Introduction

Please click here to see History department information.

This country is deeply connected to Latin America in a myriad of ways, and a good part of its history is rooted in Latin American experience. Peoples originating in cultures that we now define as 'Latin America' resided in what is now the US - and in the place we now call Colorado -long before the country came into existence and, in all their diversity, peoples with ties to the region have been co-constructors of the nation ever since. To further our collective understanding of the hemisphere we inhabit, then, it is essential to support the study of the cultural, political, economic, and historical richness of this region. This certificate focuses on societies from Mexico to Patagonia. It makes the case that the study of Latin American lives in all their diversity, both past and present, has much to offer students in their efforts to comprehend the world and their own communities. This certificate will cater to students who wish to examine the histories, arts, literatures, philosophies, politics, and communications of this dynamic region, and it does so by offering a pathway to study Latin America through a bilingual lens as well.

Upon successful completion of the certificate, students will be able to:

1. Recognize the diverse societies, cultures, polities, discourses, and histories that have come to constitute present-day Latin America, 
2. Connect Latin American societies to global processes, 
3. Compare different methodological and disciplinary approaches that are used to study Latin America, 
4. Identify the contributions of Latin American peoples to the construction of the Western Hemisphere and to global society. 

Program Delivery

• This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Certificate

Students interested in completing this certificate should complete this form: CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Intent to Declare Form, which requests that the certificate be added to your student record. Once added, you will be able to run a certificate degree audit. The certificate degree audit should be used in collaboration with the Certificate Advisor to ensure successful completion of the requirements.

Students should then work with Ryan Crewe (ryan.crewe@ucdenver.edu) – the certificate advisor, to ensure completion of all certificate requirements.

• Eligibility: While housed in the History Department, Latin American Studies is a multidisciplinary field that draws from Geography, Spanish, Philosophy, Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, and Education. Thus, CU Denver undergraduate students in any discipline are encouraged enroll in the program.

Completing This Certificate

Students must also complete the CLAS Undergraduate Certificate Completion Verification Form, before graduation, in order to confirm completion of their certificate. The certificate advisor will confirm that your certificate has been successfully completed, and will work with campus partners to apply the certificate to your transcript.

Students must fill out the Certificate Completion Form before the deadlines below, to ensure the certificate is applied to your transcript correctly. If you are a non-degree seeking student, please fill out this form in the term in which you intend to complete your certificate.

Spring semester – April 1
Summer semester – July 1
Fall semester – November 1

These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with the Latin American Studies advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them. 

General Requirements

Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate. 

• Click here for information about Academic Policies

Certificate Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours from the approved courses.
2. Students must complete a minimum of six upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours from the approved courses.
3. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
4. Students must complete all certificate credit hours with CU Denver faculty.

Certificate Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. The Latin American Studies Certificate advisor can approve additional courses that fit within the themes of the certificate.
2. The certificate will be awarded when the student graduates with the bachelor's degree.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following Latin American Studies foundations courses:		3
HIST/ETST 3350	Colonial Latin America
HIST 3460	Modern Latin American History
SPAN 3213	Contemporary Latin American Culture and Institutions
Complete another foundations course from the list above or one of the following Latin American Studies elective courses:		3
GEOG 3130	Central America and the Caribbean
GEOG 3140	Geography of South America
PHIL 4341	Latin American Philosophy
Complete two additional courses from the lists above or two of the following elective courses, depending on your interests and desired focus in Latin American studies: 1		6
ANTH 4320	Archaeology of Mexico and Central America
COMM/ETST 4722	Communicating Latinx Cultures
ETST 3110	Indigenous Studies
ETST 3129	Contemporary Latin American Literature
ETST 3155	The African Diaspora
FINE 4630	History of Latin American Art:1520-1820
HIST/ETST 4411	Modern Mexico
HIST 4412	Mexico and the United States: People and Politics on the Border
HIST 4415	Social Revolutions in Latin America
HIST 4621	Explorers and Exploration
LDFS 3000	Undocumented Mexican Immigration
PSCI/ETST 4146	Indigenous Politics
PSCI 4446	Advanced Indigenous Peoples' Politics
SPAN 3212
SPAN 3225	Special Topics In Hispanic Culture
SPAN 3230	Ibero-American Cultures through Film
SPAN 3240	Food Metaphors: Ibero-American Cuisine and Culture
SPAN 4060	Dialects of the Spanish-Speaking World
SPAN 4411	Contemporary Spanish-American Novel
SPAN 4450	Masterpieces of Spanish-American Literature
SPAN 4501	Borges: An Introduction to His Labyrinths
SPAN 4512	Contemporary Argentine Short Stories
SPAN 4521	Mexican Literature I: pre-Columbian and Colonial
SPAN 4522	Mexican Literature II: 19th to 21st Centuries
SPAN 4541	Unexpected Lives: Ibero-American Queer Cinema
SPAN 4550	Garcia Marquez: Words of Magic
SPAN 4590	Ibero-American Thought
SPAN 4599	Special Topics: Latin American Literature
Total Hours		12

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Students may complete any of the "required" courses as electives. Each course will only fulfill one category.

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.