Academic Catalog

LAS - Latino/Latina and Latin American Studies

LAS 1410 Latino/a Studies Seminar Cr. 1

First year seminar on Latino/a cultural studies topics. Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 6 Credits

LAS 1420 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Latino/a Studies Research Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry

Interdisciplinary introduction to the issues, concepts, and debates concerning the study of Latin American and Latino/as in the U.S. Offered Winter.

LAS 1900 History of Colonial Latin America Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Historical Studies, Social Inquiry

The Spanish and Portuguese conquests in the Americas; the multi-racial and class social structures they established as colonies, and the movements for independence, 1492-1822. Offered Yearly.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

Equivalent: HIS 1900

LAS 1910 Latin America from Independence to the Present Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry, Historical Studies, Social Inquiry

Latin America from early nineteenth century to the 1980s. Major themes include: 1) colonial pasts and political independence; 2) state formation, and the construction of identities at local and national levels; 3) elite and popular relations, including cases of rebellion, revolution, and state repression; 4) forms of capitalist development and transformations in class relations, ideologies of economic development, and linkages to the United States. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: HIS 1910

LAS 2100 Chicano/a Literature and Culture Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Civ and Societies (CLAS only), Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry

Examination of Chicano/a literature. Themes and figures in a social and historical context. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: SPA 2400

LAS 2110 Puerto Rican Literature and Culture Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry, Civ and Societies (CLAS only), Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry

Examination of Puerto Rican literature. Themes and figures in a social and historical context. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: SPA 2500

LAS 2250 AfroLatino/a History and Culture Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Cultural Inquiry

Interdisciplinary introduction to the history and culture of AfroLatinos/as in the U.S. from the perspective of the African Diaspora in the Americas. Offered Winter.

Equivalent: AFS 2250

LAS 2410 History of Mexico Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Foreign Culture, Global Learning Inquiry

Historical development of Mexico and the Mexican people from the Spanish conquest to the present. Interaction of political, social, economic and cultural influences. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: HIS 2440

LAS 2420 History of Puerto Rico and Cuba Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Foreign Culture, Global Learning Inquiry

Historical development of Puerto Rico and Cuba from the pre-Columbian period to the present. Interaction of political, social, economic and cultural influences. Offered Intermittently.

Equivalent: HIS 2420

LAS 2430 History of Latino/as in the United States Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry

Historical development of people of Hispanic descent in the United States from the early nineteenth century to the present. Cultural conflict, and interaction of political, social, and economic forces. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: HIS 2430

LAS 3000 Special Topics in Latino/a and Latin American Studies Cr. 3

Selected, specialized and/or topical studies in Latino/a and Latin American studies. Topics to be announced in Schedule of Classes. Offered Fall, Winter.

LAS 3431 Revolutionary Movements in Latin America Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Global Learning Inquiry, Social Inquiry

This course examines revolutionary movements in twentieth-century Latin America with special emphasis on Central America, the Caribbean, and the Southern Cone. The course also explores the relationship between these movements, U.S. involvement in the region, and the Latin American diaspora. Offered Fall.

Equivalent: HIS 3431

LAS 3434 Labor in Latin America Cr. 3

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the history of labor and the working-class throughout Latin America from pre-Hispanic times to the present. The class begins by looking at indigenous labor in the pre-Colombian context. This section will include readings on communal labor with emphasis on peasant classes. The second section moves to the Conquest of Latin America. Students will learn how colonialism influenced and drastically changed how people participated in the workforce. There will be readings on slave and indigenous labor. The third section deals with the independence and nation-building periods of the 19th and 20th centuries. Here students will examine how the working-class and peasants negotiated aspects of national identity in several case studies. This will involve exploring labor activism and other labor movements in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico.Finally, the class will end with the neoliberal period and its impact on workers. Offered Every Other Year.

Equivalent: ELR 3434, HIS 3434

LAS 3540 Cultures and Societies of Latin America Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Diversity Equity Incl Inquiry, Global Learning Inquiry

Latin American social structures and cultural variation, history, and relationship to the United States. Themes include class, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, globalization, and immigration to the United States. Offered Intermittently.

Equivalent: ANT 3540

LAS 3610 Seminar in Latino/a Urban Problems Cr. 3

Satisfies General Education Requirement: Social Inquiry, Social Sciences

Historical and current issues in economics, politics, and culture involving the multi-racial and multi-ethnic Latino/a population of the United States. Offered Intermittently.

LAS 3710 Learning About Your Community Through Research Cr. 4

Blend of participatory, in-service, and classroom work to enhance undergraduate research skills by linking social science theories and concepts to hands-on community-based learning opportunities. Offered Fall.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate level students.

Equivalent: SOC 3710

LAS 3800 Spanish for Heritage Learners Cr. 3

Review of grammar and composition for Spanish heritage learners. Conducted entirely in Spanish. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: SPA 2025 with a minimum grade of C

Equivalent: SPA 3800

LAS 3990 Directed Study Cr. 1-3

Special topics are addressed by students and faculty. Offered Fall, Winter.

Repeatable for 9 Credits

LAS 5231 The Conquest in Latin America Cr. 3

Varying perspectives on European conquests in Latin America. Offered Intermittently.

Equivalent: HIS 5231

LAS 5560 Spanish American Cultures and their Traditions Cr. 3

Spanish America before and after the discovery of the New World. Art, music, customs, contemporary institutions, through films, records, newspapers, gallery visit to Detroit Institute of Art, and the text. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: SPA 3300 with a minimum grade of C

Equivalent: SPA 5560

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