Social Studies Degrees

Requirements for the Major in Latin American Studies
A total of 10 courses, including Latin American Studies 173, 174, Spanish 231, two Latin American literature courses at the 200 level or above, four additional courses on Latin America at the 200 level or above from at least three disciplines other than literature, and one senior seminar or senior project.

Students must receive a grade of C- or better for a course to count toward the major. No major requirements may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. The point scale for retention of the major applies to all courses taken to fulfill the major.

Majors are required to spend at least one semester in Latin America matriculated in a program that offers university-level courses (not in a language acquisition program); all course work abroad must be conducted in either Spanish or Portuguese. All study-abroad plans must be approved by the director of the Latin American Studies Program. No more than the equivalent of two semester courses of foreign study credit may be counted toward the major per semester abroad, or four semester courses per year abroad. A minimum grade point average of 2.70 is required for admission to study abroad. Prerequisites for study abroad include the completion of Spanish 135 and Spanish 231 (may be taken concurrently) with a grade of C or better. No more than the equivalent of four semester courses of foreign study or transfer credit may be counted toward the major.

Note: Students wishing to fulfill the advanced grammar requirement in Portuguese must enroll, after securing the approval of the director of the Latin American Studies Program, in either a one-semester language program abroad (which will not replace the study-abroad requirement) or in an intensive summer language program that certifies advanced proficiency.

Requirements for the Major in Latin American Studies:

A total of 10 courses, including:

History of Latin America 173.
Introduction to Latin American Studies (LA 174).
Advanced Spanish Grammar (SP 231).
Two Latin American literature courses (200 level or above).
Four courses on Latin America (200 level or above) from three or more disciplines other than literature. For instance: Anthropology, Economics, Government, etc.
One senior seminar or senior project.

Students must receive a grade of C- or better for a course to count toward the major. No major requirements may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. The point scale for retention of the major applies to all courses taken to fulfill the major.

Majors are required to spend at least one semester in Latin America matriculated in a program that offers university-level courses (not in a language acquisition program); all course work abroad must be conducted in either Spanish or Portuguese. See Off Campus Study options for aproved programs. All study abroad plans must be approved by the director of the Latin American Studies Program. No more than the equivalent of four semester courses of foreign study or transfer credit may be counted toward the major. A minimum grade point average of 2.7 is required for admission to study abroad.

Note: Students wishing to fulfill the advanced grammar requirement in Portuguese must enroll, after securing the approval of the director of the Latin American Studies Program, in either a one-semester language program abroad (which will not replace the study abroad requirement) or in an intensive summer language program that certifies advanced proficiency.

Honors in Latin American Studies:

Students majoring in Latin American studies with a 3.7 major average or better, and a 3.3 overall at the end of their sixth semester, may apply for admission to the honors program by May 30th of their junior year. Permission is required. It involves a year-long independent research project that replaces the senior seminar requirement. Successful completion of the work of the honors thesis (see guidelines) and of the major will enable the student to graduate “With Honors in Latin American Studies.”

Requirements for the Major in International Studies
Up to 14 courses, including the five courses that constitute the core curriculum; three courses in area studies; three courses from policy studies; and one senior seminar or appropriate independent study (International Studies 494). At least one seminar or senior project must be completed during the senior year as the capstone experience. Majors must complete a concentration within the major unless they have a double major or minor in African studies, anthropology, economics, government, history, French studies, Spanish, Latin American studies, environmental studies, Russian, East Asian studies, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, or German Studies. Majors also must complete the equivalent of two courses beyond the introductory (usually through 131) level in a modern foreign language. Students are encouraged to develop language skills relevant to their regional specialization. At least one semester of foreign study is required, although under exceptional circumstances students with extensive overseas experience can petition the director and the advisory committee to be exempted. A student must receive a grade of C- or better for a course to count toward the major. No courses listed for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

Note: Students must have at least a 2.70 grade point average by the end of the sophomore year to be eligible for foreign study. Students who do not meet this minimum requirement will not be able to retain their international studies major.

Note to junior transfer students: The College requires that all students spend at least four semesters in residence at Colby. Therefore, to satisfy the semester abroad requirement for the major, junior transfer students must either stay for a fifth semester or enroll in a summer study-abroad program for at least nine credits (unless the study-abroad requirement has been met in some other way).