Undergraduate Minor

Minor in Chicano/Latino Studies

The minor in Chicano/Latino Studies is available as an elective for undergraduate students at Michigan State University. The minor complements any major but students who plan graduate study related to the social sciences or who wish to pursue careers in education, social work, government or businesses that serve mixed ethnic communities may find the minor particularly appealing.

Chicano/Latino Studies minor is designed to help students to understand the multicultural dimensions of society; to gain knowledge of Chicana/o and US Latina/o scholarship and scholars; and to apply that knowledge to the study of Chicana/o and US Latina/o communities and life. The minor draws on research, teaching, and community service among Chicanas/os and Latinas/os that:

  • Focuses intensively on the histories of different racial and cultural sub–groups of Latinos.
  • Draws larger theoretical lessons from comparisons among these groups and between non–Latino populations.
  • Seeks to articulate general principles that shape racial and ethnic relations.
  • Explores how ethnic identity is constructed and reconstructed over time.
  • Develops methodologies and principles which empower students to enhance leadership and human relations within diverse communities of  peoples and conditions.

Dowload a brochure of the CLS Minor here.


Students who plan to complete the requirements of the CLS minor should fill out this form and send it to the Director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program at cls@msu.edu

MSU provides resources for students who are undocumented. Visit this site for more information: https://undocumented.msu.edu

Please click here for more information on Student Resources.

Requirements for the Minor in Chicano/Latino Studies

The student must complete a total of 15 credits from each of the sections below:

  • Required Introductory Course

    CLS 201 Introduction to Chicano/Latino Studies

    Chicano/Latino studies as an academic field of research and scholarship. Arts, communications, literature and the social sciences.

  • College of Social Science Courses

    Students must complete three credits in one of the following courses within the College of Social Science:

    • CLS 490 Independent Study in Chicano/Latino Studies *
    • CLS 493 Internship in Chicano/Latino Studies *
    • HST 327 History of Mexican Americans in the United States
    • HST 383 The Caribbean
    • HST 384 Modern Mexico
    • PLS 304 Minority Politics
    • PLS 392 Special Topics in Political Science **
    • SSC 399 Service Learning and Civic Engagement: Theory and Practice **

    * May only be counted once towards the minor.
    ** This course must have its content approved by the Director of Chicano/Latino Studies to count toward the minor.
  • Courses Outside the College of Social Science

    At least three credits from the following courses from outside the College of Social Science:

    • ENG 351 Readings in Chicano and Latino Literatures
    • FLM 211 Documentary History and Theory
    • FLM 460 Seminar in Digital Film and Emergent Media **
    • GSAH 230 Values/Experiences/Differences**
    • SPN 320 Cultural Readings and Composition
    • SPN 350 Introduction to Reading Hispanic Literature
    • SPN 412 Topics in Hispanic Cultures
    • SPN 491 Special Topics in Spanish **
    • TE 101 Social Foundations of Justice and Equity in Education**


    ** This course must have its content approved by the Director of Chicano/Latino Studies to count toward the minor.

  • Capstone Course
    CLS 492 Chicano and Latino Studies: Research, Theory, and Practice

    Foundational fieldwork by historians, social scientists, artists and activists. Survey of the development of CLS. Analysis of Chicano and Latino social phenomenon.

For a full list of Undergraduate CLS courses for Fall 2022, click here.

For a full list of Undergraduate CLS courses for Spring 2023, click here.

 

by Jackie Hawthorne