18 courses with the subject LALS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
LALS 010Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies
This course provides a broad overview of the fields of Latin American and Latinx studies and is a great entry point for anyone interested in Latin America and/or the history of Latinx peoples in the United States. This course is required for the LALS major and minor, has no prerequisites, and counts for a Social Science credit. Social sciences. Fall 2026. Almeida. Spring 2028 Almeida. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
LALS 015First Year Seminar: Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture1
(Cross-listed with SPAN 015 , ENGL 009F , LITR 015S ) This course is an introduction to the writings of Latino/as in the U.S. with emphasis on the distinctions and similarities that have shaped the experiences and the cultural imagination among different Latino/a communities. We will focus particularly in works produced by the three major groups of U.S. Latino/as (Mexican Americans or Chicanos, Puerto Ricans or Nuyoricans, and Cuban Americans). By analyzing works from a range of genres including poetry, fiction, film, and performance, along with literary and cultural theory, the course will explore some of the major themes in the cultural production of these groups. Topics to be discussed include identity formation in terms of language, race, gender, sexuality, and class; diaspora and emigration; the marketing of the Latino/a identity; and activism through art. Offered each fall. Taught in English. Humanities. Writing Course. 1 credit. Eligible for ASAM, CPLT Fall 2026. Díaz.
LALS 052Afro-Caribbean Literature and Visual Culture
Cross-listed with SPAN 052 , LITR 052S . The African heritage has been an essential part in the constitution and evolvement of the Caribbean. This course will survey the Afro-Caribbean imagination through the study of literary works and visual culture artifacts. We will analyze the political and economical forces that have affected the experience of Africans and African descents in the region and will study the relevance of Afro-Caribbean philosophy, religion, music, and other symbolic expressions in contemporary Caribbean culture and artistic experimentations. We will pay special attention to ideas of colonialism and subalternity; race, mestizaje, and nation formation; transculturation and syncretism; and myth and performativity. Humanities. Eligible for ASAM
Cross-listed with FMST 053 . This course engages a history of Latin American cinema from the late 19th through the 21st century. It provides an overview of the history of film in the region with a focus on how filmmakers sought a more material connection between politics, cinema, and society. This course is divided loosely around the major cinematic periods of this history: avant-garde cinema, studio cinema, art cinema, neorealism, New Latin American Cinema, and contemporary cinema. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2027 Almeida.
Cross-listed with GLBL 054 . How did the Cold War seep into everyday life? This course explores the relationship between culture, cultural production, and Cold War politics in the Americas. Over the course of the semester, we will focus on how films, literature, music, television, and sports served as platforms for Cold War politics in the hemisphere. This class will focus on the cultural and political relationship between the United States and Latin America, with particular attention to the role of cultural diplomacy during the Cold War. Social Sciences Writing course 1 credit. Eligible for LALS; GLBL paired Spring 2027. Almeida.
(Cross-listed with FMST 056 ) This course proposes to explore issues of race, sex, gender, and class in contemporary Brazilian film. Film, for the purpose of the class, will be viewed as text and analyzed for articulations of national discourses on the four topic areas mentioned above. Engaging with films will offer students an additional cultural context to examine critically the development of nation and national ideologies such as “the myth of racial democracy”. It also aims at contributing to students’ development of the idea of a multicultural and socially multi-diverse Brazil, with specific social, economic, and cultural realities in different geographical areas as shown in assigned films. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST Spring 2027. Almeida.
LALS 057Performing Latinidad: Latinx Film, Theater & Performance Art
Cross-listed with SPAN 057 , THEA 007, LITR 057S . This course will introduce students to Latinx performance in the U.S., from the mid-20th century to today. Students will study different modes of performances such as theater, film, the work of performance artists and everyday performances (such as political events) through the lens of perfomance studies theory and different perspectives on Latinidad. Following a critical performative pedagogy, the class will combine seminar-style discussions with performance workshops. Topics covered will include the representation and embodiment of gender and race, acts of decolonization, memory construction and diasporic experiences, citizenship and community building, and the politics of Latinidad. By analyzing these and other relevant issues through readings, discussion, and performance exercises, we will be able to survey the state of contemporary Latinx performance in the U.S. while gaining a better understanding of the connection between performance theory and practice, as well as the relevance of performance in everyday aesthetics and life. Humanities.
Cross-listed with FMST 060 . This course uses television programs to trace the histories and experiences of Latiné migrants living in the United States. By analyzing television shows with a predominantly Latiné cast, we will study the historical, political, and economic processes that have led to these migrations, as well as the varying ways in which race/ethnicity, class, gender/sexuality, and citizenship affect Latiné migrants’ lived experiences in the U.S. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2028 Almeida.
Cross-listed with SPAN 062 and LITR 062S . (Art)ivism, or the practice of social and political activism through art and artistic devices, has been fundamental for the development and strengthening of Latinx communities in the US since the beginning of the Chicano movement until today when Latinx writers and artists are actively involved in politically contentious issues such as racial discrimination, gender equality, immigration rights, environmental justice, among others. In this course, we will explore and discuss the work of established and emergent Latinx writers and artists that engage in practices of artivism trying to expose, better understand and fight the many forms of injustice and oppression faced by Latinx communities while promoting practices of radical democracy. Artivists such as Gloria Anzaldúa, Guillermo Gómez Peña, Tania Bruguera, Favianna Rodriguez, Daniel Alarcón, among others, use their art not only to raise awareness about social injustices and oppression; their works function also as springboards for community building, solidarity, and political action that can have lasting impacts. The work of many artivists will also open the door to discuss how non-traditional forms of literary and artistic expression such as street art, spoken word, performance art, and artistic pedagogical projects are powerful forms of political intervention and citizenship participation. Furthermore, we will discuss issues such as the relevance of art in the contemporary world, the reception and distribution of politically engaged art, the ethics of artivism, and the importance of pedagogical practices based on a radical democracy model. This course is taught in English. Humanities.
(Cross-listed as SPAN 063 , LITR 063S ) This course focuses on the audiovisual representation of Latinx in the United States and the politics behind those representations. From Carmen Miranda to Selena and Jennifer Lopez, from the films of Robert Rodríguez to the productions of Lin Manuel Miranda, including works by contemporary visual and performance artists, the course discusses the representation of Latinx identities and sociopolitical issues by both Hollywood and independent Latinx filmmakers and visual artists. Through the analysis of visual narratives in films, documentaries, TV episodes, music videos, performances, and visual artworks, we will examine issues such as the representation of women, sexuality, and gender stereotypes; race, ethnicity and Afro-Latinos; migration, discrimination, and citizenship; and violence, gentrification, and urban life, among other themes relevant to Latinx communities. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST
LALS 065Issues and Debates in Modern Latin America1
(Cross-listed with HIST 065A ). Explores major problems and challenges Latin American nations have been confronting since the last third of the 19th century onward. Topics include the neocolonial condition of the region, nation and state building processes, urbanization, industrialization, popular and elite cultures, modernities in the periphery, and race, class, and gender conflicts. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2027 Almeida.
(Cross-listed as HIST 069 , FMST 059) This course chronicles the cultural history of television in the Americas from its experimental phase in the early 20 th century to present-day streaming wars. Over the course of the semester, we will analyze the relationship between television, culture, and politics to better understand the role of the medium in society. By taking a hemispheric approach, this course also emphasizes the transnational currents that shaped national identities on the screen and transmitted them across the Americas. It asks, does television shape the nation or reflect it? How has politics informed the development of television programming? How has television shaped the US understanding of Latin America/Latinx peoples? And vice versa? Social Sciences 1 credit. Eligible for FMST
LALS 082Mexico Unbound: History, Culture, and Power1
(Cross-listed as SPAN 082 and LITR 082S ) How do culture and history shape a nation’s identity? This course examines Mexico through an interdisciplinary lens, exploring the forces of power that define its social, political, and artistic life. Drawing on literature, cinema, visual art, and historical texts, we trace Mexico’s trajectory from pre-Columbian civilizations and colonial rule to modern nation-building, the Mexican Revolution, and contemporary struggles shaped by extractivism, neoliberalism, and the drug trade. Cultural production is approached as a site of both domination and resistance. Students will analyze how literature, film, and art reflect, legitimize, and contest systems of power-including colonialism, nationalism, class, gender, and state authority. Particular attention is paid to the politics of representation: who tells Mexico’s stories, how the nation is imagined from within and beyond its borders, and how marginalized voices challenge and redefine national myths. Students will emerge with a nuanced understanding of Mexico as a dynamic, contested, and ever-evolving cultural space. Course is taught in English. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for Eligible for LALS. Spring 2028 Buiza.
