Latin American Studies
Overview
The Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies is open to all Princeton University graduate students currently enrolled in any Ph.D. program in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, math or natural sciences. Students enrolled in the Master's in Public Administration Degree Program at the Woodrow Wilson School may also enroll in the certificate if they write a research paper on a Latin American topic in consultation with the program director.
The graduate certificate is designed to allow students who are taking seminars in the program, working closely with our faculty, and writing dissertations on a Latin American topic to receive a formal credential in the field. Many such students prepare a generals field in Latin America, but that is not a requirement for the certificate. Upon fulfilling all of the requirements, a student will receive a certificate from the Program in Latin American Studies and is entitled to list the credential on his or her curriculum vitae. The certificate does not appear on a student’s official transcript.
The director of the Program in Latin American Studies oversees the graduate certificate program.
Students cannot be admitted to Princeton University through the Latin American Studies graduate certificate program since it is not a degree program.
Certificate
Students should complete at least four full-term approved graduate courses on a Latin American topic or substitutes approved by the program director. At least one course should be outside the student’s home department.
In addition, the program director may approve other graduate courses, on a case-by-case basis, for which the student has written a final paper focusing on a Latin American topic.
Students enrolled in the graduate certificate program are expected to participate in the program’s Graduate Works-in-Progress series during their course of study, and do at least one presentation on their dissertation research to an audience of faculty and graduate students to receive feedback. PLAS also encourages students to attend and organize scholarly events sponsored by the program.
Advanced proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, or French (for students working on the Caribbean). Students can satisfy this requirement by completing a course taught in Spanish, Portuguese, or French.
Ph.D. students are expected to either 1) write a dissertation on a Latin American topic, or 2) write a dissertation that includes significant research on Latin America. Normally the dissertation should be directed by a faculty member affiliated with the program.
Faculty
Director
- Gabriela Nouzeilles
Executive Committee
- João Biehl, Anthropology
- Eduardo L. Cadava, English
- Beatriz Colomina, Architecture
- Javier E. Guerrero, Spanish & Portuguese
- Douglas S. Massey, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Gabriela Nouzeilles, Spanish & Portuguese
- Christina P. Riehl, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Irene V. Small, Art and Archaeology
- Deborah J. Yashar, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
Associated Faculty
- Jeremy I. Adelman, History
- José L. Avalos, Chemical and Biological Eng
- Vera S. Candiani, History
- Matias D. Cattaneo, Oper Res and Financial Eng
- Miguel A. Centeno, Sociology
- Fernando Codá Marques, Mathematics
- Susana Draper, Comparative Literature
- Patricia Fernández-Kelly, Sociology
- Thomas Fujiwara, Economics
- Rubén Gallo, Spanish & Portuguese
- Mario I. Gandelsonas, Architecture
- Maria E. Garlock, Civil and Environmental Eng
- Reena N. Goldthree, African American Studies
- Thomas D. Kaufmann, Art and Archaeology
- Christina H. Lee, Spanish & Portuguese
- Nicole D. Legnani, Spanish & Portuguese
- Christina A. Leon, English
- John B. Londregan, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Rosina A. Lozano, History
- Pedro Meira Monteiro, Spanish & Portuguese
- Isadora M. Mota, History
- F. Nick Nesbitt, French & Italian
- Stephen W. Pacala, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
- Dan-El Padilla Peralta, Classics
- Pamela A. Patton, Art and Archaeology
- Grigore Pop-Eleches, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Rachel L. Price, Spanish & Portuguese
- Alejandro W. Rodriguez, Electrical Engineering
- Esteban A. Rossi-Hansberg, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Maria Micaela Sviatschi, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Marta Tienda, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
- Rocío Titiunik, Politics
- Guadalupe Tuñón, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
Sits with Committee
- Fernando E. Acosta-Rodriguez
- Dannelle Gutarra Cordero
- Bryan R. Just
- Stanley N. Katz
Lecturer
- Noa E. Corcoran-Tadd
- Bridgette K. Werner
Courses
Permanent Courses
Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.