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Master of Arts
MACotermJoint DegreeOverview
The Master of Arts in Latin American Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to develop students' knowledge and skills in the study of Latin America and to prepare them for professional careers or doctoral study.
The curriculum comprises courses surveying the region, including its history, politics, society, ecology, and culture; advanced language training; research methodology; and focused coursework within the program's three fields of specialization (humanities, environment and health, and social sciences). In consultation with their faculty advisor(s), students select a course of study suited to their interests. Students with little prior coursework in Latin American Studies may benefit most from this interdisciplinary approach.
Graduates of the program have entered a range of fields, including higher education, business, the private sector, government, and nonprofit organizations.
Requirements
Program Requirements
Core courses overview
In addition to completing the required program seminars, students must take three core courses—one from each field of specialization (humanities, environment and health, and social sciences), as curated by CLAS.
Core course - Humanities
HISTORY 371
Graduate Colloquium: Explorations in Latin American History and Historiography
Core course - Environment and health
ANTHRO 319
Environment & Power
Core course - Social sciences
EDUC 327
Social Movements & Education
Program seminars in Latin American Studies
LATINAM 200
Seminar on Contemporary Issues in Latin American Studies
LATINAM 397A
Methods in Latin American Studies
LATINAM 397B
Scholarly Writing and Research in Latin American Studies
Students must take LATINAM 200 every quarter (A, W, S) for a total of 3 units.
Breadth in Discipline
Related courses overview
Students must take at least 10 units of related courses, selecting from courses listed within the three fields of specialization (humanities, environment and health, or social sciences) in the related curriculum, with the guidance of their faculty advisor(s). Related courses have at least 25% Latin American content. Listed courses are subject to availability.
Students may submit a CLAS Course Petition Form opens in a new tab if they:
identify a course that should be added to the related courses list; or
want to petition a course with less than 25% Latin American content to count as a related course in their program.
Students may count up to 3 units of LATINAM 300 - Directed Readings toward their related courses.
Related courses - Humanities
AFRICAAM 264
Introduction to Global Black Diaspora Studies II
AFRICAAM 294
Black Brazil: Afro-Brazilian Music, Literature, and Art
ANTHRO 153
Asylum: Knowledge, Politics, and Population
ARTHIST 293
Black and Brown: American Artists of Color
ARTHIST 293A
Latin American Art and Literature: 100 Years of Modernisms
ARTHIST 438
Latinx Art Beyond Museum Walls
CHILATST 106
From Disney to Telenovelas: Latin America in Popular Film and TV
CHILATST 115
The Ensnared Geographies of US Empire & Latine Migration
CHILATST 140
Migration in 21st Century Latin American Film
CHILATST 157
Time Travel in Abya Yala: Decolonising Time
CHILATST 173
Mexican Migration to the United States
CHILATST 271B
Making Latino America
COMPLIT 100
CAPITALS: How Cities Shape Cultures, States, and People
COMPLIT 142
The Literature of the Americas
COMPLIT 155
Rivers That Were: Latin American Ecopoetry
COMPLIT 165
Intro to English III: Latinx Literature
COMPLIT 209
Ecopoetry
COMPLIT 284
What Does "Undocumented" Mean?
COMPLIT 348
US-Mexico Border Fictions: Writing La Frontera, Tearing Down the Wall
CSRE 101A
Indigeneity and Colonialism
CSRE 250
Outcasts, Superheroes, and Rebels: Identity and Social Justice in Latin(x) American Cinema
CSRE 289
Race and Immigration
EARTHSYS 194
Introduction to Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Gender and Place
EARTHSYS 295C
Study of the Commons, Commoning, and Cooperative Approaches to Self-Governance and Sustainability
EDUC 223
Language Issues in Educational Research and Practice
EDUC 330
Freirean Pedagogy: Theory, Praxis, and Contemporary Struggles
EDUC 404
Topics in Brazilian Education: Public Policy and Innovation for the 21st Century
ETHICSOC 278M
Introduction to Environmental Ethics
FILMEDIA 178
Film and History of Latin American Revolutions and Counterrevolutions
HISTORY 106B
Global Human Geography: Europe and Americas
HISTORY 166C
The Cold War: An International History
HISTORY 177C
Rebelión: Black Resistance in the Caribbean
HISTORY 201A
The Global Drug Wars
HISTORY 274C
Mexicans in the United States
HISTORY 276C
Central American Refugees
HISTORY 279A
Immigration and Asylum Practicum
HISTORY 371
Graduate Colloquium: Explorations in Latin American History and Historiography
HISTORY 375
Haiti: Past, Present, and Futures
HUMRTS 108
Advanced Spanish Service-Learning: Migration, Asylum, and Human Rights at the Border
ILAC 105
Climate Change and Latin American Naturecultures
ILAC 111Q
Texts and Contexts: Spanish/English Literary Translation Workshop
ILAC 113
Latin American Short Story
ILAC 113Q
Borges and Translation
ILAC 122
Drugs, Literatures and Visual Cultures in Latin America
ILAC 128
Spanish through Comics
ILAC 130
Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives
ILAC 131
Introduction to Latin America: Cultural Perspectives
ILAC 136
Modern Iberian Literatures
ILAC 141
Fiction Workshop in Spanish
ILAC 142
Decadent Interiorities: Modernismo in Spanish
ILAC 143
Multiple Brazils
ILAC 157
Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literatures
ILAC 161
Modern Latin American Literature
ILAC 214
Colonial Mexico: Images and Power
ILAC 242
Poetry Workshop in Spanish
ILAC 247
Indigenous Literatures and Cultures of the Americas
ILAC 249
Women and Wolves in Film and Literature
ILAC 267
Narrativa e Alteridade na Ficcao Brasileira Contemporanea
ILAC 268
INDIGENISMOS REVISITED
ILAC 273
Kids: Youth Cultures in Contemporary Latin America
ILAC 277
Senior Seminar: Sor Juana and her World
ILAC 278
America Latina del Modernismo a Nuestros Dias
ILAC 278A
Senior Seminar: Writing the Disaster: Poetry, Film, and Infinity
ILAC 318
Shipwrecks and Backlands: Getting Lost in Literature
ILAC 353
Losing My Mind: Madness, Race, and Gender in Latin America
ILAC 356
Asian-Latin Americans: Historical, Literary, and Cultural Migrations
ILAC 368
Law and (non-)Humanities in Latin America
INTLPOL 357
Transitional Justice
INTNLREL 141A
Camera as Witness: International Human Rights Documentaries
LATINAM 248
Racial and Gender Inequalities in Latin America
LATINAM 252
The Inter-American Human Rights System: Doctrine, Practice and Advocacy
LATINAM 300
Graduate Directed Reading in Latin American Studies
SOC 358
Sociology of Immigration
SPANLANG 108SL
Advanced Spanish Service-Learning: Migration, Asylum & Human Rights at the Border
Related courses - Environment and health
BIO 144
Conservation Biology: A Latin American Perspective
COMPLIT 155
Rivers That Were: Latin American Ecopoetry
COMPLIT 209
Ecopoetry
EARTHSYS 194
Introduction to Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Gender and Place
EARTHSYS 220
Environmental Justice in California
EARTHSYS 295C
Study of the Commons, Commoning, and Cooperative Approaches to Self-Governance and Sustainability
EBS 236
The Quest for Sustainable Community-Based Livelihoods
ECON 106
World Food Economy
ETHICSOC 278M
Introduction to Environmental Ethics
HISTORY 378
The Historical Ecology of Latin America
ILAC 105
Climate Change and Latin American Naturecultures
INTNLREL 146A
Energy and Climate Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere
LATINAM 300
Graduate Directed Reading in Latin American Studies
Related courses - Social sciences
ECON 106
World Food Economy
EDUC 306A
Economics of Education in the Global Economy
EDUC 404
Topics in Brazilian Education: Public Policy and Innovation for the 21st Century
HISTORY 375
Haiti: Past, Present, and Futures
INTLPOL 357
Transitional Justice
INTNLREL 146A
Energy and Climate Cooperation in the Western Hemisphere
INTNLREL 147
Political Economy of the Southern Cone Countries of South America
INTNLREL 179
Major Themes in U.S.-Latin America Diplomatic History
LATINAM 252
The Inter-American Human Rights System: Doctrine, Practice and Advocacy
LATINAM 300
Graduate Directed Reading in Latin American Studies
LATINAM 343
Political Economy of Latin America
POLISCI 247G
Governance and Poverty
POLISCI 248S
Latin American Politics
POLISCI 440B
Comparative Political Economy
SOC 358
Sociology of Immigration
Depth in Discipline
Elective courses overview
Students must take 5 units of elective courses from across the University's offerings, selected with guidance and approval from their faculty advisor(s) to further inform their academic and professional interests. A maximum of 5 elective units may be applied toward this requirement. Activity courses may not be used to satisfy this requirement.
Research or Project Requirement
Master's capstone/thesis research project
In consultation with and under the supervision of their faculty advisor(s), students must complete either a capstone or a thesis research project that culminates in a final paper.
Master's capstone/thesis research in Latin American Studies
LATINAM 398
Master's Capstone/Thesis Research in Latin American Studies
Students may count only 1 unit of LATINAM 398 toward their degree.
Language Requirement
Language requirement overview
Students must complete a three-course sequence in ONE relevant language of Latin America, totaling 9–14 units. This may include Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua, Nahuatl, Haitian Creole, or others, if viable.
The Stanford Language Center administers Spanish placement exams upon matriculation.
If incoming students do not meet the required entry level in Spanish—equivalent to B1 (CEFR scale), Intermediate High (ACTFL scale), or third-year university study—they must complete the sequence in this language.
Language sequence
HAITLANG 395
Graduate Studies in Haitian
NAHUALNG 395
Graduate Studies in Nahuatl
PORTLANG 395
Graduate Studies in Portuguese
QUECHLNG 395
Graduate Studies of Quechua
SPANLANG 395
Graduate Studies in Spanish