The Latin American and Caribbean region is home to close to 600 million people. It includes six of the thirty largest metropolitan regions in the world (Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, and Bogotá). Home to a diverse population it is comprised of indigenous peoples and groups that trace their origin to Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
The Caribbean and Latin American Studies concentration allows students to explore this vast region from a variety of perspectives, including History, Literature, Music, Religion, Economics and Educational Studies. Faculty expertise ranges across South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. In addition, Hartford itself represents an excellent window into the Latin American and Caribbean world thanks to its immigrant communities from the cultures of Puerto Rico, the West Indies (including Trinidad and Jamaica), Brazil and Peru, among others.
Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad, and Trinity students can explore the region by spending a semester at the Trinity-in-Trinidad Global Learning Site, or at Trinity in Buenos Aires. Courses taken at these sites can be applied towards sections 3, 4, and 5 of the concentration. These experiences can also serve to develop preliminary research towards the Senior Exercise.
Requirements for the concentration:
- Required courses for all international studies majors (three courses):
- INTS 300. Special Topics in International Studies.
- One International Studies (or approved) global course.
- INTS 497 Senior exercise.
- Language courses (four courses): All students majoring in Caribbean and Latin American Studies are required to take a total of four semesters of a single language (one semester beyond the college-wide foreign language requirement, depending upon their college placement level). Available languages include Spanish, French or Portuguese (Portuguese is offered through the SILP program). Portions of the language requirement may also be fulfilled through courses at our sponsored study-abroad program in Buenos Aires, or at a previously approved study-abroad program.
- Required Core Area Course:
- INTS 101: Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean World.
- Four courses, from at least three of the following areas:
(a) Studies in Social Science:
• ECON 231 Latin American and Caribbean Economic Development.
• EDUC 307 Latinos in Education: Local Realities, Transnational Perspectives.
• INTS 103 Hugo Chávez: Oil, Revolution and Democracy in Latin America.
• POLS 231 Politics and Human Rights in Contemporary Latin America.
(b) Studies in Culture:
• BUEN 300 The Urban Experience, Human Rights, and Cultural Production (Course taught in Buenos Aires).
• HISP 225 Iberian & Latin American Music & Conversation
• HISP 226 Iberian & Latin American Film & Conversation
• HISP 227 Int. Spanish and Language Conversation in Montevideo (Course taught in Uruguay)
• HISP 263 Latin American Culture I (Pre-Columbian Era to Enlightenment).
• HISP 264 Latin American Culture II (Independence to Present Day).
• HISP 270 Introduction to Cultural Analysis.
• HISP 280 Hispanic Hartford.
• HISP 302 Conquest and Colonialism.
• HISP 321 Gender, Ethnicity, and Resistance in the Andes.
• HISP 327 Memory at Work in Latin American Culture
• HISP 371 Special Topics in Latin American Culture.
• INTS 262 Peoples and Culture of the Caribbean.
• MUSC 111 Samba Ensemble (1/2 credit per semester, 2 semesters required).
• MUSC 215 Music of Latin America and the Caribbean.
• MUSC 219 Toca Brasil! (Play Brazil!).
• MUSC 220 Human Rights and Music.
• PHIL 247 Latin American Philosophy.
• TNTB 300 Caribbean Civilization (Course taught in Trinidad)
(c) History:
• HIST 108 Race & Ethnicity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• HIST 235 Colonialism in the Americas.
• HIST 236 Latin America Since 1800.
• HIST 238 Introduction to Caribbean History.
• HIST 247 Latinos and Latinas in the United States.
• HIST 256 Human Rights in Latin America and Caribbean: A History.
• HIST 283 African Diaspora in Latin America & Caribbean.
• HIST 314 Politics and Revolution in Central America.
• HIST 339 Modern Mexico: Historical Origins.
• HIST 378 Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans: Colony, Nation, Diaspora.
• HIST 379 The Cuban Revolution: Historical Origins and Evolution.
(d) Literature:
• HISP 312 Foundational Tropes/Contested Tropes ("The Gaucho").
• HISP 313 The Vision of America and its Inhabitants.
• HISP 314 Indigenous Peoples in Spanish American Literature and Culture.
• HISP 318 Gender and Sexuality in Spanish America.
• HISP 325 Literature of Popular Consciousness and Revolution.
• HISP 331 The Boom and Beyond.
• HISP 339 Testimonial Literature and Human Rights.
• HISP 340 U.S. Latino and Latina Writers.
• HISP 341 Latin American Poetry.
• HISP 342 Latin American Theater.
• HISP 344 Spanish American Historical Novel.
• HISP 372 Unstable Worlds: Jorge Luis Borges.
- Electives (three courses) Electives should be selected in consultation with their advisor. Only one language course at the 100- or 200-level may be applied to this section. Students with Spanish language backgrounds are encouraged to take HISP 300-level courses. Students can also count INTS 302 Black Internationalism as an elective. Students pursuing a double major with Hispanic Studies must take two of the electives in a field other than Hispanic Studies.