Latin American Studies - M0N0D - Studies portal

The master's degree in Latin American Studies is a specialized course that provides advanced knowledge of the principal social, economic, political and cultural institutions of Latin America. It prepares students to work in academia or in organizations with a specialist focus on Latin American issues. Students will acquire a specialized understanding of advanced theoretical and methodological frameworks. On completion of the master's degree, they will be entitled to apply for a place on the corresponding doctoral programme.

The master’s degree trains professionals with the skills to apply their knowledge of the disciplines covered during the course to activities in the fields of culture, communication and publishing and in the work of NGOs.

The course contents are equally suited to research and professional practice. The broad range of subject areas covered over the course of the degree include social and political relations in America from the pre-Hispanic period to the present day, and economic and cultural phenomena that have come to form part of today’s reality in Latin America.

Basic information

Type	Master's degree
Faculty or school	Faculty of Geography and History
Branch of knowledge	History, archaeology, geography, philosophy and humanities Interdisciplinary
Mode of delivery	Face-to-face
Credits	60
Number of places available	25
Length of course	1 academic year
Language(s) of instruction	Spanish
Approximate price per credit	27.67 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2024-2025
Coordination	CHIARA PAGNOTTA
E-mail	masterestudisllatinoamericans@ub.edu
Course details	Indicators
Open pre-enrolment	No
Open enrolment	Yes
Lead to doctoral studies	Yes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification	No
Bridging courses	No

Objectives and competences

Objectives

The master's degree in Latin American Studies examines current phenomena in American political life that have led to new socio-political relations in many countries in the region. Students will learn about the rise to power of ethnic parties, or parties whose approaches embrace the participation of specific ethic groups, and consider potential solutions to conflicts in Latin American societies, through an understanding of Latin American history, literature and economics.

Competences

Capacity to use the main theoretical and methodological categories in the subject areas covered by the master's degree.
Understanding of the main document repositories that can be used to (re)construct the history of contemporary Latin America.
Capacity to research, gather data on, analyse and document an event or historical process in the history of Latin America.
Capacity to analyse and interpret colonial-era documents.
Capacity to locate useful documentary sources in documentation centres and archives.
Capacity to adopt a critical perspective on the analysis of trends in historical writing.
Capacity to produce critical appraisals of literary texts on Latin America.
Advanced knowledge of the tools for analysing and interpreting social structures and dynamics.
Understanding of the principles of cultural dynamics in Latin America.
The theoretical knowledge required to interpret social and cultural phenomena in Latin America.
Capacity to use theoretical and methodological tools to study pre-Hispanic Latin America.
Capacity to implement the strategies to prepare a thesis and construct cogent written arguments on economic processes in Latin America.
Understanding of the sociological relevance of gender and a non-androcentric perspective in the analysis of processes of social inclusion and control.
Capacity to identify mechanisms that create and propagate inequality and discrimination against women in the penal system and in prevailing family models.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

Due to the inter-disciplinary nature of this master's degree, the recommended applicant profile is a broad one. Candidates who have completed a bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification history, the humanities, political sciences, economics or communication sciences will be considered for admission. The course is designed to provide advanced training in Latin American studies for graduates, and specialist training for professionals who do not hold an official academic qualification in the subject area but are involved in related activities in the public or private sector.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

Official Spanish university degree.

A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.

A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements
To be admitted to the master's degree, students must have obtained one of the following qualifications:

An official pre-EHEA degree or diploma (in Spain, a llicenciatura or diplomatura).
An EHEA bachelor's degree, under the new curricula first introduced in 2008-2009.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

First period: 16 February'16 April 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 30 April.

Second period: 18 April'20 June 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 1 July.

Notes:

Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

Pre-enrolment application
Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria

Selection criteria

The Academic Committee will use the following criteria in the admission process:

Suitability of the academic profile: credit will be given for previous studies in history, literature, humanities, social sciences and related subjects (maximum 4 points).
Grade point average for the academic transcript (maximum 5 points).
Additional criteria, for example grants received or participation in projects (maximum 1 point).

If the number of places offered is greater than the potential demand, the Academic Committee may admit students without prioritizing on the grounds of specific merits. Students whose mother tongue is not Spanish must provide official certification of Spanish language proficiency at level B2.

Notification

First admissions list
Second admissions list

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

Welcome

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type	ECTS
Compulsory	25
Optional	20
Compulsory placements	0
Compulsory final project	15
TOTAL	60

List of subjects

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: Latin-American Studies
Alternative Literatures, Cultures and Subjects in Latin America	Optional	2nd semester	5
Colonial Spaces and Frontiers	Optional	2nd semester	5
Contemporary Economic Development in Latin America	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Final Project	Compulsory	1st semester 2nd semester	15
Key Factors to Understanding America	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Lines of Analysis in Latin-American Literature	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Research Seminar: Latin America in History	Optional	2nd semester	5
Social and Educational Inclusion in Latin America	Optional	2nd semester	5
Social Structure in Latin America: Composition and Changes of Inequality	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Sources and Historiography in the History of America	Compulsory	1st semester	5
The Economic History of Latin America in the Twentieth Century	Optional	2nd semester	5
The Economic History of Latin America up to the First World War	Optional	2nd semester	5
The Nation-State in Contemporary Latin America	Optional	2nd semester	5

Previous years

Teaching staff

List of the teaching staff on a current course

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record. There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 500 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.

Institutional information

Regulations on external placements

FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

On completion of the master's degree, students will have the knowledge and expertise to:
a. Access doctoral studies.
b. Work as analysts of the sociopolitical, economic and cultural reality in Latin America, in private and public institutions.
c. Work in areas related to communication and dissemination, particularly in publishing and the media.