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SETONHALLUNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Educational Policy Committee
PROPOSAL FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW PROGRAM
All proposals must be submitted electronically (as attachments in the e-mail) to the chair of EPC by the chair of the department or the program director. The EPC may request photocopies in addition.
Department(s): Interdepartmental
Proposed program name: Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies (LALS)
Program degree goal:
Catalogue description: Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies is the interdisciplinary study of cultures, languages, histories, literatures, politics, economies, religions and arts of Latin Americans and Latinos/as in the United States. It is an academic approach which considers as a continuum the histories of the Americas: from the time before the arrival of Europeans through the Iberian Conquest and Colonization of Latin America; modern national periods and the contemporary globalized present; as well as the long and complex histories of Latinos/as in the United States. This hemispheric approach to the cultures and histories of the Americas enables both breadth of knowledge and depth of analysis. The Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies major emphasizes both acquisition of knowledge and the development of literacies and skills including reading critically, speaking effectively, writing analytically, and researching innovatively. In addition to required courses, it includes study abroad experience and internship and research opportunities. A major in Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies is excellent preparation for our contemporary multicultural society. Students who are bilingual and deeply informed about the cultural specificities of Latinos/as, the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States as well as the countries of the Caribbean and Latin America, our hemispheric neighbors and their fast growing economies and changing political climates, will be competitive in any field. Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies is excellent preparation for any number of fields in the human services, education, diplomacy, museum professions, business (international and domestic, marketing, business law), medicine and all other public health professions and the nonprofit sector. It is also a great launching pad for graduate studies in Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies or any discipline in the humanities or social sciences, especially history, Spanish or Portuguese language and literature, anthropology, sociology, economic or political science. Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies majors are also well-prepared to pursue professional degrees or law school.
Rationale including program goals and objectives: Latinos/as represent the largest and the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. Latinos/as represent 13% of New Jersey's population and 10% of SHU's student body. Both of these numbers can be expected to grow, and indeed, SHU's student body should come to more closely reflect the distribution of New Jersey's population. In an era of ever greater exchange of people, goods and ideas throughout the hemisphere and the growing presence of Latinos/as within the United States it is increasingly necessary to understand the histories, cultures, and aspirations of this group and to examine the circumstances within which they make their place in the United States. Joining the scholarly expertise of several disciplines, Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies offers training in critical thinking, social theory, analysis, research, service and study abroad. Our majors will be well prepared to compete in private and public sector professions in which a deep understanding of cultural diversity is an asset in our increasingly multicultural society. In addition, research has shown that a powerful way to address historically low college matriculation and graduation rates by many sectors of Latino/astudents and address the structural disadvantages of gender, race and class is to provide students with opportunities and advising which enables them to negotiate the "intersection of cultural and career identity" (Gross, L. "Negoatiating Meaning from Intersections of Career and Cultural Identity" in Unique Needs of Latino American Students, Anna M. Ortiz, Ed., San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2004). Further, Catholic universities have historically been significant among private "Hispanic-serving institutions" (e.g.. higher education institutions composed of 25% or more Latinos, Ibid.), institutions which provide a particularly favorable climate for Latino/a students' success and self-realization. While Seton Hall Latino/a student population has grown significantly, the University's emphasis on Servant Leadership and its deep commitment to educating the whole person: intellectual, social and spiritual, makes it a welcoming home for students. This program will make Seton Hall appealing and competitive compared to other area universities, few of which offer Latino Studies programs that are comprehensive of Latin America and Latinos/as in the United States. Further this major will raise the profile of the institution and promote recruitment of minority students.
Expected graduation rate (students/yr): 5based on: statistics on comparable interdisciplinary programs published in the Provost's Office's Fact Book and predicted demographic growth. In an initial informational session in Spring 2005, 10 students expressed interest in being a LALS major and 25 people self-enrolled in the Latino Institute's Blackboard Community in spite of little publicity.
Year 1: 4-5 students
Year 2: 6-8 students
Year 3: 8-10 students
Year 4: 10-12 students
Year 5: 10-12 students
(i.e., to have 10 majors by year 4.)
List of required courses :
Course numberNameCredits
24 credits of required courses (all are 3 credits, unless otherwise noted):
I. Introductory courses which may be taken in any sequence (6 credits):
LALS 1001 Introduction to Latin American Studies
LALS 1002 Introduction to Latino/Latina Studies
II. Two advanced Spanish or Portuguese courses above the A&S core requirement from the following list (6 credits):
PORT 2401-2402 Portuguese/Luso-Brazil I-II
SPAN 1201-1202 Advanced Spanish I-II
SPAN 2102 Applied Spanish Conversation
SPAN 2501-2502 Advanced Spanish for Native Speakers I-II
SPAN 3212 Spanish-American Civilization
SPAN 3311 Introduction to Hispanic Literacy Studies
SPAN 4111 Business Spanish: Correspondence
SPAN 4318 Spanish American Narrative I
SPAN 4319 Spanish American Theater
SPAN 4320 Spanish American Narrative II
SPAN 4321 Spanish-American Poetry
SPAN 4322 Spanish American Essay
SPAN 4323 Spanish Literature of the Caribbean
(Students who begin the major at a beginner level of Spanish or Portuguese language may apply for exemption through the Department of Modern Languages from the advanced language requirement, although the number of required credits will remain the same). [Rationale: this will encourage native Spanish or Portuguese speakers to study the other language and also serve to recruit non-native speakers who might be discouraged by the fact they would be required to take at least 12 credits, if not more, of language courses to catch up to this advanced level.] The faculty committee developing the major is unanimous in its assertion that language proficiency is non-negotiable for the LALS major, nonetheless, we want to ensure mechanisms by which students with proficiency in one of the two languages will be encouraged to study the other, and in order for students to successfully complete the major in a reasonable amount of time even if they have no prior training in Spanish or Portuguese. This exemption will not be publicized, but will be available for use at discretion of faculty advisor.
III. Two courses from the following list (6 credits):
LALS 1401 Latin American History II (cross-listed with HIST1401)
LALS 1402 Latin American History I (cross-listed with HIST 1402)
LALS 2517 Latinas and Latinos in the United States (cross-listed with SOCI 2517)
LALS 2614 Latin American Politics (cross-listed with POLS 2614)
LALS 3319/SPAN 3319 Traditions and Cultures - Issues in Latin American Popular Culture
LALS 3324 Classics of Latin American Literature in Translation (cross-listed with SPAN 3324, which is currently being reviewed by EPC)
LALS 3401 U.S. Latino/Latina Literature (cross-listed with SPAN3401/ENG 3404)
IV. Capstone: two-course sequence (6 credits)
A. Select one of the following:
LALS 5011 Individualized Guided Research
LALS 5012 Internship: Various internship opportunities will be developed offering students a one semester immersion experience in institutions whose mission and constituencies are coherent with the Latino Studies major. A program is already in development to place Seton Hall interns in El Museo del Barrio, New York City's largest museum of Latin American art and culture.
LALS 5013 Study Abroad:
B. All students must take:
LALS 5020 Capstone Seminar (This course will rotate between different faculty members)
List of elective courses :
Course numberNameCredits
A total of 15 credits . Students will choose a Humanities or Social Sciences track and complete 12 credits. They will also take one additional course (3 credits) as a "free elective," selecting from either track or any other LALS course listed.
A. HUMANITIES TRACK:
AFAM 2211 Puerto Ricans and Mainland
AFAM 2215 Caribbean Experience
HIST 2374 The Immigrant in American Life
HIST 2466 History of Puerto Rico
HIST 2490 Topics in Latin American History
PHIL 1155 Ethics and International Affairs
SPAN 2101 Conversational Spanish I
SPAN 2711 Spanish and Latin American Cinema
LALS 3100-3110 Special Topics in LALS Studies
LALS 4100-4110 Special Topics in LALS Studies
B. SOCIAL SCIENCES TRACK
ANTH 2412 Anthropology of Religion
ANTH 3218 Immigration to the United States
ANTH 2243 Peoples & Cultures of Latin America
CAST 3997 Latin American Catholicism
POLS 3214 Urban Politics
RELS 2252 Caribbean Biblical and Religious Traditions
SOCI 2513 Social Inequality (formerly Inequalities of Power and Privilege)
SOCI 2515 Majority-Minority Relations (formerly Intergroup Relations)
SOCI 2713 Politics and Society (formerly Political Sociology)
SOCI 2910 (POLS 2910) Research Methods in the Social Sciences
LALS 3100-3110 Special Topics in LALS Studies
LALS 4100-4110 Special Topics in LALS Studies
For BS/BA degree programs, indicate below specific changes or adjustments to the core curriculum.
- English (0-6 credits required) Total credits for the program:
- Communications (0-3 credits required) Total credits for the program:
- Mathematics (0-3 credits required) Total credits for the program:
- Natural Science (6 credits required) Total credits for the program:
Behavioral Science (6 credits required) Total credits for the program
- Culture and Civilization (12-18 credits required) Total credits for the program:
Foreign Language (6 credits required) Total credits for the program:
American and 3rd World Civilization (6 credits required) Total credits for the program:
- Judaeo-Christian Studies (3 credits required) Total credits for the program:
- Philosophy and Religion (3 credits required) Total credits for the program:
Total Core curriculum credits:
Total Electives and Upper level course credits:
Total credits for BS/BA degree: 130
For dual degree programs:
List of shared graduate and undergraduate graduate courses
Course numberCourse nameCredits
Number of shared credits:
Requirements for program admission:
Approvals:
Departmental vote (Date m/d/y). FOR: AGAINST: ABSTAIN:
If program involves more than one department, please submit the vote of each department (FOR, AGAINST, ABSTAIN).
Committee vote (2/2/06): For:5 Against: 0 Abstain: 1
Dept. of Africana Studies vote: (1/31/06): For: 1 Against: 0 Abstain: 1
Dept. of English vote: (__/__/__): For: ____ Against: ____ Abstain: _____ **Departmental vote will be sent to the EPC committee as soon as it takes place.
Dept. of History vote: (1/27/06): For: __ Against: __ Abstain: __ **They declined to vote, saying it was an EPC decision.
Dept. of Modern Languages vote: (1/27/06): For: 11 Against: 0 Abstain: 1
Dept. of Philosophy vote: (1/26/06): For: 6 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
Dept. of Political Science vote: (1/20/06): For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain: 1
Dept. of Religious Studies vote: (__/__/__): For: ____ Against: ____ Abstain: ____ **Departmental vote will be sent to the EPC committee as soon as it takes place.
Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology vote: (1/23/06): For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
Catholic Studies Program vote: (1/16/06): For: 5 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
**See the appendix for copies of the departmental votes.
Attachments:
Complete proposals for all new courses (including syllabi, bibliography and instructor(s) credentials) are attached.
List other attached supporting documents, if applicable:
See Table of contents for Complete list of attachments, including:
- Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies Program Narrative and Curriculum Chart
- Comparison of core requirements in other Latino Studies, Latin American Studies and Ethnic studies programs in similar or nearby institutions
- EPC Form to propose the creation of a Minor in Latin American and Latino/a Studies
- EPC forms and syllabi for proposed courses
- Curriculum Vitae for LALS committee members
- Careers for Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies majors and minors
Rev. 11/2003