The Program in Latina/o Studies offers a 15-credit hour Graduate Certificate Program. This certificate is intended for U-M graduate-level students in LS&A departments and professional schools. The goal of the Certificate in Latina/o Studies is to provide a structured program of study for graduate students in programs such as American Culture, History, Spanish, Women's Studies, and English (and others) and in the Professional Schools (Law, Public Health, Education, Social Work, Public Policy, etc.) with in-depth interdisciplinary understanding of the field. The Certificate Program is particularly useful to graduate students whose academic and career trajectories require area-focused knowledge and training.
Admission: Admissions will take place once a year. The Latina/o Studies Advisory Committee will review applications on March 15 for the following semester.
Current or Admitted Rackham Students
Applicants will be evaluated by the Latina/o Studies Advisory Committee based on their preparation for, commitment to, and understanding of Latina/o Studies as evidenced in their letter of application, coursework plan, and letter of recommendation. Prime consideration will be given to those graduate students with strong academic records who anticipate integrating Latina/o Studies methods and topics into their future research and professional pursuits. Not all candidates will be admitted.
Students who wish to enter the Program must submit an application including:
- A letter of application that explains the student’s interest in the program, background in Latina/o Studies, and other relevant preparation (for example, coursework that demonstrates an interest or research focus in Latina/o communities)
- A list of proposed courses that will fulfill the program requirements
- A current transcript demonstrating that the student has maintained at least a “B” average at his or her graduate or professional school (or at his or her undergraduate institution for entering students)
- One letter of recommendation from a faculty sponsor
Specific Course Requirements:
All students are required to take the core Latina/o Studies graduate seminar (Interdisciplinary Approaches to Latina/o Studies), which is offered yearly depending on student demand. The core seminar will introduce students to the central analytical approaches, theories, and methods in the field of Latina/o Studies. The content of the course has been developed collaboratively by the core faculty in the Program (in order to insure breadth of disciplinary coverage) and includes both canonical texts in the field and emergent scholarship. Students in this course will be exposed to core knowledge about Latina/o histories and communities as well as the various disciplinary rubrics through which Latina/o Studies is elaborated including literary and historical studies, studies of immigration and citizenship (within the fields of sociology and political science) and media studies. As a true interdisciplinary “introduction” to the study of Latina/os in the U.S., the pedagogical aim of this course is to help graduate students develop the background knowledge, theoretical language and methodological skills needed to analyze the histories, cultural production, and material realities of Latina/os in the U.S.
Beyond the required seminar, students chose their four additional courses to fit with a proposed “theme of study” such as Latina/os and HIV/AIDs, Latina/o Cultural Production, Latina/os, Environmental Justice, and Social Activism, and Latina/o Sexualities among others (see below). The themed course of study model enables students to acquire a usable body of knowledge that could not other be learnt through existing disciplinary configurations at this university. Of course, these courses will be chosen from a screened list of courses that our faculty has deemed appropriate for inclusion in Latina/o Studies graduate level coursework. Students who wish to substitute different courses for those on this roster may do so by permission of the Latina/o Studies Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will also solicit and consider faculty proposals for courses to include on the permanent roster.
Foreign Language Requirements: None, though reading and writing competency in Spanish is preferable
Final Examination: None
Thesis Requirement: None
