Latin American Studies Minor
This interdisciplinary minor explores Latin American culture, history, and economy through the region's diverse Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries. Students develop multifaceted perspectives on the continent's extraordinary cultural diversity, examining its rich pre-Columbian, colonial, and post-colonial heritage while gaining essential knowledge and critical insights for navigating today's interconnected global business world.
The following requirements below are intended for students beginning fall 2026. To declare your minor, please speak to your academic advisor for assistance.
Minor Coordinator:
Mario Valero
mario_valero@fitnyc.edu
| Choose Two (2) Consecutive Language Electives | ||
| PO 111 | Portuguese I | 3 |
| PO 112 | Elementary Portuguese II | 3 |
| PO 122 | Portuguese Conversation I | 3 |
| SP 111 | Spanish I | 3 |
| SP 112 | Spanish II | 3 |
| SP 113 | Con gusto y ritmo: Spanish through Food, Fashion and Music | 3 |
| SP 122 | Spanish Conversation I | 3 |
| SP 132 | Spanish in Santiago de Compostela | 3 |
| SP 141 | Spanish for Spanish Speakers I | 3 |
| SP 142 | Spanish for Spanish Speakers II | 3 |
| SP 213 | Spanish III | 3 |
| SP 214 | Spanish IV | 3 |
| SP 223 | Spanish Conversation II | 3 |
| SP 311 | Spanish for Business | 3 |
| Choose Three (3) Liberal Arts Elective Courses | ||
| EC 446 | Economies of Latin America | 3 |
| HA 124 | Mesoamerican Art and Civilization | 3 |
| HA 242 | From Textiles to Gold: Art of the Inka and Their Ancestors | 3 |
| HA 254 | Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art | 3 |
| HA 256 | Latin American and Caribbean Fashion | 3 |
| HA 323 | Luxury in the Indigenous Americas (Honors) | 3 |
| HA 397 | Studies in Maya Art and Culture (Honors) | 3 |
| HI 203 | Distant Neighbors: A History of Latin America and the U.S. | 3 |
| MC 203 | Gender as Performance: Representation of Masculinities in Latin American/Latinx Theatre | 3 |
| MC 205 | Mexican Cinema: Between The National and The Global | 3 |
| MC 209 | Hispanic Cultures In New York | 3 |
| MC/FI 211 | Brazilian Cinema: Inventing Places and Spatial Myths | 3 |
| MC 252 | Latin American Fiction: 1960-Present | 3 |
| MC 261/FI 225 | Latin American Cinema and Resistance | 3 |
| MC 262 | Revolution as Spectacle: Mexico | 3 |
| MC 263 | Contemporary Spain through its Cinema | 3 |
| MC 300 | The Poetics of Sound in Hispanic Caribbean Literature | 3 |
| MC 301 | Imaginary Encounters: Representations of the Caribbean (Honors) | 3 |
| MC/EC 308 | White Gold: Sugar, Power and the Creation of Atlantic Capitalism (Interdisciplinary) | 3 |
| MC 351 | From Modern to Contemporary Latin American Women Writers | 3 |
| MU 202 | Latin American and Caribbean Music | 3 |
| PC 353 | Latin America Today | 3 |
| PE 217 | Popular Urban Dance Past and Present | 3 |
| SO 278 | Latinos in the United States: A Sociological Perspective | 3 |
| SO 374 | Cross-Cultural Studies | 3 |
| SS/MC 304 | Introduction to Caribbean Studies | 3 |
| SS 315 | Contemporary Issues Impacting the Caribbean Region | 3 |
Semesterly course offerings are subject to change.
Upon completion of the Latin American Studies minor, students will be able to:
- Identify diverse cultural regions of Latin America—the Southern Cone, Brazil, the Andean region, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean—by examining shared colonial histories and distinctive regional characteristics.
- Evaluate how economic, historical, political, cultural and environmental factors shape Latin American social organization using interdisciplinary frameworks to assess colonial legacies and contemporary challenges.
- Evaluate Latin America's geopolitical position and international relations by critically examining colonial and post-colonial power dynamics, dependency, and regional integration.
- Apply interdisciplinary methods from history, anthropology, economics, and cultural studies to critically analyze social, economic, and cultural transformations across Latin American societies.
- Develop language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, or French while critically examining the cultural practices and perspectives of communities shaped by these colonial languages.