College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Kenyon College
• University of Texas—Austin
• Brandeis University
• City College of New York
• St. Peter's University
• Vassar College

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Rutgers University—New Brunswick
• Pennsylvania State University
• University of California—Los Angeles
• University of Illinois—Chicago

Classes in the Major

Second Language. Duh. Imagine trying to learn about another culture without knowing anything about their language. Pretty soon, you'll find yourself at an impasse, which is just a fancy word for when you can go no further. (Just be careful not to get involved in a battle of wits with any mysterious, masked men at this point.)

Some colleges require experience prior to declaring the major, others provide classes where you can bone up. Either way, there are lots of accent marks and tildes in your future. Luckily, the vast majority of Latin American countries speak Spanish, so don't worry about brushing up on that half-year of Czech you took in high school.

Art/Literature. We did say "culture" earlier, right? Well, art and literature are two of the purest examples of culture we have to draw from. Think about your own culture. Isn't it more or less centered around arts like music, literature, dance, and film? Latin American culture is no different. You'll be learning all about the classics, a lot of which have a historical or political bend, which begins to tie together some of the other classes into a nice, sweet, contextual crock pot. Art and literature are the ways a culture expresses and reflects what it's going through. That, and food. Delicious, crock-pot stew. Great, now we're hungry.

History/Anthropology. Well, you saw this coming, didn't you? You know what they say…those who don't know history are doomed to repeat doomed to repeat doomed to repeat it. Okay, seriously, though, you're going to be taking a bunch of history courses. Classes will range from the history of particular countries in Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Cuba) to the history of interactions between these countries and others (the U.S., England, Spain) and the history of the indigenous peoples of these countries (Incas, Aztecs). The list goes on and on, and it varies according to the school you end up in. In order to understand the current climate of Latin American life and where it's going, you've got to know where it's been.

Political Science/Economics. We all know politics make the world go 'round. Elections, upheavals, revolutions, communism versus democracy…all that stuff is pretty important when learning about how things work on a national and international scale. In addition to examining the current political and economic landscape of Latin America, you'll need to take courses on important movements, like the Mexican Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, Prince and the Revolution...okay, maybe not that last one (though that'd be pretty cool, wouldn't it?). Latin American history is rife with political and economic struggle and unrest, and it all matters.