Minor in Latina/o Studies

a collection of items and keepsakes related to the Latinx community including buttons and photographs

The undergraduate minor in Latina/o Studies is a multidisciplinary university-wide program. Students learn about the social, political, economic, historical and cultural processes that impact Latina/o communities in the United States. The minor emphasizes applied skills and knowledge, including research skills, for better participating in our diverse society.

students in a Latinx studies class diligently take notes

Requirements

18 hour minor

Students in the minor take two required courses: Introduction to Latina/o Studies, which provides historical and contemporary context, and Latina/o Identities, Communities and Social Change, exploring migration and immigration, public policy and leadership.

Students take four elective courses to complete the minor. Faculty experts from across the university teach elective courses in the minor that apply cultural perspectives to their fields, including: communication studies, criminal justice, family and child development, marketing, music and political science.

More course information

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Required courses

These two courses are required to earn the Latina/o Studies Minor:

LATS 2300 — Introduction to Latina/o Studies (WI)

Introduction to Latina/o Studies is a writing intensive course that will contextualize the historical origins, demographic changes, and contemporary issues facing Latinas/os. With a focus on the development of Latina/o ethnicities and identities, the course is an excellent introduction to how Latina/o Studies fit into the broader trends of comparative ethnic studies. The course will expose students to a range of social theories, research methods, and applications relevant to both academe and public policy.

LATS 4325 — Latina/o Identities, Communities, and Social Change (WI)

Latina/o Identities, Communities and Social Change, is a writing intensive course where students will learn about the continuities and change of different Latina/o communities from an interdisciplinary perspective. To understand the underlying conditions facing them and the ways Latina/o community function, the course explores demographic movements and the settlement of Latina/o communities and their cultural expressions. In this course, students will examine, compare, and contrast how Latina/o communities are constituted, understand the role of public policy, and examine leadership strategies to address important issues impacting Latinas/os at the family, local, national, and global levels.
Elective course selections

Choose four electives from the following selection of courses:

ARTH 4314 — Art and Politics

Section 01
Dr. Gina Tarver

ARTH 4321O — Colonial Art of Latin America (WI)

Section 251 and 01
Dr. Gina Tarver

ANTH 3324 — Mexican American Culture

Section 01 (online)
Dr. Ana Juarez

ANTH 3350 — Gender and Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Section 251 and 01
Dr. Ana Juarez

CJ 3322 — Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Ashley Arnio

COMM 3318M — Intercultural Communication in the Americas

Dr. Seokhoon Ahn
prerequisite: Comm Major or LATS Minor

CTE 3313C — Entrepreneurship

Section 251
Dr. Omar López
course only offered in Round Rock

CTE 3315 — Leadership Professional Development

Section 751
Dr. Omar López
course only offered in Round Rock

FCD 4358 — Latino Youth & Families

Section 252
Dr. Edna Alfaro

GEO 3308 — Latin American Geography

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sara Blue

GEO 3349 — Population Geography

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Osvaldo Salari and Dr. Sara Blue
prerequisite: algebra

GEO 3353 — American Ethnic Geography

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Lawrence Estaville

ENG 3341 — Studies in World Literature and Contemporary Culture (WI)

Section S01
Dr. Edna Aguirre-Rehbein
course offered in Round Rock and study abroad

ENG 3343 — The Work and Career of Sandra Cisneros (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Geneva Gano

ENG 3344 — Chicano/a Narrative and Social History (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sara Ramirez

ENG 4325 — Literature of the Southwest: Borderlands Narratives (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Geneva Gano and Robin Cohen

HIST 2312 — History of World Civilization from the 17th Century (WI)

Section 251 and 254
Dr. Anadelia Romo

HIST 3369Z — Immigration and Ethnicity

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 3371B — American Health and Illness

Section 01
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 4372 — Mexican American History

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 4373 — Economic and Social History of the Americas

Section 01
Dr. Paul Hart
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

MC 4319 — Latinas/Latinos and the Media

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Vanessa de Macedo Higgins Joyce

MKT 3385 — Ethnic and Niche Marketing

Any section and all instructors
prerequisite: MKT 3343 and MKT 3350; student must be admitted to McCoy College of Business and have junior standing

MUSE 3102 — Salsa del Rio

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

MUSE 3103 — Texas State Mariachi: Mariachi Nueva Generación & Mariachi Lince de Oro

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

MUSE 3108 — Orquesta del Rio

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

PHIL 4372 — Latin American Philosophy (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Alejandro Barcenas Pardo
prerequisite: PHIL 1305 (Philosophy and Critical Thinking) or permission of the instructor

POSI 4323 — Latina/o Politics (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Tomas Longoria
New course starting Spring 2019
Hybrid (in-person and online) course

POSI 4358 — United States-Latin American Relations (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Edward Milhalkanin

PSY 3334 — Psychology of Human Diversity (WI)

Section 1 and 251
Dr. Roque Mendez
prerequisite: PSY 1300

SOCI 3320 — Population Dynamics

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Debarun Majumdar

SOCI 3322 — Latinos and Immigration

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Beatriz Aldana Marquez and Dr. Gloria P. Martinez

SOCI 3327 — Multicultural Relations (Sociology of Race and Ethnicity)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Gloria P. Martinez and Ms. Lisa Lamb

SOCI 3333 — The Sociology of Popular Music

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Joseph Kotarba

SOCI 3375K — Latinos and Aging

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Gloria P. Martinez

SPAN 3308 — Advanced Composition (WI)

Any section and all instructors
prerequisite: a grade of C or higher in Spanish 2310 and 2320
Section 7 Spanish for Spanish speakers

SPAN 4312 — Contemporary Hispanic Linguistics

Section 1
Dr. Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
prerequisite: grade of C or higher in SPAN 3308

SPAN 4370 — Hispanic Literature of the Southwest: Space and Images (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sergio Martinez
prerequisite: grade of C or higher in Spanish 3309 and/or a co-requisite 3308 or equivalent

TH 4303 — Ethnic Theatre Workshop (formerly TH 4330S)

Any section and all instructors

from outside the office door, we see a Latina professor meeting with a student at her desk

Research and Career Opportunities

Graduates with cultural competency skills and an understanding of multiple cultures will be well positioned for professional roles in the nation’s changing workforce. The Latina/o Studies minor prepares students for careers in education, government, nonprofit organizations, research, social services, the arts and more. Graduates will also be prepared for advanced study in areas such as law, business and medicine.

Library Research and Professional Resources Guide

This guide was created in partnership with Alkek Library to support the Latina/o Studies minor at Texas State University.

Access the library resource guide

Learn More

If you're interested in declaring the Latina/o minor, or learning more about it, you can make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor, or contact us in the Department of Sociology.