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STONE CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN
STUDIES
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Introduction
to Degree Programs Offered
The Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies is one of the largest and most prestigious interdisciplinary units at Tulane University. It functions in many capacities to provide programming and degree plans to a broad range of educational constituencies. Currently, these include a Bachelor of Arts major and minor in Latin American Studies, a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Latin American Studies, and two joint professional degree programs with the Law and Business schools. The
Undergraduate Program Latin American Studies majors and minors
at Tulane gain comprehensive knowledge about Latin America through a
mixture of academic study, specialized training and research abroad.
Our program embraces research, linguistic fluency, fieldwork, and direct
engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean as essential to critical
consciousness. The program encourages comparative studies that provide
a more profound understanding of differences among socio-cultural systems
developed within Latin America, as well as of differences between Latin
American systems and others throughout the hemisphere and globe. While
the curriculum is principally intended as a vehicle of liberal education,
the program also aims to prepare students contemplating business, commerce,
communication, government or teaching/research careers in Latin America
or the United States. Flexibility and creative individual initiative
are the keynotes of our program. For complete information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. Graduate
Programs For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. To go directly to the online application system, click here. Master of Arts in Latin American Studies The Latin American Studies program provides interdisciplinary training for students and professionals for whom in-depth knowledge of Latin America provides a strong foundation for future study or employment. The program also serves as an indispensable vehicle for individuals whose research and professional interests cannot be accommodated within the confines of a single academic discipline. Today, solving complex problems frequently demands familiarity with many different fields of knowledge, experience, and practice. Tulane’s program is designed to provide students with training in the methods, objectives and theoretical tools of several academic disciplines. This interdisciplinary program provides excellent advanced training for students preparing for work in education, government, business, non-profit, and human service agencies to name only a few of the careers our graduates have pursued. For most students the M.A. degree is their first in-depth experience with the rigorous, careful work of academic life. The current 2-year M.A. is conceived to provide flexibility for students who wish to explore diverse options upon graduation. These include (1) entering the professional world directly, (2) continuing in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Latin American Studies, or (3) transferring to a discipline-based program or professional school to pursue degrees there. The degree requires M.A.-level mastery of the literature and relevant methodologies to evaluate and develop a focused interdisciplinary research project. Usually, a well-coordinated M.A. program will be centered in a primary discipline/field, supplemented by study in at least two supporting disciplines/fields, but always with the goal of advancing the core research project. The M.A. degree also requires demonstrated competency in at least one language of the region. In addition, students participate in an introductory core seminar that explores the concept of interdisciplinarity and reviews disciplinary approaches to Latin America. The goal of the seminar is to provide broad exposure to the entire field, to guide students in the design of their core research projects, and to introduce students to the major intellectual trends in a multiplicity of disciplinary clusters. Normally, students write an M.A. thesis, although a non-thesis option exists. The M.A. degree requires completion of a total of 30 hours distributed over a primary concentration and usually two supporting concentrations. Disciplinary paradigms are fundamental tools in intellectual life. They provide basic and highly-evolved tools useful in describing and analyzing a wide range of complex problems and subjects. The Stone Center’s program seeks to complement these fundamentally valuable perspectives with another set of assumptions. First, we assume that it is imperative to take context into account in approaching Latin America and that disciplinary paradigms are deepened and enriched by a firm knowledge of the region as a whole. Second, we assume disciplines shaped in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries sometimes are inadequate for researchers seeking to understand the complex interactions and varied conditions that shape many of today’s problems. Our program focuses on complementing disciplinary study with area-based knowledge and multidisciplinary approaches. In our program there are no predetermined disciplinary partners or antagonists. The nature of a particular problem our students seek to explore will determine the primary and supporting fields and coursework that constitute their program of study. The primary concentration includes twelve hours
of study. The two supporting concentrations each include an additional
six hours of study (for a total of twelve hours). Disciplinary concentration
options include History, Art History, Political Science, Anthropology,
Sociology, Economics, Architecture, Law, International Business, Spanish
and Portuguese, Public Health and Applied Development. Where the student
is able to present a clear logic, synthetic topical concentrations such
as “Mexican Studies”, “Film Studies”, “Women’s Studies”, etc., may constitute
one of the concentration areas. It should be noted, however, that students
are encouraged, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, to take courses
that may fall outside of their concentration areas if such courses are
critical to the development of specific research skills, tools, methods,
or content necessary in the pursuit of their research agendas. For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. Joint M.A. Degrees Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Latin American Studies The joint degree program in Law and Latin American Studies was created to provide training for attorneys, policy makers, and public servants who wish to learn about Latin America and to gain a deeper knowledge of the “civil code” legal system of Latin America and Louisiana, which differs profoundly from that found in the rest of the United States. Applicants to the joint degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Law School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies program in the Graduate School via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently. This unique joint J.D./M.A. degree program encourages students to explore the economic, social, political, environmental, and cultural contexts that shaped not only legal thought and institutions in distinct regions of Latin America, but also the practice and application of law. Within this degree program, students can shape a program that is broadly conceived or highly focused. A focused program might concentrate, for example, on environmental, maritime, corporate, or human rights issues. For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. Master of Business Administration/ Master of Arts in Latin American StudiesThe joint degree program in Business Administration and Latin American Studies is predicated on the integration of the Latin American concepts taught at the Graduate School with the policy and general management approaches and techniques taught at the A.B. Freeman School of Business. The program is specially designed to prepare the student (1) to manage effectively, (2) to cope with the uncertainties of interdependent though usually conflicting economic environments, and (3) to integrate private and public sector perspectives and criteria into a single framework. As with our other joint degree programs, applicants to the joint M.B.A./M.A. degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Business School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies program in the Graduate School via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently. The joint course of study integrates the M.B.A. core curriculum, the M.A. curriculum in Latin American Studies, and a set of electives. The M.B.A. core courses provide the student with a general background of all the functional fields of management. Latin American Studies courses provide the student with critical understanding of the cultural, political, economic and social context in which business is practiced in Latin America. This understanding is achieved through coursework in the Social Science and Humanities and in a core seminar that seeks to integrate this knowledge. For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. Doctor
of Philosophy The program is small and highly selective. The Stone Center accepts a few highly qualified applicants each year based upon recommendations, performance, and other indicators of academic excellence and the ability to conduct original, clearly articulated interdisciplinary research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge. Again, to reiterate, students must have an earned M.A. or a relevant professional degree to apply to the Ph.D. program. Most students accepted into the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program have maintained high grade-point averages in undergraduate and graduate level coursework. Students with Masters degrees in disciplines like Political Science, History, Art History, Latin American Literature, or Public Health are encouraged to apply to the program and will find that Tulane generally has strength in their areas of specialization. Students are admitted to the program only after demonstrating an ability to work in a critical and imaginative fashion, utilizing methodologies and materials of multiple disciplines. Applicants submit transcripts, three letters of recommendation, evidence of a completed M.A. thesis or an M.A. thesis in progress, evidence of language ability, and a detailed essay describing a proposed program of study. Joint Ph.D. Degrees Ph.D. in Art
History and Latin American Studies Students are admitted to the program only after demonstrating an ability to work in a critical and imaginative fashion. Along with the Graduate School application form, applicants submit transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, evidence of language ability, and an M.A. thesis or two substantive research papers. For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. "Special Student, Non-Degree Status" for Candidates for Degrees in other Graduate Schools Candidates for advanced degrees at other graduate institutions who wish to enroll and receive graduate credit for courses taken at Tulane should secure approval of their plans for temporary study in the Graduate School from responsible authorities in their own institutions. They should then apply for admission to the Graduate School as "special non-degree" students. Admission as a special student, non-degree status, ordinarily allows the student to register for a total of no more than nine semester hours of graduate credit. Applicants who wish to be admitted to special student status must submit (1) a $45 application fee; (2) a completed application form; and (3) official transcripts of all undergraduate records and of any previous graduate work. After nine hours of graduate course work at Tulane have been completed, the student on special non-degree status may not register for additional graduate credit. A special student who wishes to be considered for admission to a degree program may reapply to the Graduate School after having completed two or three courses successfully. Upon the recommendation of the Center’s admissions committee, the Executive Director of the Center, and approval of the Graduate Dean, graduate-level course work done as a special student may be transferred for credit to a degree program. For more specific information about the program requirements, philosophy and application process, click here. |
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| Please report updates to Valerie McGinley Marshall |
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