Clarification appended
The University will offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies beginning in September 2009, but it is the last new major that will be added for awhile because of budget constraints. Currently the discipline is offered only as a minor.
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education approved the University’s proposal to create the major at its meeting Friday. History professor Carlos Aguirre will direct the program.
Aguirre said the idea for a Latin American Studies major has been discussed for about 10 years, and the proposal for it has been going through the review process for about six years. The idea for an undergraduate major came about after the minor was seen as a success, he said.
“This has been a demand not only from faculty,” Aguirre said, “but also from students.”

One such student is senior Maya Esparza, a member of the Movimiento Estudantil Chicano de Aztlan chapter at the University. “I think it’s fantastic,” she said, but added that it’s “a little overdue.”
However, “any progress is progress,” she said – and for Esparza the new major represents definite progress on behalf of the University.
Esparza said she hoped the curriculum for the new major would emphasize some of the lesser-known countries and cultures of Latin America and its indigenous populations.
“There needs to be inclusivity under the term ‘Latin America’ with Mexico in there,” because Mexico tends to stand alone as a culture and it shouldn’t, she said.
Esparza hopes there will be some courses about the “lower classes” of the region, as well as a discussion of the impacts of colonialism and the history behind Latin American poverty.
The curriculum Aguirre described matched Esparza’s vision fairly closely. He said the major would require four core courses, and the rest would be interdisciplinary, which means they will draw from other departments.
The core classes will be an Introduction to Latin American studies, two topics courses and a Capstone Seminar in which seniors will write a large research paper on a topic of their choice.
The topics courses will vary, but possibilities include migration, literature, indigenous people, race in Latin America, relations between Latin America and the U.S., music and poetry.
Students will also be required to take a foreign language, Aguirre said, and while most will likely take Spanish, other options are available, such as French and Portuguese. Currently, he said, there is no full sequence in Creole – the language spoken in Haiti – but he hopes that will change because he would like the major to include as much of Latin America as possible.
“We really need to improve our coverage of Brazil and Portuguese,” he said.
Students agree with Aguirre that the need for the major exists. Rachel Edford, a graduate student in English, said it “sounds like a positive thing.” While she isn’t interested in the topic, she said it doesn’t seem fair that other cultures are studied for a Bachelor’s degree and Latin American cultures are not.
Junior Chase Kepler said he thinks diversity in available majors is a good idea, and doesn’t think it will negatively affect the University’s thin budget unless the major requires the hiring of more faculty.
Currently about 30 faculty members from departments around campus teach Latin American studies courses, Aguirre said, and he doesn’t expect the University will need to hire any more in the immediate future.
The University told the Board of Higher Education that Latin American studies would be the last major added for a while, because of budget constraints.
Kepler said he wouldn’t major in it if he could, but said he knows many people who would and is glad it will be there for them.
Senior Jamison McCune said it could be an interesting area of study students aren’t often exposed to in other majors. “I’m about to graduate and I know very little about Latin American studies,” he said.
If given the option, however, he said he wouldn’t have majored in it because he doesn’t see a career attached. “I think it’d really limit my options,” he said.
Limiting options is not what Aguirre thinks Latin American Studies will do. Employers want to hire people who understand the changing dynamics between the U.S. and its Southern neighbors, he said. And migration from Latin America to the United States makes the major more relevant every day, he said.
“This is something everyone will agree is long overdue,” he said. “This fulfills a dream for many people.”
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In this article, a reporter unclearly paraphrased a statement attributed to history professor Carlos Aguirre. It said, “Currently about 30 faculty members from departments around campus teach Latin American studies courses, Aguirre said, and he doesn’t expect the University will need to hire any more.” The paraphrase referred to the immediate future: No new faculty will be required to start the new curriculum. It was not meant to imply faculty will never be added to the department. They likely will at some point in order to enhance certain areas of studies, such as Brazilian studies. The Emerald regrets the confusion.