Latin American & Iberian Studies

The Latin American & Iberian Studies Program offers both a major and a minor designed to prepare undergraduate students for careers as Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese specialists. This interdisciplinary program provides students with comprehensive training in Spanish language and culture as well as Latin American and Peninsular history, politics, geography, anthropology, and Portuguese language. In addition, all students are encouraged to attend a semester or winter session at a site in Latin America, Spain, or Portugal.

Many career opportunities are open to students who major in Latin American & Iberian Studies. Because of their linguistic training and in-depth knowledge of these areas, graduates of the program often find employment in government, including the Foreign Service, international business and banking, and non-governmental organizations that work extensively in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. In addition, graduates are well prepared to pursue advanced degrees either in Latin American or Iberian Studies or in a particular discipline.

Requirements for the major in Latin American & Iberian Studies can be found in the UD Academic Catalog.

Language Requirement 

In addition to the 36 credits required of the major, students must complete SPAN 201 or demonstrate equivalent proficiency. Course work in Portuguese is also recommended. 

Study Abroad 

Study abroad at a Latin American site for either a semester, or a winter or summer session, is highly recommended. The Argentina fall and Granada spring & fall semesters are particularly valuable for LAIS majors and minors.

Advisement and substitutions 

In selecting courses for the major, students are encouraged to meet with the LAIS director and choose courses that together reflect a regional (e.g. Mexico, Caribbean, Central or South America) or topical (e.g. colonialism, development, culture) focus. Substitutions for specified courses may be made with permission of the Director of Latin American & Iberian Studies so long as the same disciplinary distribution is maintained.

Honors Bachelor of Arts: Latin American & Iberian Studies 

All Honors degree candidates must complete the following: 

1. All requirements for the B.A. in Latin American & Iberian Studies.
2. All of the University's generic requirements for the Honors Baccalaureate

Requirements for the minor in Latin American & Iberian Studies can be found in the UD Course Catalog.

Language Requirement

In addition to the 18-credit minimum, students must complete SPAN107 or demonstrate equivalent proficiency on the placement test. Equivalent competence in Portuguese will be allowed. The study of both languages is strongly encouraged.

Study Abroad

Latin American & Iberian Studies minors are strongly recommended to attend a semester or winter session in Spain, Portugal, or at a Latin American site.

Advisement and substitutions

Substitutions may be made for the above specified courses, with permission from the Director of the Latin American Studies Program, and only so long as the same disciplinary distribution is maintained.

Director, Latin American and Iberian Studies

Professor of ​Spanish

University of Delaware

107​ Jastak-Burgess Hall

Newark, DE 19716   

dulcinea@udel.edu​

SSN 1536-1837

The Delaware Review of Latin American Studies (DeRLAS) is a refereed, open-access, scholarly journal on the Internet about all aspects of Latin American society, culture and history. It is published biannually under the auspices of the Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS) program housed in the Center for Global and Area Studies (CGAS) at UD. In keeping with UD’s “commitment to cultivate learning, develop knowledge and foster the free exchange of ideas,” and with CGAS’ mission to promote research that increases global awareness and to foster an academic community that is increasingly interconnected, DeRLAS seeks to serve as an intellectual platform for scholars around the globe dedicated to the study of Latin American society, culture and history in order to promote and amplify communication between those scholars from the North and scholars from the South interested in addressing the critical issues facing Latin America. 

We invite scholars interested in these subject to contribute their articles.

Articles must be unpublished material of high academic quality.

Please send your contribution as an e-mail attachment to derlasmail@gmail.com . An abstract of 50-100 words should be included. Articles may be in Spanish, Portuguese or English. See Submission instructions.

Dr. Asima Saad Maura, Editor

derlasmail@gmail.com

DeRLAS is indexed by many well-known international databases including Ulrich Periodicals, LANIC, PAIS, PSA, P42, SO2, SO3, SociolAb and the MLA Directory of Periodicals.

Copyright 2006. University of Delaware. All rights reserved.

The Language Resource Center (LRC) in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures offers a wide range of films, computer programs and audio resources designed to support foreign language learning. In addition, the LRC houses a library of over one hundred Spanish and Portuguese-language feature films and over one hundred documentaries on topics relating to Latin America. The University Museums' collection of Pre-Columbian and Latin American pieces may also be of interest to LAIS students. 

Several organizations on campus (see list below) sponsor programs that focus on the historical, cultural, educational, political, and socio-economic concerns of Latinos at UD and in society at large. These programs include guest speakers, workshops, dance presentations, films, cultural excursions, and the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month each year. Student involvement is encouraged through employment opportunities, volunteering for special projects, and program attendance and participation.   

HOLA, established in 1991, is a registered student organization which represents students and staff from Latin America, and welcomes all who wish to learn more about Latin America. HOLA is committed to cultural programming, community service and mentoring via cultural celebrations, educational activities and student leadership.  

Campus Resources

• UD Latino/Hispanic Heritage Caucus 
• Center for Black Culture
• HOLA
• The Campus Alliance de La Raza
• Association of Latino Professionals for America
• Lambda Pi Chi
  
• Lambda Theta Phi
  
• Lambda Theta Alpha
  
• Lambda Sigma Upsilon
  

Local Organizations  

• Greater Philadelphia Latin American Studies Consortium
• The Latin American Community Center
• El Tiempo Hispano

Research Resources

• Databases for Latin American Studies at UD Library
• The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program
• Fulbright Program — The Western Hemisphere
• Latin American and Latino Studies Resources
• Latin American Network Information Center
• Latino Studies Resources
• Library of Congress' Hispanic Reading Room
• Internet Resources for Latin America
• Latin American News Digest
  
• Brochure​
  

​​"I only have great things to say about the LAIS program at UD. The LAIS program prepared me to be a public health graduate research assistant in the Colorado State University Department of Anthropology and Geography. I was even lucky enough to join on a research trip to Mexico completing fieldwork on edible insects. I have also contributed to research and conducted focus groups on cattle feedyards throughout the US, speaking in Spanish and English to cattle workers to gain their perspectives on their personal wellbeing, and the wellbeing of the animals they care for. Currently, I conduct data collection in Denver of participants in the EFNEP Eating Smart Being Active nutrition program. These data collections are generally conducted in Spanish, and I love meeting with and talking to the participants, who have often just moved to the United States." - Penélope Velasco

"The Latin American and Iberian Studies program has been crucial in my career development. I am currently working as an English Language teacher in Massachusetts teaching all students from Latin America. Participating in the LAIS program definitely made me more marketable when applying to jobs after graduation as it showed the breadth of knowledge I gained during undergrad. The LAIS program helped build my Spanish language skills and helped me develop a cultural understanding of Latin America that is integral to my teaching practice."​​ - Caleigh Bauer​