Graduate Minor
Intended Emphasis
The intent of the Graduate Minor in Chican@ & Latin@ Studies is to examine U.S. Latina/o experiences in a transnational and comparative context with the goal of fostering a relational and interdisciplinary understanding of racialized ethnocultural groups in the U.S., as well as of the social, cultural, historical, economic, political, and educational processes by which ethnocultural groups are racialized. Building outward from a core concern with the experiences of U.S. Latina/os, especially in the Midwestern region of the U.S., the Minor centralized those experiences within the context of racialized ethnocultural groups in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, and American Indians. It also allows for comparative and transnational study that looks beyond the borders of the U.S., so essential in our increasingly interconnected world. Our courses integrate an array of materials, themes, and methods from many fields: history, literature, psychology, sociology, politics, visual studies, folklore, musicology, film and media, theater and drama, geography, anthropology, health, education, social work, art, and others. The minor emphasizes the diverse demography of U.S. society, paying attention not only to issues of race and ethnicity, but also to those of indigeneity, class, nation, gender, diaspora, sexuality, and other forms of difference and dominance, belonging and identification.
Student beneficiaries – Population served
As the graduate school requires that all doctoral students develop a minor area of concentration, all doctoral students enrolled at the UW-Madison would be able to earn a CLS graduate minor.
Type of Minor – Options A and B. As an individualized course of study with specific focus, students interested in a CLS graduate minor may selection either an “Option A” or an “Option B” (distributed) graduate minor. Students, from either Option A or B, will be required to select a faculty advisor from the program’s faculty in consultation with the CLS Program Director. Those students interested in a Special Committee doctoral degree should consult with the CLS Program Director.
Student Expectations. Students will be expected to complete 12 credits of coursework in which only three credits of 999 (Independent Reading) will be counted toward the minor. Students will be expected to achieve a B or better in four Chican@ & Latin@ Studies Program courses at the 300 level or above. Of the four required courses, one course must be selected from an emphasis area of courses that address the theory and/or methodology of comparative and/or transnational studies of race and ethnicity. Courses which meet this particular criterion are identified with an asterisk below.
Three additional courses may be selected from other available courses at the 300 level or above. Within each of these classes taken as part of the CLS graduate minor, graduate students will be expected to complete graduate-level activities (e.g., research and/or scholarly paper, class presentation) and meet with their faculty instructors to supplement their graduate learning experience.
In addition to the courses that are offered through the CLS program, a number 700-level and above courses that the CLS faculty teach in their respective home departments have been identified as potential courses that graduate students could take to fulfill the proposed minor. These course have specific emphasis on Chican@ and Latin@ issues or have central focus on comparative cultures with which Chican@ and Latin@ issues are centralized.
Curriculum. The current CLS curriculum will serve as the basis for the graduate minor. All course 300-level (see Courses) and above can be taken for graduate credit, however, other 700-level courses that are available to students include:
Oversight of Minor
Administrative oversight of the proposed CLS Minor will be managed by the CLS Program Academic Department Specialist (ADS). In this role, our ADS will track each graduate students’ progress toward completion of the CLS certificate requirements. Similarly, the ADS will keep record of those courses taken by graduate students who have declared either Option A or Option B Graduate Minor with CLS. The ADS will maintain appropriate and complete records for these students, and also identify and track the number of graduate students who take our courses for credit in conjunction with enrollment counts.
CLS faculty will serve as minor advisors for graduate students.
