Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies Doctoral Concentration of the Spanish Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

The Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies offers a doctoral concentration in the Spanish Doctor of Philosophy program. The program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Spanish with a concentration in Latin American, Caribbean, and  Latina/o Studies requires a total of 60 graduate credits (30 beyond the Master’s) for completion of the degree. Students who hold an M.A. degree in LACS (30 credits) will have to complete a minimum of 30 additional credits and satisfy all degree requirements. Students who hold an M.A. degree in any other appropriate field will need to complete a minimum of 30 additional credits and satisfy all degree requirements. This Ph.D. concentration is conceived of as qualitatively different from conventional language and literature programs. Its originality lies in the integration of area and ethnic studies within a disciplinary framework that includes the humanities as well as the social sciences. The program of study reflects a theoretical emphasis on how citizenship and nationality, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality shape cultural, historical, socioeconomic, political, and educational processes. The program also pays attention to how globalization, migration, and transnationalism are forging new hemispheric visions of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. In light of this reality, our research and teaching agenda is also focused on the U.S. Latino experience and its relationship to the countries of origin. This feature of our program reflects faculty interest and expertise and distinguishes us from other institutions in the field of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies.

The program is a viable alternative to the single department/discipline based structures that are prevalent in most universities. "Alternative" does not mean substitution; it means a valid, complementary, and different model with its own set of persuasive advantages.  These advantages include paradigmatic shifts in the context of scholarship, a novel and inclusive curriculum, as well as research in frontier territory not chartered inside more conventional structures. LACS' interdisciplinary approaches are integral to its impressive basic and applied research and service outreach activities to institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean and in local, national, and international multicultural communities.

Some of the main areas of expertise of LACS faculty include Latin American political economy: women, gender and sexuality studies; cultural studies, globalization and migration studies, race and racism, Mesoamerican anthropology, labor and class, Caribbean literature, education, Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o politics. The department will identify study abroad and field research opportunities. The Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies at the University at Albany is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive program of its kind within the SUNY system. It is one of the few academic departments nationally that offers an M.A. degree and a graduate certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, as well as a B.A. in Latin American, Caribbean Studies, and U.S. Latino Studies. Most LACS graduates pursue careers in education, international business, government service, public policy, law, criminal justice, and social work. A limited number of fellowships and assistantships are available to applicants on a competitive basis. 

Ph.D. Requirements: A total of 30 credits beyond the M.A. to include:

Language Requirement:

• Knowledge of Spanish
• Students who plan to undertake research in a country or region that requires command of another language are required to demonstrate proficiency in a second language other than Spanish and English

Core Sequence: 18 credits

• Lcs 502   Theoretical Approaches to Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies I (3 credits)
• Lcs 503   Theoretical Approaches to Latin American, Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies II (3 credits)
• Lcs 504   Latin American Studies Seminar (3 credits)
• Lcs 505   Caribbean Studies Seminar (3 credits)
• Lcs 506   Latina/o Studies Seminar (3 credits)
• Lcs 600   Research Methods (3 credits)

Students are encourages to take an additional methods course appropriate or necessary to conduct their dissertation research.

The remaining 12 credits, including Lcs 781, can be selected from the list below with approval of the Graduate Director and Thesis Advisor. Students may take courses not on this list with approval of Graduate Director and Thesis Advisor.

• Ant 560 Topics in Cultural Anthropology (3-4)
• Ant 553 Topics in Social Anthropology (3-4)
• His 569 History of Mexico (4)
• His 570 History of the West Indies and Central America (4)
• His 571 Topics in Latin American and Caribbean History (1-4)
• His 572 History of Brazil (4)
• Lcs 518 US Latino/a Health, Inequality and Wellness (3)
• Lcs 530 (Afs 529, Wss 530) Environmental Justice: Racism, Classism, Sexism (4)
• Lcs 540 (Spn 540) African Diaspora in Latin America (3)
• Lcs 551 (Wss 551) Gender and Class in Latin American Development (3)
• Lcs 565 (Pos 547) Latino/as and Inequality in America (3)
• Lcs 575 Caribbean Migration (3)
• Lcs 592 Transnationalism, Culture, and Power (3)
• Lcs 695 Independent Study and Research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (1-6)
• Lcs 781 Directed Readings (PhD) (3)
• Lcs 782 Independent Field Research (3)
• Soc 576 (Lcs 509) International Migration and Transnationalism (3)
• Soc 642 Sociology of Work (3)
• Wss 545 (Afs 545, Lcs 545) Black Diasporas, Feminisms, and Sexual Politics (3-4)
• Wss 515 (Soc 515) Global Politics of Women’s Bodies (3-4)

Formal Requirements: Load credits only with the exception of LCS 781

1. Dissertation Committee approved by Graduate Studies Committee 
2. Reading list approved by Graduate Studies Committee
3. LCS 781 Directed Readings/Annotated Bibliography of Reading List (3 credits)
4. Ph.D. Qualifying Exam approved and completed
5. Dissertation proposal approved by Graduate Committee
6. LCS 899 Dissertation defended
7. Recommendation for Conferral of Doctoral Degree submitted

Please note: This program offers an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience in the course listing as an option to fulfill course requirements. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If you have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of your intended academic program.