The BA with a major in Spanish and Hispanic Studies consists of 33 credit hours.
Degree Requirements
SPAN 31103: Oral Communication in Spanish
SPAN 31203: Writing in Spanish
SPAN 31403: Advanced Spanish Grammar
*Heritage speakers will not receive credit for Spanish 31103 Oral Communication; they
must select another course at the 30000 level or above. A heritage speaker is someone
who was primarily educated in U.S. schools but who speaks Spanish in the home and
with friends and co-workers and is fluent. Special permission by the department chair
is required for any deviation from this policy.
**Native speakers will not receive credit for Spanish 31103 Oral Communication, 31203
Writing and 31403 Advanced Grammar; they must select another course at the 30000 level
or above. A native speaker is considered to be someone who completed his or her primary
and secondary education in a Spanish-speaking country. Special permission by the department
chair is required for any deviation from this policy.
Choose one (1) of the following:
SPAN 32003: Culture of Spain
SPAN 32103: Culture of Latin America
SPAN 32203: Popular Cultures in Spanish-speaking Countries
Choose two (2) of the following:
SPAN 32503: Panorama of Spanish Literature 1 (Pre 1800)
SPAN 32603: Panorama of Spanish Literature 2 (Post 1800)
SPAN 32703: Panorama of Latin American Literature 1 (Pre 1820)
SPAN 32803: Panorama of Latin American Literature 2 (Post 1820)
Four upper-level Spanish electives, two of which must be 40000-level literature courses
or Cultural Studies courses
One SPAN-designated course taught in English and taken on the TCU campus may be applied
toward the major requirements.
*****SPAN 43103 Senior Honors Thesis may be used as an elective, but honors students must still take
two 40000-level literature courses.
The Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies requires 33 credit hours.
Degree Requirements
PORT 10103: Portuguese for Beginners
PORT 10203: Portuguese for Beginners 2
Two (2) of the following:
SPAN 31103: Oral Communication in Spanish
SPAN 31203: Writing in Spanish
SPAN 31403: Advanced Spanish Grammar
One (1) of the following:
SPAN 32103: Culture of Latin American
SPAN 32203: Popular Cultures of Spanish-speaking Countries
One (1) of the following:
SPAN 32703: Panorama of Latin American Literature 1 (Pre 1820)
SPAN 32803: Panorama of Latin American Literature 2 (Post 1820)
LAST 40003: Latin American Studies Senior Seminar
One (1) elective (3 credit hours) in SHS at the 30000 or 40000 level (when the topic
of the course focuses on Latin America).
Three (3) electives (9 credit hours) from another department/other departments. Students
who achieve 20203-level proficiency in Portuguese will only be required to take two
electives (6 credit hours) from other departments.
The course examines expressive culture that reflects and shapes the way people think,
behave, and give their lives meaning. The expressive culture includes history, literature,
and lore considered as resources for people to address their needs and circumstances,
especially in relation to social positions, gender, self-identification, politics,
and ethics. Other topics include U.S. Mexico relations, social conflict, resistance
movements, religion, and cultural poetics. Student cannot receive credit for ENGL 55713 and ENGL 30713.
Analysis and methods in the study of traditional customs and beliefs of Mexican-Americans.
Topics may include storytelling and joking, popular religion, ethnomedicine, ethnic
identity rituals, and folk art.
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
Prerequisites: ANTH 20623, RELI 10023 or RELI 10043 or consent of the instructor. Anthropological findings in the comparative study of
religion and culture across a broad range of societies. Studies of sacred experience,
myth, ritual, magic, witchcraft, religious language, gender and religion, healing,
and relationships between social and religious change.
An archaeological survey of the ancient cultures of Mexico and Andean South America,
from the first human migrations into the Americas to the Aztec and Inka empires. Anthropological
perspectives on developmental sequences and achievements of major indigenous civilizations
in both culture areas are discussed and compared.
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
Origin and distribution of the native populations of selected areas. The historical
development and current perspectives of institutions, belief and value systems, and
comparative organization of cultural areas. Possible areas to be examined include
Native North Americans, peoples of South America, and peoples of Africa.
This course surveys the indigenous arts and architecture of the three major culture
areas of the New World: the Pre-Columbian archaeological traditions of the central
Andes (primarily Peru) and Mesoamerica (primarily Mexico and Guatemala) as well as
both archaeological and historic traditions of North America. Among the cultures discussed
are the Inka, Aztec, Maya, Hopi, Lakota, and Tlingit. All major media are covered.
This course offers a broad overview of the art of Mexico beginning with the joining
of Aztec and Spanish traditions in the colonial period, through the independence and
revolutionary periods, and continuing until the present-day.
The course surveys the art and architecture of the major cultures of the Pre-Columbian
central Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile).
This course surveys the art and architecture of the major cultures of Pre-Columbian
Mesoamerica (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras), ranging from the Olmec, whose great
tradition in stone sculpture emerged in about 1200 B.C., to the Triple Alliance of
the Mexica Aztec, which the Spaniards conquered in the mid-sixteenth century. All
major media are covered.
This course is an in-depth study of the art and architecture of the ancient Maya.
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
Prerequisites: A 'C-' or better in ECON 10223 or 30223, and 10233 or 30233. Survey of development experience in a country or group
of countries or analysis of general development experiences such as external finance,
foreign trade and payments, development policy sets, or other experiences typical
of developing countries.
Prerequisites: A 'C-' or better in any 3 or more semester hours ECON course. ECON 10233 is recommended, but not required. This course covers the influence of past economic
policies on the current state of the economics of Latin America. The major policies
to be considered are industrial policy, international trade policy, exchange rate
policy, financing current account deficits, and macroeconomic policy.
An introduction to writings of diverse genres and historical periods by Hispanic and/or
Latina/o writers from what is now the U.S.A. Latina/o literature will serve as the
primary readings for students to engage and examine key concepts of literary criticism
and cultural history.
Prerequisites: ENGL 10803, ENGL 20803 and at least one 10000- or 20000-level ENGL/WRIT/CRWT course. Study of literary works
in English on various genres by U.S. authors of Puerto Rican, Mexican, Nicaraguan,
Cuban, Dominican, and/or Chicano/a backgrounds. Historical emphasis will be limited
to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Topics of analysis include race, gender,
class, nationality, migration, immigration, and urban studies.
The course examines expressive culture that reflects and shapes the way people think,
behave, and give their lives meaning. The expressive culture includes history, literature,
and lore considered as resources for people to address their needs and circumstances,
especially in relation to social positions, gender, self-identification, politics,
and ethics. Other topics include U.S. Mexico relations, social conflict, resistance
movements, religion, and cultural poetics. Student cannot receive credit for ENGL 55713 and ENGL 30713.
An analysis of the human and physical geography of a specific region. Examples of
regions include Texas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe. Regional characteristics
investigated may include economic, political, historical, and cultural components
as well as topography, climate, and natural resources. May be repeated for credit
provided the specified region changes.
An exploration of the human and physical geography of Latin America. This course analyzes
Latin America from a geographical perspective and addresses topics such as landforms,
climate, environmental hazards, indigenous peoples, culture, ethnicity, religion,
agriculture, political geography, population, cities, and economic production.
An intensive field study in the regional and systematic geography of a selected area.
Examples include France, Central America, and the American West. May be repeated for
credit provided the selected area changes.
A comprehensive history of Latinas/os in the United States from settlement to present,
with an emphasis on the period since 1848. This course covers the cultural, political,
and economic contexts of identity and community formation, immigration, and labor
and civil rights struggles among various Latina/o communities within the United States.
Hispanic and native backgrounds of the Spanish Conquest; a description and analysis
of the evolution of colonial institutions; the independence movements in Hispanic
America. (LA)
The colonial inheritances which influenced national development; political and economic
trends of the nineteenth century; revolutionary trends in the twentieth century; inter-American
relations. (LA)
Through lectures, reading, classroom discussions, and research assignments, this course
examines the indigenous, European, and African roots of Latin American civilization
and culture; the evolution of colonial institutions and ideas; the emergence of a
distinctly Latin American culture; and the independence movements that established
national states in most of Spanish and Portuguese America by 1830. The course will
also include some comparative analysis with other civilizations. (LA)
Through lectures, reading, classroom discussions, and research assignments, this course
examines the civilization and culture of modern Latin America, including the formation
of national states; continuing colonial economic and political characteristics; the
impact of ideas on Latin American development; class struggle and conflict between
socialist and capitalist models of development; and the emergence of distinctive Latin
American and national cultures. (LA)
Survey of Central America from colonial times to the present with emphasis on the
region's economic and political development and the emergence of revolutionary movements
in the twentieth century. (LA)
Early diplomatic relations among the independent republics; the Monroe Doctrine in
Hemispheric politics; the movement for Pan American union; the Big Stick and Dollar
Diplomacy; the Good Neighbor Policy and the Alliance for Progress. (LA or US)
This course surveys the history and politics of the modern African American civil
rights movement and uses it as a vehicle to explore the theory and practice of group-centered
leadership development; the nature of social movements and the role of grassroots
activism; the connections between civil rights and other struggles for social justice,
past and present; and the origins and persistence of structural racial inequality
in the U.S. Credit not awarded for both POSC 31523 and HIST 30833.
This course examines Native American movements in modern Latin America and their impact
on conceptions of nation and citizenship, focusing on the late twentieth and early
twenty-first centuries. (LA)
Southern South America from colonial times to the present; a comparison of the colonial
experiences of both countries and their impact on national development; problems of
modernization and the movements of social revolution. (LA)
The growth of the Brazilian nations and civilization from colonial plantation beginnings
through experiments with monarch and republic, to the rank of major nation. (LA)
Examination of a selected period of colonial or modern history through biography of
prominent individuals. Individuals will include people such as Sor Juana or Fidel
Castro although biographies and periods will vary with each semester. (LA)
Investigation and analysis of the Indian Civilizations of Mexico, the Caribbean Region,
Central and South America with particular emphasis on the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas.
Also discussed will be the impact of European culture on the native population and
the contemporary problem of integrating the Indian into modern society. (LA)
The native peoples, the Spanish Conquest and cultural conflict, evolution of colonial
society, the movement for independence, 19th century efforts at modernization, revolutionary
Mexico and U.S.-Mexican relations. (LA)
The major Indian tribes of the cultural area comprising the southwestern United States
and northern states of Mexico. (US)
The political, social, and economic study of Texas from the coming of the Spaniards
in 1528 to the present. The role of ethnic groups in the development of Texas is emphasized,
and a study of the state constitution is made. (US)
This class will examine Cuban history, from pre-Hispanic times to the present. Major
themes will include the evolution of Spanish colonial rule, sugar and the rise of
African slavery, the wars of independence, and the role of U.S. interventionism. Special
emphasis will be placed on the Cuban Revolution and the causes and results of this
historical process. How did Fidel Castro manage to take power, and what have been
the most significant effects of his regime? A second major goal of HIST 41903 is to improve students' writing and critical thinking skills. Students will be required
to develop theses and to defend their positions using evidence from their readings,
lectures, and their own research. Analysis and argument will be the central elements
of the course. (LA)
Examination of Afro-Latin American experience, from colonial times to the present.
Class activities emphasize analytical thinking and writing.
This course is an introduction to the study of characteristics and experiences of
the Latina/o community in the United States. As we review the historical, social,
political, religious, anthropological aspects, among others, we will evaluation the
diversity within the community in order to locate this group within the United States
society. Finally, we will concentrate on topics that are relevant to this group, like
immigration, transnationalism, popular culture, among others.
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
The course examines selected cultures in an international setting. Social and scientific
factors are related to health beliefs and practices and health care delivery systems
of the country visited and examined. Critical analysis of selected topics will be
accomplished. Open to all majors. Usually taught in summer abroad program.
This course surveys the history of the modern Chicano/a civil and immigration rights
movement and explores Latino/a politics and immigration policy as ways to understand
the nature of social movements and the role of grassroots activism; the connections
between civil rights and other struggles for social justice, past and present; and
the origins and persistence of structural racial and ethnic inequality in the United
States. (Offered as POSC 31543 or HIST 30823 credit)
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
European politics, Asian politics, Latin American politics, Middle Eastern politics,
developing political systems, etc.
The course examines key factors (patterns of conquest, inter-American relations) that
have shaped Latin American politics historically and then focuses concentrated attention
to the factors that affect Third Wave democratization in the region. Much of the course
is centered on case studies.
This course will investigate the variety of religious life found among U.S. Latina/os,
looking beyond misconceptions, generalizations and stereotypes.
This course examines the role of religion and law in the formation of identity by
exploring the notion that identity, including race, is a social construct by examining
how various immigrant groups from around the world were and are shaped by religion
and the American legal process. In particular, we will consider Latinos/as in the
U.S. as an example of how law and religion shape a cultural group's identity as well
as how law and religion impact cultural and global self-understanding.
In this course we will investigate and analyze discourses put forward by Latinas within
the religious/theological field and how they fit the larger picture of Latina Feminisms
in the United States.
*when the topic of the course focusses on Latin America
Prerequisites: ANTH 20623, RELI 10023 or RELI 10043 or consent of the instructor. Anthropological findings in the comparative study of
religion and culture across a broad range of societies. Studies of sacred experience,
myth, ritual, magic, witchcraft, religious language, gender and religion, healing,
and relationships between social and religious change.
The Spanish minor consists of 21 credits at the 20103 level or above.
Any course taught in Spanish at the 30000 or 40000 level may be taken as an elective.
No course taught in English may be taken to fulfill the minor requirements.
Minor in Spanish for Health Professions
The minor in Spanish for the Health Professions is designed to provide students (especially
those in nursing) the ability to communicate in Spanish in the area of health care.
The minor engages the student with the necessary mechanics of the language and propels
him or her into two courses designed especially for students in the health professions.
Opportunities are offered for electives to boost oral communication and knowledge
of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and beyond. Options also are
available for off-campus service learning and study abroad.
The minor in Spanish for the Health Professions consists of 21 credits at the 20103
level and above. Two courses are required:
SPAN 31503: Spanish for Health Professions I
SPAN 42503: Spanish for the Health Professions II
Minor in Spanish for Business Professions
The minor in Spanish for Business Professions (SBP) is designed to provide students
the ability to communicate in Spanish in the area of business. The minor engages the
student with the necessary mechanics of the language and propels him or her into two
courses designed especially for students in the business professions. Options are
available for off-campus service learning and study abroad. Students looking to pursue
business careers with ties to Latin America also are encouraged to study Portuguese
and may substitute 3 credits of Spanish electives with 3 credits of second-semester
Portuguese.
The SBP minor consists of 21 credits at the 20103 level and above. The following courses
are required: