Latin American Studies

This MA provides a comprehensive overview of social sciences and humanities in Latin America. The programme’s graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching, and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

Depending on their chosen areas of specialisation, students will develop analytical and critical perspectives in multidisciplinary aspects of Latin American history, politics and international relations, anthropology, geography and environmental issues, and economics, as well as cultural studies. They will gain key research skills, together with in-depth knowledge of current debates in the field of Latin American Studies.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), five optional modules (75 credits), and the research dissertation (90 credits).

Please note: All optional modules are subject to availability.

Core module

• Researching the Americas: Latin America and the Caribbean

Optional modules

Students choose five option modules from a selection that includes the following:

• Confronting the Colossus: US Anti-imperialism, 1945-present
• Democratization in Latin America
• Histories of Exclusion: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
• Social and Economic Development of Contemporary Brazil
• The International Politics of Latin America
• Latin American Economies: Beyond Neoliberalism
• State and Society in Latin America: Ethnographic Perspectives
• The Caribbean from the Haitian Revolution to the Cuban Revolution
• Money and Politics in Latin America
• The Politics of Human Rights in Latin America: Transitional Justice
• Politics, Society and Development in the Modern Caribbean
• The Latin American City: Social Problems and Social Change in Urban Space
• Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Students may choose a maximum of 30 credits from other departments or from other University of London colleges, subject to the Programme Director's approval.

Dissertation/report

All students write a dissertation of 15,000 words on a research topic of their choice linked to the subject area of one of their taught modules.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, research skills training, and independent reading and research. Assessment is through essays, group and individual presentations, analytical exercises, and the dissertation.

Fieldwork

Many of our Master’s students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects.

There may be travel costs associated with fieldwork. The Institute has limited funds available to students to help towards the costs of fieldwork. These funds are awarded on a competitive basis on the criteria of academic performance to date, the quality of the research proposal and the importance of fieldwork for completing the research.

Normally an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. A basic reading competence in Spanish or Portuguese is desirable. Students without such skills may be considered but are advised to undertake a separate language course prior to or during the programme.