The Undergraduate Certificate in Latin American Studies for Public Health caters to students who wish to internationalize their studies, deepen their awareness of Latin America and the Caribbean, and increase their competitiveness for work and continued education by demonstrating regional expertise and intercultural competency. Unlike the stand-alone Latin American Studies Major or Minor, this certificate complements the Public Health Major with only 18 hours of specific coursework in a regional language and both disciplines.
Students who complete the certificate will
- Supplement their public health major with broad regional, cultural, and language training.
- Prepare themselves for graduate work or careers in Latin America or with the Latinx public in the United States.
- Cultivate an intellectual appreciation of how an interdisciplinary approach to a particular regional context illuminates the study of public health.
Certificate Requirements
The certificate requires 18 credit hours comprised of:
- LAST1010 Introduction to Latin American Studies (3 credits)
- Latin American Language (6 credits) - Students who enter the program fluent in a Latin American language will take at least 2 semesters of an additional language.
- SPAN or PORT 2030 and beyond OR
- Haitian Creole, Kaqchikel, or other Indigenous language
- SPHU Elective (3 credits). One of the following:
- SPHU 2016 Infectious Disease Outbreaks
- SPHU 2400 Global Health in Action
- SPHU 3120 Issues & Strategies in PH
- SPHU 3700 Health and Human Rights in Latin America
- SPHU 4220 Latino Health in the US
- SPHU 4330 Resilience in Int'l Disasters
- Two Latin American Studies Electives (6 credits). Suggested electives:
- AFRS 3300 Blackness in Latin America
- ANTH-3750 Bones, Bodies, Disease
- ANTH-3092 Sex Work
- ANTH 3091 Politics of Fieldwork
- ANTH-3092 Race and Migration
- ECON-4600 Inequality and Poverty in Latin America
- HISL-2910 Modern Latin America
- HISL-3910 Latinx South: History and Immigration
- LAST-2010 Approaches to Latinx Studies
- LAST 6200 Health and Inequality in Latin America
- POLC-4390 Poverty and Development
- POLI-6530 International Human Rights
- PSDV-4329 Migrants, Refugees and Development
- SOCI-2600 Environmental Sociology
- SOCI-6012 Sociology of Food
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Undergraduate Certificate in Latin American Studies for Public Health Majors, students will:
- Become familiar with major problems and policy issues in public health as they specifically affect Latin America and/or the Latinx population in the US and be able to discuss determinants and responses to Latin American/Latinx health problems.
- Understand how dominant psychological and societal structures within Latin America and/or the Latinx population in the US affect health behavior in the region and/ or within the demographic.
- Identify societal and cultural influences characteristic of Latin America and/or Latinx America, which affect health and disease behavior beyond strictly biological mechanisms.
- Determine how Latin American history, culture and demographics have influenced the region’s health policy and practices.
Advising
Interested students should contact the Latin American Studies Undergraduate advisor at lastadv@tulane.edu. The advisor will work with them to ensure progress toward certificate completion.
