1) Ten courses on Latin American, Caribbean, and/or Latinx subjects.
2) Competence in a Latin American and/or Caribbean language. Competence in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Haitian Kreyol, Kaqchikel Maya, etc. may be demonstrated through a departmental test, AP credit, language courses at Brown or elsewhere, study abroad, etc; please contact the concentration advisor to confirm. (If the student’s primary area of study is the Anglophone Caribbean, a field language is not necessary.)
3) A capstone project. This may be a senior honors thesis or creative project, supervised by a primary advisor and a secondary reader; a non-honors research paper; or a reflective paper about non-academic work (such as service or foreign study) related to Latin America, the Caribbean, or the Latinx experience. The capstone project may be completed for honors if the student is eligible.
Students undertaking a capstone project are encouraged to enroll in LACA 1900. Alternatively, they may elect to enroll in one or two semesters of independent study (LACA 1990, LACA 1991) with their thesis/project advisor.
4) An internship or volunteer service, located in the U.S. or overseas, for one semester or one summer. Work completed during study abroad may count toward this requirement. The service work will connect theory to practice, applying scholarly knowledge to social challenges. Students are encouraged to consult with the Swearer Center for Public Service for assistance finding a volunteer placement. Students should also meet with the DUS by the beginning of junior year to discuss their work plan for their service component. Upon completion of the internship or service work, students submit a brief summary report to the concentration advisor linking their experience to their scholarship, accompanied by a short letter from a supervisor confirming the completion of the work.
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For students declaring their concentration prior to the 2018-2019 academic year the requirements are the same as above, except that the ten courses may include up to one language learning course and that a survey course is recommended but not required. Students who declared the LACA concentration prior to the 2017-2018 academic year may elect to follow the new guidelines if they wish, or maintain the previous requirements.
Questions? Contact Director of Undergraduate Studies Erica Durante (erica_durante@brown.edu).