Overview
Latinos/as/x are the largest and fastest growing culturally diverse population in the United States, representing dynamic and thriving American realities.
U.S. Latino/a Studies at Iowa State University is a cross-disciplinary, coalition-building program that offers well-structured and creative coursework to students interested in the arts, cultures, economies, histories, politics, religions, and literatures of Latino/a/x communities throughout the United States. It facilitates the study of a vast array of communities and individuals with roots in the Caribbean and Latin America, and long-established U.S. citizen communities such as Chicanos/as, Mexican Americans, Tejanos, Californios, Cuban-Americans, Dominican-Americans, and Puerto Ricans on the island and on the mainland.
The program aims to serve as a hub that connects classes, service and outreach opportunities across colleges, schools, and departments. Consequently, students can discover a stimulating field of critical and academic research, engage in an exciting platform on which to link different fields of study, and become part of outreach/community networks in which they will grow to become outstanding, conscientious leaders in their respective careers.
The Program in U.S. Latino/a Studies is well suited to careers in Education, Psychology, History, Sociology, Business, Journalism, Spanish Language and Cultures, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Agriculture. A U.S. Latino/a Studies minor, or a double major with a Latino/a Studies track in Interdisciplinary Studies, strengthens student profiles as they compete for jobs on the global market because they have attained an in-depth experience of local and global experiences of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as a sophisticated understanding of how to work respectfully within these many social and cultural settings.
The USLS Program offers course work that meets the ISU U.S. Cultures and Communities requirement and also offers a 15-credit U.S. Latino/a Studies Minor.
U.S. Latino/a Studies Program Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of their program of study, students with an interdisciplinary studies major in U.S. Latino/a Studies will demonstrate proficiency in four goal areas: Communication, Cross-Cultural Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Lifelong Learning Skills.
- Communication: Key communication skills, including written, oral, and digital. Understanding textual and media sources and ability to apply media literacy to cross-cultural analysis. Working knowledge of social scientific and/or humanistic approaches in the field.
- Cross-Cultural Literacy: Ability to communicate across communities and acknowledge different communicative styles and languages including Spanish, Portuguese, and Indigenous.
- Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze from a transnational/transborder/translocal perspective and to objectively examine the interconnections between Latinx, Caribbean, and Latin American communities. Developing key skills, such as finding and understanding sources, comparing arguments, proposing solutions to discussed problems within an expansive historical perspective that includes class, ethnicity, gender, and race.
- Lifelong Learning Skills: Acquisition of practical hands-on skills in community engagement, extension and outreach service, in different settings such as urban, rural, and international.
Interdisciplinary Studies Major, Track in U.S. Latino/a Studies
In addition to meeting the general requirements for the Interdisciplinary Studies major, students wishing to complete a track in U.S. Latino/a Studies must complete a minimum of 36 credits in the area of U.S. Latino/a Studies. At least 15 of the 36 credits must be in courses numbered 3000 and above, with 6 of these 15 credits earned at the 4000-level. Students can work with the USLS program director and an Interdisciplinary Studies advisor to explore options within this individualized major program.
Students must also meet the upper-level communication proficiency requirement by taking ENGL 3020 Business Communication or ENGL 3140 Technical Communication.
Required Courses (36 credits)
| Required Core Course (3 credits) | ||
| USLS 2110 | Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Studies | 3 |
| At least 3 credits of experiential learning coursework | ||
| USLS 3250 | Culture and Community: Iowa and Midwest Latino/as | 3 |
| USLS 3770 | Latina/o/x Life Stories: Memoirs and Oral History | 3 |
| USLS 4990 | Internship in US Latino/a Studies | 1-3 |
| At least two of the following Historical Foundations of USLS (6 credits) | ||
| USLS 3720 | Latina/o History | 3 |
| HIST 3400 | Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HIST 3410 | Modern Latin America | 3 |
| At least two of the following Social Science Foundations of USLS (6 credits) | ||
| USLS 3430 | Latin American Government and Politics | 3 |
| USLS 3470 | U.S. Latino/a Psychology | 3 |
| USLS 3600 | Latinas and Victimization | 3 |
| USLS 4730 | Civil Rights and Ethnic Power | 3 |
| ANTHR 3230C | Latin American Anthropology: Race, Class and Gender | 3 |
| or ANTHR 3230D | Latin American Anthropology: Regional Focus | |
| SPAN 3220 | Latin American Civilization | 3 |
| SPAN 3240 | Latin America Today | 3 |
| At least two of the following Language and Literature in USLS (6 credits) | ||
| SPAN 3040 | Spanish for Global Professionals | 3 |
| SPAN 3050 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 3 |
| SPAN 3060 | Spanish for Medical and Health Professions | 3 |
| SPAN 4450 | Seminar on the Literatures and Cultures of Latin America | 3 |
| Twelve additional credits from any USLS, USLS cross-listed, or other course listed above | 12 | |
Notes
- The list of acceptable courses may include courses not currently listed. Contact the Director of US Latino/a Studies for information on eligible courses.
- The student must have an average grade of C in courses applied to the major.
- Fulfillment of the world language requirement with Spanish is strongly recommended, but not required. Students pursuing multiple majors can apply up to nine (9) credits of approved Spanish courses (included in the chart above) to both the USLS and their other major.
As majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Interdisciplinary Studies students must meet College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University-wide requirements for graduation in addition to those stated above for the major.
LAS majors require a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 3000/4000-level. You must also complete the LAS world language requirement and career proficiency requirement.
Students in all ISU majors must complete a three-credit course in U.S. Cultures and Communities and a three-credit course in International Perspectives. Check U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives for a list of approved courses. Discuss with your advisor how the two courses that you select can be applied to your graduation plan.
U.S. Latino/a Studies Minor
The minor in US Latino/a Studies requires a minimum of 15 credit hours, with at least 12 credit hours numbered 3000 or above.
Required course work
| Required Core Course (3 credits) | ||
| USLS 2110 | Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Studies | 3 |
| At least 3 credits of experiential learning coursework | ||
| USLS 3250 | Culture and Community: Iowa and Midwest Latino/as | 3 |
| USLS 3770 | Latina/o/x Life Stories: Memoirs and Oral History | 3 |
| USLS 4990 | Internship in US Latino/a Studies | 1-3 |
| Nine credits from any USLS or USLS cross-listed course | 9 | |
| A limit of six (6) credits from these approved Spanish courses may be substituted for USLS courses | ||
| SPAN 3040 | Spanish for Global Professionals | 3 |
| SPAN 3050 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers | 3 |
| SPAN 3220 | Latin American Civilization | 3 |
| SPAN 3240 | Latin America Today | 3 |
| SPAN 3510 | Introduction to Spanish-English Translation | 3 |
| SPAN 3540 | Introduction to Spanish-English Interpretation | 3 |
| SPAN 4450 | Seminar on the Literatures and Cultures of Latin America | 3 |
The U.S. Latino/a Studies Undergraduate Minor is an LAS Minor. In addition to University policies governing minors, LAS minors require at least 6 credits in courses numbered 3000 and above, with a grade of C or higher.