to fundamentals of communication by and about Latina/o/x in the U.S.; Latina/o/x as one of the fastest growing demographics; how Latina/o/x history, politics, and culture remain little understood despite a longstanding and growing presence in Iowa and across the nation; historical orientation; Latina/o/x social movement and protest (e.g., Chicana/o/x movements, Young Lords Organization), institutional discourses (e.g., congressional, presidential, legal discourses), and Latina/o/x in popular culture (film, television, music, sports). GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as COMM:1898.
LATS:2280 Introduction to Latina/o/x Studies 3 s.h.
Introduction to field of Latina/o/x studies through interdisciplinary readings from literature, history, sociology, political science, urban studies, and anthropology; commonalities and differences among long-standing Latina/o/x populations (i.e., Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans); challenges faced by newer arrivals (i.e., Dominican Americans, Salvadoran Americans, Guatemalan Americans, Central and South American immigrants). Taught in English. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as HIST:2280.
LATS:2400 Health, Intersectionality, and Diversity 3 s.h.
Exploration of intersectionality related to gender and health disparities, particularly as they impact diverse populations in the United States. Same as CPH:2240, GWSS:2400.
LATS:3095 Central America and Its Diaspora 3 s.h.
What makes the U.S. Central American experience distinct from other Latina/o/x groups? The first part of the course will explore the social structures, histories, and cultures of a number of Central American countries; the second part of the course will dig into the specificities of the U.S. Central American experience including the challenges they face from other Latinx groups, changing immigration regimes, their relationship to their "home" countries, and the cultures and communities they build once they arrive. Same as AMST:3095.
LATS:3100 Latinx Community Engagement 3 s.h.
Focus on Latinx engagement in local communities.
LATS:3104 Immigration Politics 3 s.h.
United States immigration policy and political consequences of Latina/o/x population growth; contrast of political experiences of Latina/o/x with groups and ideals of democratic political systems; analyses of past immigration policies; studies of public opinion, voter turnout, and campaign tactics. Same as LAS:3104, POLI:3104.
LATS:3217 Latina/o/x Immigration 3 s.h.
Immigration experiences of people arriving in the United States from other regions of the Americas (e.g., Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America); what has fueled immigration—social, political, and economic developments in the United States and other nations; territorial conquest, colonialism, real and imagined borders, chain migration, formation of immigrant communities, acculturation, circular migration, social networks; how migration restructures gender relations; immigrant communities and pan-Latina/o/x identity in the United States. Same as HIST:3217, LAS:3217.
LATS:3410 Undocumented America: Citizenship, Race, and Immigration 3 s.h.
Examination of how literature and culture responds to and rearticulates culture, history, legal logic, and economic parameters that frame who is "legal" and "illegal" and how undocumented immigrants document and contest their lack of rights; how designations of immigrant's illegal or undocumented status depend on and maintain U.S. discourse about race and ethnicity. Same as AMST:3410.
LATS:3415 Latina/o/x Protest, Movement, Resistance 3 s.h.
Examination of history, form, and function of protest, social movement, and resistance by Latina/o/x peoples in the United States. Same as AMST:3415, SJUS:3415.
LATS:3420 Latinas/os/x and the Law 3 s.h.
Introduction and survey of Latina/o/x legal history; topics include segregation, educational rights, immigration, voting rights, citizenship, and the criminal justice system. Same as AMST:3420, POLI:3427, SJUS:3420.
LATS:3430 Queer Latina/o/x Studies 3 s.h.
Relationship of Latina/o/x culture with gender, sexuality, and queerness. Same as AMST:3450, SJUS:3430.
LATS:3435 Intersectional Identities: Writing About the Twenty-first-Century Self 3 s.h.
Analysis of intersections between systems of oppression, domination, and discrimination; focus on how writers of color represent those connections and critical articulation of students' lived experience of them. Same as WRIT:3435.
LATS:3467 Latina/o/x Literatures and Cultures 3 s.h.
Exploration of major themes and research topics in Latina/o/x literatures and cultures. Same as ENGL:3467.
LATS:3520 Latinx Oral Histories of Health Care 3 s.h.
Oral histories capture individual lived experiences in relation to structures of law, language, society, and culture; students learn oral history methods and connect with Latinx members in the local community to conduct interviews that record their lived experiences of access to health care; these interviews may be archived in Special Collections and Archives at the University Libraries. Recommendations: some knowledge of Spanish is useful but not required. Same as GHS:3520.
LATS:3522 Indigenous Women and Rural Unrest in Latin America 3 s.h.
Trace the major and everyday forms of contestation between Indigenous peoples and the groups that have tried to assimilate, subjugate, or dominate them in Latin America, concentrating on Mesoamerica, the Amazonia, and the Andes; explore questions of power, identity, and resistance through the lens of gender. Same as HIST:3522.
LATS:3550 Topics in Latina/o/x Studies: History and Culture 1-3 s.h.
Historical and cultural approaches; topics vary. Same as GWSS:3431.
LATS:4160 Language, Justice, and the Law 3 s.h.
Focus on language policy, immigrants' linguistic rights, and cultural communication in context of U.S. law; development of Spanish language skills in legal and cultural contexts. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: two courses in Spanish numbered 3000 or above. Same as SPAN:4160.
LATS:4171 Community Media 3 s.h.
Theory and history of community media as means of cultural expression, political participation, and social change; focus on case studies from Latin America and other global contexts. Prerequisites: (2 of the following are required: (COMM:1112 or COMM:1170), (COMM:1117 or COMM:1130), (COMM:1168 or COMM:1174)) and (2 of the following are required: COMM:1305, COMM:1306, COMM:1816, COMM:1818, COMM:1819, COMM:1830, COMM:1840, COMM:1845, COMM:1898, COMM:2010, COMM:2011, COMM:2015, COMM:2020, COMM:2030, COMM:2040, COMM:2041, COMM:2042, COMM:2044, COMM:2045, COMM:2048, COMM:2050, COMM:2054, COMM:2057, COMM:2060, COMM:2064, COMM:2065, COMM:2069, COMM:2070, COMM:2072, COMM:2075, COMM:2076, COMM:2077, COMM:2078, COMM:2079, COMM:2080, COMM:2083, COMM:2085, COMM:2086, COMM:2088, COMM:2089, COMM:2090, COMM:2091, COMM:2248, COMM:2800, COMM:2813, COMM:2821, COMM:2828, COMM:2897, COMM:2899). Same as COMM:4171.
LATS:4800 Latina/o/x Popular Culture 3 s.h.
Role of Latina/o/x popular culture as a site of contemporary social practice and cultural politics in both local and global contexts; specific attention to notions of citizenship, identity, and culture. Taught in English. Same as AMST:4800.
LATS:4805 Chicano Cinema 3 s.h.
History of Chicano independent and industry film and television production since the Chicano political and cultural movement began in the 1960s. Taught in English. Requirements: one Spanish literature or culture course numbered SPAN:3200 or above, or one film studies course numbered above CINE:2100. Same as CINE:4705, SPAN:4805.
LATS:4990 Independent Project in Latina/o/x Studies arr.
Independent work under the supervision of Latina/o/x studies faculty.