Latin American and Caribbean Studies Major

Requirements for the Major

Prerequisite: SPAN 044 or equivalent proficiency in Portuguese, Nahuatl, Kreyol, Quichua, Kaqchikel or other Indigenous language or African Diaspora language of the region.

The student will build courses around a disciplinary focus while maintaining interdisciplinary breadth. A Latin American and Caribbean Studies major requires a minimum of 10 courses including a senior thesis.

Requirements toward the major are distributed as follows:

Foundation :Introductory Modern Era: HIST141 SC; HIST143 SC ; or HIST032 CH at Pomona College. Also required, Introductory Pre-1800 course (please inquire with you major advisor).
Depth: Four courses in Latin American offerings in a single discipline such as history or literature and cultures.(Foundation courses may double count toward the requirement).
Breadth: Four elective courses outside the chosen focus, from such fields as those listed above as well as Africana Studies, anthropology, Chicanx/Latinx studies, sociology, media studies, or environmental studies..
A Senior Seminar, if deemed advisable, is selected in consultation with the Program Chair or your advisor in your major.
Senior Thesis

Note: One course from the Intercollegiate Department of Chicanx Latinx Studies (IDCLS or CHST) may be used to satisfy breadth requirements listed above even if its geographic focus falls mainly in the United States.

Honors Requirements

Students with a strong interest in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are encouraged to apply for an Honors Program as early as the first semester of the junior year. Students may also be invited to apply for the program by a faculty member who teaches in the major. The Honors Program includes a year-long honors thesis followed by a successful thesis defense before three faculty in the field. Students intending to graduate with honors need a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.67 or above in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. For honors, the senior thesis grade requirement is A– .