Design the Social Justice Concentration Track

One gateway course

“Gateway” courses feature a broad focus on Latin America, the Caribbean, and global Latinx communities. Courses are approved by the LALC Director. Examples:

LALC 101 Intro to Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean Studies

HIST 126 Colonial Latin America

HIST 127 Modern Latin America

HIST 128 Latino History

ANTH 266 Culture & Politics in Latin America

POLS 251 Latin American Politics

POLS 200 US and Latin America

SPAN 304 Aspects of Spanish-American Culture

Or a similar course with a broad focus on Latin America approved by the LALC Director.

One course in History 

A course focused on Latino, Caribbean, or Latinx history, as approved by the LALC Director.

Note: If a history course is used as a Gateway course, a second history course must be taken to satisfy the History requirement.

Concentrators must demonstrate knowledge of a Latin American language other than English at an advanced intermediate level or higher. This requirement can be met by completing SPAN 202, FREN 202, or the equivalent (as demonstrated by a language placement exam, AP scores, or other such recognized measures).

In the case of Latin American languages not taught at the College, such as Portuguese, Haitian, Creole, or indigenous languages, speakers can have their language level certified by a faculty member or other competent authority in that language.

How language courses count:

Courses taken to meet the minimum language requirement (202-level and below) will not be counted toward the concentration.

More advanced language courses (301-level and above) fulfill the language requirement and may count toward the concentration, provided they have been approved as meeting the learning goals of the LALC program. Examples include:

• Spanish 301, 302, and others in the Spanish Department at the 300-level and above that feature Latin American literature and culture
• Courses taught in Spanish in other departments such as HIST 278 Raza e Identidad, RELS 290 Teología Andina, or RELS 295 Un tal Jesús
• Comparable courses approved by the LALC Director, including courses at other institutions and abroad
• Courses such as French 301, whose content does not meet the learning goals of the LALC program, fulfill the language requirement but will not be counted toward the concentration.

Three additional Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies.

A.  At least one with a social justice focus

Approved courses vary by semester and range across many departments, including Spanish, History, Political Science, Sociology & Anthropology, and others, depending on departmental offerings.  Please consult with the LALC Director to confirm which courses will fulfill this requirement.

B. A pertinent internship or experiential learning course

Options include an Academic Internship in Worcester or Washington, D.C., with focus on the Latinx population or Latin American issues. Community-Based Learning and other experiential learning experiences may be considered as alternatives for the academic internship, as approved by the LALC Director.

C. A CIS Senior Seminar on Social Justice. 

This latter course must be taken in the second semester of the student's senior year.

Note: Students upon completing SPAN 202, who choose not to continue language study, must instead take four additional LALC courses to complete the concentration.

In your planning, please remember the rules regarding the number of courses that you can count for more than one program: 

• a LALC concentration may overlap a maximum of two (2) courses from all other plan(s) of study (e.g., your major) 
• No single course may count for three plans of study (e.g., two majors and a concentration)

A single course may meet more than one of the concentration criteria. For instance, ANTH 266 Culture and Politics in Latin America or POLS 251 Latin American Politics can be used to meet the Gateway criteria, and count as a social justice course.  Remember, though, that the total number of courses required is six.  Please consult the LALC Director with any questions. 

Normally, no more than two courses from any one discipline or program may count towards the concentration. However, a third course from the Spanish department may be accepted if, and only if, one of the three deals with art content, such as SPAN 312 Filmmaking in Spanish, SPAN 420 Latin American Film, and SPAN 366 Creative Writing in Spanish.

Study Abroad courses: Study Abroad courses: Up to three courses in Study Abroad programs in Latin America can be approved for concentration credit upon review and approval of the LALC Director. Only two courses with Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies topics can be applied to the Major or Concentration for students studying abroad in Spain upon review and approval of the LALC Director  (Daniel Frost, dfrost@holycross.edu).