The Latin American Studies Program (LASP) is an interdisciplinary curriculum that introduces students to cultures, arts, languages, histories, and social practices from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean, and provides students with frameworks for making sense of the social, political, and economic challenges faced in those regions.
Faculty members from across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences participate in the Latin American Studies Program as affiliated faculty members. Other University of Iowa faculty members occasionally offer courses and participate in the program's research, study, and interdisciplinary activities.
In addition to its instructional activity, LASP sponsors a wide variety of activities, brings scholars of Latin America to campus, and fosters institutional connections.
Latin American Studies is one of the academic units in the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.
Study Abroad
The Latin American Studies Program highly recommends, but does not require, that students have an in-depth Latin American cultural experience, usually through study abroad, before completing their undergraduate requirements.
In cooperation with International Programs Study Abroad, LASP faculty members facilitate student participation in programs in many Latin American countries. University of Iowa students may enroll in programs in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Uruguay. Programs range from intensive language study to group programs with a special focus. The University of Iowa cosponsors these programs through various consortiums.
Study abroad courses may be counted toward requirements for the certificate and the minor with prior approval from the LASP director.
Financial Support
Students are encouraged to apply for a Stanley Undergraduate Award for International Research through University of Iowa International Programs. The awards are given to outstanding University of Iowa undergraduates who, in close consultation with a faculty member, propose well-conceived, small-scale research or fieldwork projects that require travel abroad. Students may conduct projects while participating in a study abroad program and may combine the award with other awards and financial assistance. For information regarding other scholarships, contact LASP advisors, International Programs staff, and the LASP director.
Activities
In addition to its instructional activity, LASP organizes a range of public programs each semester, including film series, photography and art exhibits, conferences, round-table discussions, and lectures.
Recent events include an exhibit of mixed media Colombian contemporary art and public lectures on Brazilian black feminist theory, Afro-Brazilian female authorship, and cosmopolitanism in Mexican cinema as part of the annual Charles A. Hale Lectures in Latin American Studies.
The Center for Language and Culture Learning provides a wide variety of facilities and services to the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (DWLLC), including a 24-computer Instructional Technology Center (ITC) and five All-In-One Studios/small group study rooms equipped with video production and editing software, a Computer Assisted Language Learning Lab with 25 computers integrated with Sanako software for language practice, and virtual reality hardware and development space.
The center provides spaces for quiet study as well as for group meetings. Departments, programs, and student organizations are welcome to host conversation hours, film nights, study groups, workshops, and more. Peer education services include peer tutoring programs in many of the languages taught in DWLLC, with both in-person and online availability, as well as the Directed Independent Language Study, through which faculty, staff, or students can be paired with a tutor to learn a language not taught in DWLLC. Tutors are trained to use the Three Ms for Effective Learning, including developing a growth mindset, using memory strategies to retain knowledge, and reflecting on learning gains.
Latin American Studies
All Latin American Studies Program courses are approved for the certificate and minor.
LAS:1150 Brazilian Culture and Carnival 3 s.h.
Dance, music, historical, and social contents of Brazilian Carnival production, critical theories of performance, religious backgrounds, and theatre making in carnival parades. GE: Engineering Be Creative; Values and Culture. Same as DANC:1150.
LAS:2200 Introduction to Spanish American Cultures 3 s.h.
Introduction to study of cultural history of Spanish America; topics range from pre-Colombian times to present; for students who are just starting work on the Spanish major or minor. Requirements: SPAN:1502 or SPAN:1503. Same as SPAN:2200.
LAS:2220 The Olmec, Maya, and Aztecs: Archaeology of Mesoamerica 3 s.h.
Archaeological data related to the evolution of civilization in Mesoamerica; sequence from hunter-gatherers to A.D. 1519; emphasis on Central Mexico, Maya area, Oaxaca. Same as ANTH:2220.
LAS:2311 Music of Latin America and the Caribbean 3 s.h.
Folk and popular musical traditions and their social contexts in Latin America, the Caribbean; listening skills; video/film screenings. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts; Values and Culture. Same as MUS:2311.
LAS:2415 Latin American Politics 3 s.h.
Governmental institutions, major interest groups; focus on area as a whole. GE: International and Global Issues; Social Sciences. Same as POLI:2415.
LAS:2500 Readings in Spanish American Literature 3 s.h.
Tools for improving reading skills; basic concepts for textual understanding; historical overview of literary works, with focus on Spanish American literature. Requirements: SPAN:1502 or SPAN:1503. Same as SPAN:2500.
LAS:2700 Introduction to Latin American Studies 3 s.h.
Cultures of Latin American countries with emphasis on cultural history and cultural production; interdisciplinary survey. Taught in English. GE: World Language and Cultural Exploration. Same as COMM:2800, IS:2700, PORT:2700, SPAN:2700.
LAS:2800 Screening Latin America 3 s.h.
Basic introduction to contemporary Latin American societies and cultures through fiction feature films (i.e., comedies, dramas) and documentaries by major filmmakers; previous knowledge of film analysis not required. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: SPAN:1502 or SPAN:1503. Same as SPAN:2800.
LAS:2850 Brazilian Narrative in Translation 3 s.h.
Representative readings of modern and contemporary novels, short stories, and other narrative forms; cultural background; focus on major writers. Taught in English. GE: Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts. Same as PORT:2850, SPAN:2850.
LAS:2900 Music of the Hispanic World 3 s.h.
Introduction to music of Spain and Latin America, including the United States; listening skills, music appreciation, continuing development of Spanish language skills. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: SPAN:1502 or SPAN:1503. Same as SPAN:2900.
LAS:3020 Journalistic Writing in Spanish 3 s.h.
Spanish writing skills; introduction to style and practice of journalistic reporting and writing. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: at least one course taught in Spanish at the 2000 level or above. Same as JMC:3445, SPAN:3020.
LAS: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 LATS:3104, POLI:3104.
LAS:3215 Medellin 3 s.h.
Medellin, Colombia has been transformed from one of the most violent places on Earth to an award-winning city of innovation in only 20 years; introduction to the city and its people through literature, music, and a digital map project. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: at least one course numbered SPAN:2000 or above. Same as SPAN:3215.
LAS: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, LATS:3217.
LAS:3225 Latin American Women Writers 3 s.h.
Focus on long tradition of strong female writers in Latin America; materials may include poetry, theater, fiction, and essay from the Spanish-speaking countries of Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: at least one course taught in Spanish at the 2000 level or above. Same as SPAN:3225.
LAS:3290 Topics in Cinema and Society 3 s.h.
Film and cultural history of one Latin American nation. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: at least one course taught in Spanish at the 2000 level or above. Same as SPAN:3290.
LAS:3310 Spanish American Short Story 3 s.h.
Works by 19th- and 20th-century Spanish American writers; emphasis on reading strategies and historical, cultural, literary backgrounds. Requirements: at least one course taught in Spanish at the 2000 level or above. Same as SPAN:3310.
LAS:3501 Rebel Island: A History of Cuba 3 s.h.
Cuban society and revolutionary movements since the late colonial period, including the years since 1959. Same as HIST:3501.
LAS:3502 History of Mexico 3 s.h.
Mexican history since the eve of the Spanish invasion, with focus on the national period; indigenous groups, conquest and demographic disaster, Native survival, labor and migration, social protest and rebellions, nationhood, revolution, regional differences, religions, popular culture, economic growth and distribution, state building, environmental change, international relations; survey. Same as HIST:3502, NAIS:3502.
LAS:3508 Disease and Health in Latin American History 3 s.h.
Survey of major topics in Latin American history in relation to development of medicine and public health. Same as GHS:3508, HIST:3508.
LAS:3515 Introduction to Modern Latin America 3 s.h.
Introduction to modern history of Latin America from independence movements of the early 19th century to present; topics include race and ethnicity, slave emancipation, gender, labor relations, and foreign interventions; exploration of relationship between economic, social, and political structures over time to explain difference and commonality between Latin American people and societies; focus on topics pertaining to histories of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Same as HIST:3515.
LAS:3535 Topics in Literature and Culture of the Americas 3 s.h.
Selected topics in literature and cultures of the Americas. Same as ENGL:3535.
LAS:4216 Mexican American History 3 s.h.
Survey of Chicana/o (Mexican American) history from 18th century to present; Mexican American society's diverse nature, explored through class, ethnic, gender, and regional divisions. Same as HIST:4216.
LAS:4390 Topics in Spanish American Literature 3 s.h.
Taught in Spanish. Requirements: one literature course in Spanish numbered SPAN:3200 or above. Same as SPAN:4390.
LAS:4815 Lost Childhoods: Marginal Children of Latin America 3 s.h.
Focus on lost childhoods from a cultural studies perspective; analysis of marginal perspectives that emerge from a globalized urban landscape; evolution of literary, artistic (art, photography, comics), and film productions about dispossessed children, the construction of childhood by nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, and how these cultural productions denounce social violence. Taught in Spanish. Requirements: two courses numbered SPAN:3000 or above. Same as SPAN:4815.
LAS:4925 Topics in Film Narrative 3 s.h.
Exploration of relationship between film narratives and social systems. Taught in English. Same as SPAN:4925.
LAS:4990 Independent Project in Latin American Studies arr.
Independent work completed under the supervision of Latin American studies faculty.
