2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Latino/a Studies Undergraduate Certificate
The certificate in Latino/a studies is designed for students who are, or who anticipate, working with people of Spanish-speaking Latin American or Caribbean heritage. It will serve both traditional and nontraditional students seeking a focused, interdisciplinary curriculum that increases their knowledge of the histories, demographics, and cultures of different Latino/a groups.
Certificate Requirements
Students must successfully complete the two required courses and electives from the following list, totaling 15 credits. All credits for this certificate program must be earned at Grand Valley State University. Students may use credits from this certificate program for the Latin American and Latino/a studies minor.
Required Courses
There are six credits required, including:
- LAS 220 - Introduction to Latino/a Studies (3 credits)
- LAS 373 - Latinos/as in West Michigan (3 credits)
Elective Courses
There are nine credits required:
- CJ 282 - Culture, Crime and Justice (3 credits)
- CJ 325 - Criminal Justice and Human Rights (3 credits)
- ENG 335 - Literature of American Minorities (3 credits)
- HST 315 - Latinos: The Forging of Ethnic Identities (3 credits)
- HST 316 - U.S. Civil Rights Movement History (3 credits)
- LAS 210 - Exploring Latin America (3 credits)
- LAS 380 - Special Topics in Latin American Studies (1 to 3 credits)
- LAS 399 - Independent Studies (1 to 3 credits)
- LAS 490 - Latin American Studies Internship (1 to 3 credits)
- SOC 322 - Sociology of Community (3 credits)
- SPA 304 - Spanish for Health Professionals (3 credits) OR SPA 305 - Spanish for Law Enforcement (3 credits) OR SPA 306 - Spanish for Business (3 credits)
- SPA 313 - U.S. Latino/a Civilization and Culture (3 credits)
- SPA 430 - U.S. Latino/a Literature (3 credits)