Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Program Learning Outcomes for the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Upon completing the minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies, students will be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate familiarity with interdisciplinary area studies research.
  2. Interpret the historical, cultural, and political dynamics that comprise a specific region selected by the student for in-depth study.
  3. Apply critical perspectives on legacies and ongoing forces that are local and global in scope from the field of Latin American and Latinx Studies.

Requirements for the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Students pursuing the minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies must complete:

  • A minimum of 6 courses (18 credit hours) to satisfy minor requirements.
  • A minimum of 4 courses (12 credit hours) taken at the 300-level or above.
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from study abroad or transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.

While taking courses in a language other than English is not required for the minor, study abroad and coursework in languages spoken in Latin American and Latinx communities other than English are highly encouraged (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Indigenous languages).

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this minor. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the minor’s academic advisor or, where applicable, the Program Director. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the minor's Official Certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary 

Total Credit Hours Required for the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies18

Minor Requirements

Core Requirement
LALX 158 / SPAN 158INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES3
Elective Requirements 1
Select 1 course at the 200-level (or above) from department approved electives (see course list below)3
Select 4 courses at the 300-level (or above) from department approved electives (see course list below)12
Total Credit Hours18

Footnotes and Additional Information

Course List to Satisfy Requirements

Elective Requirements

Students must complete a total of 5 courses (15 credit hours) from the following department approved electives. At least 4 courses (12 credit hours) must be taken at the 300-level or above. 1 course (3 credit hours) may be taken at the 200-level (or above). Courses at the 100-level will not fulfill minor requirements.

Department Approved Electives - School of Humanities
ARTS 240BLACK LATINX IN REGGAETON & HIP-HOP: BLACKNESS, FEMINISMS, AND PERFORMANCE3
EDUC 304RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION3
ENGL 369 / SWGS 329THE AMERICAN WEST AND ITS OTHERS3
ENGL 371 / SPAN 396 / SWGS 354CHICANO/A LITERATURE3
ENST 301ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE3
ENST 311TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE3
FREN 313THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD3
FREN 433FRENCH CARIBBEAN ECOCRITICISM3
FREN 478 / ARCR 478THE FRENCH CARIBBEAN3
HART 265A VISUAL CULTURE TRAVELOGUE: ART AND POLITICS IN MODERN LATIN AMERICA3
HART 302FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE SUSTAINABLE: ART, ARCHITECTURE AND NATURE3
HART 315ART AND ACTIVISM: CREATIVE PROTESTS IN THE 20TH CENTURY AMERICAS3
HART 375 / ARCH 375LATIN-EUROPE/LATIN-AMERICA: THE AESTHETICS AND POLITICS OF MODERN CITIES3
HIST 176MEXICO: AN INTRODUCTION3
HIST 188THE ATLANTIC WORLD: ORIGINS TO THE AGE OF REVOLUTION3
HIST 215BLACKS IN THE AMERICAS3
HIST 220MEXICO: 1910 TO PRESENT3
HIST 221UNITED STATES AND LATIN AMERICAN RELATIONS3
HIST 227LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL TRADITIONS3
HIST 228MODERN LATIN AMERICA3
HIST 239NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY: FROM EUROPEAN CONTACT TO THE ERA OF REMOVAL3
HIST 312ENVIRONMENT, MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN LATIN AMERICA3
HIST 328POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN LATIN AMERICA3
HIST 330ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND THE ORIGINS OF AFRO AMERICA3
HIST 331THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION3
HIST 366 / ARCH 366RIO DE JANEIRO: A SOCIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY3
HIST 420MEXICAN HISTORY3
HIST 421RACE, EDUCATION AND SOCIETY IN THE URBAN SOUTH3
HIST 429BORDERLANDS HISTORY3
HIST 478TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY3
LALX 238SPECIAL TOPICS1-4
LALX 251 / HIST 251CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN BRAZILIAN HISTORY3
LALX 330SUBVERSIVE STORYTELLING IN LATINX TV & FILM3
LALX 332WRITING TO HEAL: U.S. LATINE NARRATIVES ON MENTAL HEALTH3
LALX 350PIRATES, REBELS, NARCOS: LATIN AMERICAN OUTLAWS IN THE POLITICAL-CULTURAL IMAGINATION3
LALX 360LATINX POETICS: SENSING & (MIS)REPRESENTING LATINX STUDIES3
LALX 378LATIN AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT: IDENTITY, LIBERATION, MODERNITY3
LALX 492DIRECTED RESEARCH3
PLST 306THE RIVER AND THE WALL: LAW OF BORDERS AND MIGRATION3
PORT 303BRAZIL: LITERATUREA E CULTURA3
PORT 331BRASIL ATUAL3
SPAN 328GAZING AT DISASTER: VISUAL CULTURE AND CATASTROPHE IN LATIN AMERICA3
SPAN 333CURRENT HEALTHCARE ISSUES IN LATINE COMMUNITIES3
SPAN 343ART IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE3
SPAN 344MAPPING LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE3
SPAN 356RACE, GENDER, CLASS, & ENVIRONMENT IN CENTRAL AMERICAN CULTURES3
SPAN 368LATIN AMERICAN SHORT FICTION3
SPAN 370DISABLED BODIES: ILLNESS AND LITERATURE IN LATIN AMERICA3
SPAN 373TWENTIETH CENTURY MEXICAN NOVEL3
SPAN 376THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION IN LITERATURE, MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS3
SPAN 383SPANISH CREATIVE WRITING3
SPAN 384LITERATURES FROM THE SOUTHERN CONE3
SPAN 390 / SWGS 390HISPANIC CINEMA3
SPAN 391CARIBBEAN LITERATURE3
SPAN 392 / FILM 339 / HART 304A REVOLUTION FROM WITHIN: TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY CUBAN CULTURE3
SPAN 402THE CITY IN LATIN AMERICA3
SPAN 403LITERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN LATIN AMERICA3
SPAN 405LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE IN THE MOVIES3
SPAN 406LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA3
SPAN 436LINGUISTIC AND COGNITIVE CONCEPTUALIZATIONS: TENSE AND ASPECT3
SPAN 451WITNESSING, TRUTH & TRAUMA: TESTIMONIAL WRITING IN MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA3
SPAN 453BORDER NARRATIVES3
SPAN 456 / SWGS 466LATIN AMERICAN WOMEN'S CULTURE3
SPAN 491DIRECTED RESEARCH3
Department Approved Electives - School of Social Sciences
ANTH 290HISTORY AND ETHNOGRAPHY3
ANTH 361LATIN AMERICAN TOPICS3
ANTH 392KINGS, QUEENS, AND COMMONERS: THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT MESOAMERICA3
ANTH 394THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLAVERY AND THE AFRICAN DIASPORA3
EDUC 304RACE, CLASS, GENDER IN EDUCATION3
LING 419MULTILINGUALISM3
POLI 328LATINO POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES3
POLI 330RACE, ETHNICITY, AND POLITICS IN AMERICA3
POLI 352THE POLITICS AND CULTURE OF MEXICO3
POLI 354LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS3
POLI 450ELECTIONS IN THE AMERICAS3
POLI 459SEX, GENDER, AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATION IN LATIN AMERICA3
SOCI 301SOCIAL INEQUALITY3
SOCI 309RACE AND ETHNIC RELATIONS3
SOCI 340SOCIOLOGY OF IMMIGRATION3

Policies for the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Program Restrictions and Exclusions

Students pursuing the minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies should be aware of the following program restriction:

  • As noted in Majors, Minors, and Certificates, i.) students may declare their intent to pursue a minor only after they have first declared a major, and ii.) students may not major and minor in the same subject.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the designated transfer credit advisor for the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content). The Office of Academic Advising maintains the university’s official list of transfer credit advisors on their website: https://oaa.rice.edu. Students are encouraged to meet with the applicable transfer credit advisor as well as their academic program director when considering transfer credit possibilities. 

Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the minor.
  • Courses taken at another university must be equivalent in required reading, writing, research and testing, as well as classroom hours, of a Rice course. Regarding subject matter, however, there does not have to be an equivalent course in the Rice course offerings, unless the student requires distribution credit.
  • Rice students planning to study at a foreign university must also obtain pre-approval from the Rice Study Abroad Office.
  • Transfer credit received via the articulation of approved exam credit, such as Advanced Placement (AP) credit, International Baccalaureate (IB) credit, or A-level credit will not be considered towards minor requirements.

Distribution Credit Information

The determination of distribution credit eligibility is done initially as part of the new course creation process. Additionally, as part of an annual roll call coordinated each Spring by the Office of the Registrar, course distribution credit eligibility is routinely reviewed and reaffirmed by the Dean’s Offices of each of the academic schools.  

Faculty and leadership in the academic schools are responsible for ensuring that the courses identified as distribution-credit-eligible meet the criteria as set in the General Announcements. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet graduation requirements by completing coursework designated as distribution-credit-eligible at the time of course registration. 

Distribution courses from the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures are broad in theme and scope and provide students with a substantial inquiry into literature, art, media, history, thought, and/or politics, including specific national traditions, linguistic contexts, and historical periods. Such courses involve a broad and often interdisciplinary spectrum of knowledge, providing students with the tools for thinking critically about the formation of modern culture, its colonial past, and its national and linguistic traditions from antiquity to the present.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures website: https://cultures.rice.edu/.

Opportunities for the Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Academic Honors

The university recognizes academic excellence achieved over an undergraduate’s academic history at Rice. For information on university honors, please see Latin Honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude) and Distinction in Research and Creative Work. Some departments have department-specific Honors awards or designations.

Additional Information

For additional information, please see the Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures website: https://cultures.rice.edu/.