Latin American Studies Certificate

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Return to: 3580 Department of World Languages and Cultures

Certificate program coordinator: Leslie L. Marsh (llmarsh@gsu.edu), Director, Center for Latin American and Latino/a Studies

The Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies attests to the recipient’s knowledge and understanding of Latin American culture, economy, history, and politics, as well as to his or her competence in one or more of the principal languages of the region. Its purpose is to give students a broad knowledge and understanding of Latin America and U.S. Latino/as that will help prepare them to work or study in Latin America or to work with individuals and groups of U.S. Latino/as or of Latin American origin in the United States.

The certificate is particularly well suited to students pursuing graduate degrees in anthropology, art history, business, history, world languages, political science, or sociology (to name just a few) who have a concentration or a definite interest in Latin American and U.S. Latino/as or who want to expand their understanding by taking related course work. It is also well suited to individuals who desire to enhance their marketability and skills in relation to a region whose economy and culture have become increasingly important to the United States in recent years. The Certificate may be earned alone or in conjunction with a graduate program in one of the academic departments of Georgia State University; courses included in an academic program may be used for credit toward a Certificate. The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is not required for acceptance into the Certificate program.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the certificate by contacting the coordinator of the program at the addresses above.

Additional Admission Requirements
Admission to the certificate program is on the basis of:

A BA/BS or graduate degree;
Prior course work indicated in valid transcripts;
A statement of purpose;
Two letters of recommendation;
Competence in Spanish or Portuguese.
Competence is demonstrated by completion of a four-semester sequence of the language at the undergraduate level, by completion of at least one graduate course in Spanish, or by an entrance language exam administered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures. Candidates who have completed the four semester sequence more than three years before applying for admission to the certificate program will be required to take the entrance language exam. Students should consult with their advisor on how best to fulfill this requirement.

Applicants should apply online at the following: cas.gsu.edu/graduate-services/admissions/. A committee chaired by the certificate coordinator/director of the CLALS will review the material, decide on admission, and assign an appropriate advisor.

Certificate Requirements

The minimum requirements for the certificate are 15 graduate-level hours in courses with significant content addressing Latin America or U.S. Latino/as and a grade of B or better in each course. These courses must be selected from at least two different academic departments. For those students enrolled in a master’s degree program at Georgia State University, two courses from the student’s master’s degree may be used towards the certificate.

Courses addressing significant content on Latin America or U.S. Latino/as may include those offered in African-American Studies, Anthropology, Communication, Economics, History, International Business, Political Science, World Languages and Cultures (Spanish program) and other academic units at Georgia State.

The following is a list of a few - but not all - graduate courses from affiliated departments that may be taken for credit toward the Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies. Students who are accepted into the program should contact the certificate coordinator/director of the CLALS to discuss an individual plan of study

Please note: some study abroad programs include graduate-level coursework that may count towards the Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies. Students should contact the Office of Study Abroad to learn about study abroad programs and then discuss their options with the certificate coordinator/director of the CLALS.

AH 6630 - Pre-Colombian Art 3 Credit Hours
AH 6660 - Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Art in Latin America 3 Credit Hours
AH 6900 - Special Studies Seminar 3 Credit Hours (when the course deals with Latin America)
ANTH 6040 - Race, Class, and Gender in Global Perspective 3 Credit Hours (when course deals with Latin America and/or U.S. Latino/as)
ANTH 6060 - Environmental Anthropology 3 Credit Hours (when course deals with Latin America, Latino/as)
ANTH 6160 - Archaeology of South America 3 Credit Hours
ECON 8600 - Economics of Development 3 Credit Hours
FREN 8220 - Topics in French and Francophone Culture and Society 3 Credit Hours (when the course treats Francophone cultures of the Caribbean)
HIST 8420 - Seminar in Latin American History 4 Credit Hours (may be repeated if topics vary)
HIST 8660 - Case Study in International Preservation 4 Credit Hours (when the course deals with Latin America)
IB 8190 - Doing Business in World Regions 3 Credit Hours (when the course deals with Latin America)
POLS 6158 - Campaigns and Elections 3 Credit Hours (when the course treats Latin America and/or U.S. Latino/as)
POLS 8250 - Latin American Politics 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 8200 - Introduction to Community Psychology 3 Credit Hours
PSYC 8060 - Issues of Human Diversity in Psychology 3 Credit Hours
RELS 6700 - Issues in Religious Studies 3 Credit Hours
SPAN 8603 - Cultural Studies 3 Credit Hours (when the course treats Latin America and/or U.S. Latino/as) (may be repeated)
SPAN 8885 - Special Topics in Latin American Literature and/or Culture 3 Credit Hours (may be repeated)
SPAN 8710 - Special Topics in Spanish Applied Linguistics 3 Credit Hours
WGSS 6910 - Special Topics 3 Credit Hours when topic is relevant
WGSS 8002 - Globalization and Gender 3 Credit Hours (when the course treats Latin America and/or U.S. Latino/as)