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CLASS 2024 Latin American Studies

This curriculum would provide students with a deeper understanding of current affairs, history, economics, identities, and culture of diverse groups in the U.S., as well as a skill for effective and culturally relevant communication and media production. Therefore, this major requires substantive study in both areas. 

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Liberal Studies Requirements 80
Major Core Courses 32
Major Requirements 44
Open Electives 36
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

  • Recognize the cultural diversity of the Latino/a population in the United States and their history
  • Appreciate the significance (historical and contemporary) of Latino/a communities in the United States
  • Identify, interpret and differentiate interdependence, power, and privilege among dominant groups and Latino/s within tDemonstrate awareness, knowledge, and understanding of international and cultural groups other than their own, through opportunities to interact with others with differing world views
  • Compare and contrast media and communication practices as they relate to diverse populations and contexts
  • Communicate ideas and values clearly and effectively in multiple contexts, with diverse audiences and via appropriate media and formats
  • Research and analyze Latino/a literatures, media, cultures and/or texts to understand the communication dynamics and how they are shaped by history
  • Inquire and analyze cultural traditions and practices, as they are represented in the media

College Core Requirements

Study in the Major Field

The student’s course of study in the College consists of three parts: Liberal Studies, the major field, and electives. Together these three parts contribute to the liberal education of the student which is the common purpose of all study in the College. By “liberal education” the College understands not only a deep and thorough knowledge of a particular area of study but a knowledge of the diverse areas of study represented by criticism, history, the arts, the behavioral  and social sciences, philosophy, religious studies, the natural science, and mathematics. 

The major field program generally is built upon a set of core courses and a specialized “concentration.” The number of courses required for a major varies by department. Most students go beyond the minimum requirements, electing additional courses which both broaden and deepen their understanding of their chosen discipline. 

Because no academic major program is built in isolation, students are required to pursue a number of electives of the student’s choice. The inherent flexibility of this curriculum demands that the student consult an academic advisor at each stage in the total program and at least once prior to each registration.

Students will be prompted to visit the College Office for their official graduation check early in their senior year.

Declaration of Major, Minor and Concentration

All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor in the major field department or program and should make an appointment to see that advisor at his or her earliest convenience. 

Students must declare or change majors, minors, and concentrations, via Campus Connection. However, for the purpose of exploring the possibility of changing a major field, the student should consult an academic advisor in the Office for Academic Advising Support.

The Modern Language Requirement (MLR)  

All students will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language (i.e., a language other than English) equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. This Modern Language Requirement (MLR) may be demonstrated by:

  • placing into 104 or above on the DePaul language placement exam
  • completing the last course or earning AP/IB credit for the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language (e.g. 103 for DePaul language classes)
  • completing a college course or earning AP/IB credit for a college course beyond the first-year level in any language (e.g. 104 or above for DePaul language classes)
  • completing the final course of a four-year sequence of the same modern language in high school*
  • completing a proctored exam by BYU and passing the exam (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)
  • completing a proctored Written Proficiency Test (WPT) by Language Testing International (LTI) and achieving a score of Beginner High or above (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)

*Students are strongly encouraged to take the DePaul language placement exam even if they have met the MLR via study of a language in high school. This will ensure continuation of language study at the proper level.

Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement.

Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College will abide by the MLR in place on the effective date of the ICT, regardless of when they first matriculated at DePaul.

Students who have met the MLR and wish to pursue further work in the language may elect the “Modern Language Option” (see below).

The Modern Language Option (MLO)

The Modern Language Option is available to all BA students who wish to study a modern language beyond the level required by their College, and to all other undergraduate students without a modern language requirement who wish to study a language at any level. 

Students selecting the MLO may substitute a sequence of three courses in the same language for three domain courses. 

The three MLO substitutions must be made in three different domains, and any substitutions must be consistent with the principle that students complete at least one course in each learning domain.

MLO substitutions may not be used to replace requirements in the Math & Computing, and Scientific Inquiry, domains. ​

Students majoring in one modern language may use the Modern Language Option for study of a second language at the Intermediate level or above.

Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.

NOTE: Please contact your college/school regarding additional information and restrictions about the Modern Language Option.

External Credit and Residency

A student who has been admitted to the College begins residency within the college as of the first day of classes of the term in which the student is registered. Students in residence, whether attending on a full-time or part-time basis, may not take courses away from DePaul University without the written permission of the college. Permission must be obtained in advance of registration to avoid loss of credit or residency in the college; see the LAS website for more information. 

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down. 

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
MAT 120 QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 4
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
LST 390 SENIOR SEMINAR 1,3 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Learning Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the Scientific Inquiry Learning Domain.  The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam or it may be fulfilled by credit for advanced math coursework earned  in-residence at DePaul (MAT 135MAT 136MAT 147MAT 148MAT 149MAT 150MAT 151MAT 152 MAT 155MAT 156MAT 160MAT 161MAT 162 MAT 170MAT 171MAT 172, or equivalent) or earned externally either as transfer credit from another college/university or as test credit through AP, CLEP, IB, or International A and A/S Level exams. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfill any of the three QR/MCD requirements.

3

A student majoring in Latino/a Culture and Communication is required to complete the Capstone offered by the Latin American and Latino Studies (LST) Department. This is the case even if a student is double majoring (or pursuing a dual degree) and the secondary major (or degree) requires its own Capstone. A Latino/a Culture and Communication major in the University Honors Program shall take the University Honors Capstone and the LST Capstone.​

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  •  2 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Course Required

Math and Computing (MC)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 CR Course and 1 SRCourse]​​

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]​​

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 1 Course Required

Notes

See an advisor to utilize the modern language option.

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses (32 credit hours)

Composed of five introductory core courses offered by the Latin American and Latino Studies Department, plus three additional introductory courses which are also required for all College of Communication majors.

Course Title Quarter Hours
Core Courses 32
STRUGGLE AND RESISTANCE IN LATIN AMERICA
CONSTRUCTING LATINO COMMUNITIES
MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES ACROSS THE AMERICAS
LATINO COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO
GROWING UP LATINO/LATINA IN THE U.S.
INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
PUBLIC SPEAKING

Major Area Courses (44 credit hours)

In addition to the core courses, students will complete 24 credit hours in both the College of Liberal Arts and Social Science and 20 credit hours in the College of Communication.

Course Title Quarter Hours
Students must select 4 course (16 credits) from the following list:16
AFRO-CARIBBEAN AND AFRO-LATIN AMERICA: PEOPLES, CULTURES, IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS
LATINOS/AS AND THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM
LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS
LATINO/A LIBERATION TRADITIONS
SPECIAL TOPICS IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER. PEOPLE, RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL WASTE, TECHNOLOGY
LATINO COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO
GROWING UP LATINO/LATINA IN THE U.S.
MOTHERHOOD IN LATINO COMMUNITIES
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT AND LATINO FAMILIES
SPECIAL TOPICS: LATINOS IN THE U.S.
LATINA/O SEXUALITIES
GLOBALIZATION IN THE AMERICAS
MEXICAN CINEMA
LATIN AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
LATINO POLITICS
LATINO POLITICAL BEHAVIOR
LATIN AMERICAN-UNITED STATES RELATIONS
LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS
CULTURAL RHETORICS
SOCIAL MOVEMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND AMERICAN IDENTITIES
TOPICS IN WRITING, RHETORIC AND DISCOURSE
Students must select 2 Spanish courses (8 credit hours) from the following list:8
BASIC SPANISH I
BASIC SPANISH II
BASIC SPANISH III
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH I
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH II
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH III
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS I
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS II
TRANSITIONAL SPANISH FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS
ADVANCED GRAMMAR AND COMMUNICATION
ADVANCED COMPOSITION AND COMMUNICATION
ADVANCED CONVERSATION
ADVANCED GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS I
ADVANCED GRAMMAR AND COMPOSITION FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS II
ADVANCED CONVERSATION FOR THE HERITAGE LEARNER
LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE II
LATIN AMERICAN NOVEL
PUERTO RICAN LITERATURE
CONTEMPORARY HISPANIC LITERATURE
MEXICAN LITERATURE
THE HISPANIC ESSAY
CONTEMPORARY POETRY
U.S. LATINO/A WRITERS
AREA STUDIES IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE
MODERN LATIN AMERICAN THEATRE
Course Title Quarter Hours
Five elective courses required from the below College of Communication focus area courses. It is recommended that all five courses are selected from a single focus area.20
Advocacy and Social Change Communcation
COMMUNICATION, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN TEAMS AND SMALL GROUPS
INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL MEDIA SKILLS
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES
TOPICS IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
TOPICS IN RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION AND DECISION-MAKING IN GROUPS AND TEAMS
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
PERSUASION
CULTURES IN CONVERSATION
LATINX COMMUNICATION, ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
STORYTELLING: COMMUNICATION AS NARRATIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCH METHODS
DIGITAL MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS
COMMUNICATION AND THE CORPORATE CULTURE
COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWING
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
DIVERSITY, LEADERSHIP, & TEAM BUILDING
THE FUTURE OF REMOTE AND VIRTUAL TEAMS
RELATIONAL, GROUP, AND ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY
GENDER AND COMMUNICATION
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION
ARGUMENTATION, ADVOCACY, AND DELIBERATION
COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
PERFORMANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, POWER, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT REPORTING
SOCIAL MEDIA & THE NEWS
SOCIAL JUSTICE REPORTING 1
PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING
PUBLIC RELATIONS
WRITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
Group and Organizational Communication
PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING
PUBLIC RELATIONS
WRITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
ENGAGING LATINX COMMUNITIES
Journalism and Media
INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM
PHOTOJOURNALISM
NEWS REPORTING
FEATURE WRITING
REPORTING FOR 14 EAST MAGAZINE
CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION
SOCIAL MEDIA & THE NEWS
SOCIAL JUSTICE REPORTING II
POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
JOURNALISM LAW AND ETHICS
ADVANCED MULTIMEDIA REPORTING
REPORTING FOR THE DEPAULIA
INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: BUILDING A NARRATIVE WORLD
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN CINEMA AND TELEVISION
TOPICS IN GLOBAL CINEMA
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN CINEMA AND TELEVISION
TOPICS IN MEDIA STUDIES
FANDOM & PARTICIPATORY CULTURE
COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
LATINO/A TELEVISION AND MEDIA
LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA
TOPICS IN MEDIA PRODUCTION
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Public Relations and Adversiting
PERSUASION
COMMUNICATION AND THE CORPORATE CULTURE
COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
DARK SIDE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
THE FUTURE OF REMOTE AND VIRTUAL TEAMS
RELATIONAL, GROUP, AND ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY
RESEARCH, DATA AND INSIGHTS
DESIGN APPLICATIONS FOR PRAD PROFESSIONALS
EVENT PLANNING
ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ETHICS
DIVERSITY & CURRENT ISSUES IN ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
COPYWRITING
DIGITAL ADVERTISING
ADVANCED WRITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
ENGAGING LATINX COMMUNITIES
CRISIS COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
NON-PROFIT PUBLIC RELATIONS
BRANDED CONTENT
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING

Open Electives - 36 credit hours