Latin American Studies - Tulane University

The Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies is one of the largest and most prestigious interdisciplinary units at Tulane University. It functions in many capacities to provide programming and degree plans to a broad range of educational constituencies. Currently, these include a Bachelor of Arts major and minor in Latin American Studies, a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Latin American Studies.

The design of both the M.A. and Ph.D. curriculum in Latin American Studies is dependent upon the student’s particular research interests. The Graduate Advisor and the student will discuss these research interests before the start of the student’s first semester of coursework and will map out a comprehensive program of study with the goal of developing an interdisciplinary research project. Students accumulate the research skills and tools by undertaking coursework in multiple disciplines or fields. Students should expect to narrow their coursework to one primary and two secondary concentration areas. Of course, there is also the opportunity to extend one’s coursework beyond these three concentration areas when the research project will be enhanced by doing so.

The Stone Center also collaborates with other units across the University to offer specialized graduate degree programs. Such programs include joint professional degree programs with the Law School (MA/JD) and the Business School (MA/MBA), and a dual Doctor of Philosophy degrees (a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies and Art History). For further information on these specialized degree programs, please consult the relevant sections that appear later in this guide.

The standard Tulane University graduate program application form allows applicants to identify whether their application should be considered for admission either as an M.A. student or as a Ph.D. student. The admissions policy of the Stone Center, however, is to consider for admission directly to the Ph.D. program only individuals who have an earned Master’s Degree or relevant professional degree (i.e. M.D., J.D., etc.)

Applicants interested in the Ph.D. Program in Latin American Studies, but who do not have an earned Master’s Degree or a relevant professional degree, will be considered for admission only to the M.A. program in Latin American Studies. Upon completion of the M.A. Program in Latin American Studies, such students are then able to reapply to the Ph.D. program. Admission to the M.A. program does not guarantee continuation in the Ph.D. program.

The Latin American Studies program provides interdisciplinary training for students and professionals for whom in-depth knowledge of Latin America provides a strong foundation for future study or employment. The program also serves as an indispensable vehicle for individuals whose research and professional interests cannot be accommodated within the confines of a single academic discipline.

The current 2-year M.A. is conceived to provide flexibility for students who wish to explore diverse options upon graduation. These include (1) entering the professional world directly, (2) continuing in the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Latin American Studies, or (3) transferring to a discipline-based program or professional school to pursue degrees there.
The degree requires M.A.-level mastery of the literature and relevant methodologies to evaluate and develop a focused interdisciplinary research project. Usually, a well-coordinated M.A. program will be centered in a primary discipline/field, supplemented by study in at least two supporting disciplines/fields, but always with the goal of advancing the core research project. The M.A. degree also requires demonstrated competency in at least one language of the region. In addition, students participate in an introductory core seminar that explores the concept of interdisciplinarity and reviews disciplinary approaches to Latin America. The goal of the seminar is to provide broad exposure to the entire field, to guide students in the design of their core research projects, and to introduce students to the major intellectual trends in a multiplicity of disciplinary clusters. Normally, students write an M.A. thesis, although a non-thesis option exists.

The M.A. degree requires completion of a total of 30 hours distributed over a primary concentration and two supporting concentrations. Our program focuses on complementing disciplinary study with area-based knowledge and multidisciplinary approaches. In our program there are no predetermined disciplinary partners or antagonists. The nature of a particular problem our students seek to explore will determine the primary and supporting fields, as well as any additional special courses, that constitute their program of study.

The primary concentration includes twelve hours of study. The two supporting concentrations each include an additional six hours of study (for a total of twelve hours). Disciplinary concentration options include History, Art History, Political Science, Anthropology, Sociology, Economics, Architecture, Law, International Business, Spanish and Portuguese, Public Health and International Development. Where the student is able to present a clear logic, synthetic topical concentrations such as “Mexican Studies”, “Film Studies”, “Women’s Studies”, etc., may constitute one of the concentration areas. It should be noted, however, that students are encouraged, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, to take courses that may fall outside of their concentration areas if such courses are critical to the development of specific research skills, tools, methods, or content necessary in the pursuit of their research agendas.

There is also a language requirement satisfied by an oral examination in either Spanish or Portuguese in the first year of study. Native Spanish and Portuguese speakers are exempt from this requirement. The M.A. program can be completed in three semesters by students who elect to pursue the non-thesis option, but the Center strongly encourages students to pursue the thesis option and seeks to recruit students who are eager to accept the challenge. These students complete the program in four semesters.

The joint degree program in Law and Latin American Studies was created to provide training for attorneys, policy makers, and public servants who wish to learn about Latin America and to gain a deeper knowledge of the “civil code” legal system of Latin America and Louisiana, which differs profoundly from that found in the rest of the United States. Applicants to the joint degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Law School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies graduate program in the School of Liberal Arts via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently.

This unique joint JD/MA degree program encourages students to explore the economic, social, political, environmental, and cultural contexts that shaped not only legal thought and institutions in distinct regions of Latin America, but also the practice and application of law. Within this degree program, students can shape a program that is broadly conceived or highly focused. A focused program might concentrate, for example, on environmental, maritime, corporate, or human rights issues.

In addition to the 79 hours of law coursework required by the Law School, students pursuing the joint degree must complete 24 semester hours of coursework in graduate courses approved by the Stone Center. One of which is the interdisciplinary core seminar offered by the Center itself. The School of Law itself offers courses on Latin American legal issues. These ordinarily will form a part of the 79 hours of training required in Law. Most of the courses addressing Latin American subject matter are taken through other social science departments at the university, especially the departments of Political Science and Economics, although students frequently explore environmental issues and the cultural dimensions of the law as well. An interdisciplinary thesis option is offered in lieu of one three-credit course; however, students who elect the thesis option must pass a thesis defense in order to earn the credit. Demonstrated competence in either Spanish or Portuguese is required. The Graduate Advisor of the Stone Center serves as program advisor for the joint degree program. The degree is awarded upon fulfillment of the degree requirements for BOTH programs.

The joint degree program in Business Administration and Latin American Studies is predicated on the integration of the Latin American concepts taught within the Graduate Program in Latin American Studies with the policy and general management approaches and techniques taught at the A.B. Freeman School of Business. The program is specially designed to prepare the student (1) to manage effectively, (2) to cope with the uncertainties of interdependent though usually conflicting economic environments, and (3) to integrate private and public sector perspectives and criteria into a single framework.

As with our other joint degree programs, applicants to the joint M.B.A./M.A. degree program must be admitted separately by each of the participating programs. Thus a potential joint degree student must be admitted to the Business School through its normal admissions process, and also to the Latin American Studies program in the School of Liberal Artsl via its own separate admissions process. Admission to one school does not guarantee admission to the other; nor does the failure to be admitted into the joint degree program preclude admission into either one or the other school independently.

The joint course of study integrates the M.B.A. core curriculum, the M.A. curriculum in Latin American Studies, and a set of electives. The M.B.A. core courses provide the student with a general background of all the functional fields of management. Latin American Studies courses provide the student with critical understanding of the cultural, political, economic and social context in which business is practiced in Latin America. This understanding is achieved through coursework in the Social Science and Humanities and in a core seminar that seeks to integrate this knowledge.

Students must take 24 semester hours from the Latin American Studies curriculum and 51 hours from the Freeman School of Business. Demonstrated competence in either Spanish or Portuguese by oral examination is required for graduation. Finally, students are encouraged to spend one summer in an internship experience with a firm operating in Latin America, which is usually arranged independently or through the Business School.

Once accepted into the program a student already resident in the Freeman School of Business must complete and submit an inter-school transfer request form. These forms are required to register in the School of Liberal Arts, and must be signed both by the students’s academic advisor in the Business School and the Graduate Advisor in the Stone Center for Latin American Studies.

This new joint program will be small and highly selective. It will probably accept only one or two highly qualified applicants each year, based on recommendations, performance, and other indicators of academic excellence and the ability to conduct original, clearly articulated research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge.

Students are admitted to the program only after demonstrating an ability to work in a critical and imaginative fashion. Along with the School of Liberal Arts graduate program application form, applicants submit transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, evidence of language ability, and an M.A. thesis or two substantive research papers.

The Ph.D. requires 54 credit hours (including an M.A. thesis or equivalent) in addition to qualifying examinations in two concentration areas and the production of a dissertation. Of the 54 credit hours of coursework, at least 30 hours must have a Latin American content, including at least 18 hours in Latin American art; other Latin American courses can be taken in departments such as Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese; the School of Architecture; and Latin American Studies special offerings. Fifteen credit hours must be in art history pertaining to areas outside Latin America. The balance of credit hours are electives; they may be in art history and/or Latin America, but they may also pertain to other areas relevant to the student’s work (e.g., European history, Medieval thought, writing systems). The Latin American Studies core seminar is required, as is a course on art historical method and/or theory. All courses must be at the 600 and 700 levels.

Students must develop a primary concentration (e.g., Precolumbian, colonial, or modern) and a secondary one. The second concentration may be within Latin American art (e.g., Precolumbian, colonial, or modern), or it may cover a comparative area (e.g., modern Latin American art paired with modern European art, or colonial Latin American art paired with medieval and early modern European art). Twenty-one semester hours (7 courses) must pertain to the primary concentration, and 12 semester hours (4 courses) must pertain to the secondary concentration. These courses may be in Art History or other disciplines with Latin American content. For example, a student with a primary concentration in Precolumbian and a secondary concentration in colonial would take 7 art history and anthropology courses with a Precolumbian content, and 4 courses with a colonial content in art history, history, or literature.

Doctor of Philosophy in Latin American Studies

The program is small and highly selective. The Stone Center accepts a few highly qualified applicants each year based upon recommendations, performance, and other indicators of academic excellence and the ability to conduct original, clearly articulated interdisciplinary research that will advance the frontiers of knowledge. Again, to reiterate, students must have an earned M.A. or a relevant professional degree to apply to the Ph.D. program. Most students accepted into the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program have maintained high grade-point averages in undergraduate and graduate level coursework. Students with Masters degrees in disciplines like Political Science, History, Art History, Latin American Literature, or Public Health are encouraged to apply to the program and will find that Tulane generally has strength in their areas of specialization.

Students are admitted to the program only after demonstrating an ability to work in a critical and imaginative fashion, utilizing methodologies and materials of multiple disciplines. Applicants submit transcripts, three letters of recommendation, evidence of a completed M.A. thesis or an M.A. thesis in progress, evidence of language ability, and a detailed essay describing a proposed program of study.

The successful completion of an M.A. thesis or its substantive equivalent is a requirement for formal admission into the program. Therefore, all admissions and financial awards are contingent upon the completion of the thesis or its substantive equivalent. Applicants with completed M.A. theses submit them as a part of the admissions process. Applicants currently enrolled in programs with a thesis requirement, who traditionally apply for admission to the Ph.D. program in the penultimate semester of graduate studies, should submit a prospectus for their M.A. thesis and a copy of the thesis upon its completion.

Students formally enrolled in a Master’s degree program through the Tulane Uniersity’s School of Liberal Arts, whether in Latin American Studies or in another discipline, and who wish to enter the Ph.D. program, are not required to resubmit the standard School of Liberal Arts graduate program application. However, such students must fill out and submit an internal application form provided by the Graduate Advisor before the regular graduate program admissions application deadline in the Spring semester of their second year in residence. This deadline is February 1. In addition, applicants enrolled in a Tulane graduate program other than Latin American Studies must also provide copies of their undergraduate and graduate school transcripts and GRE scores with their application to the Stone Center. All such candidates must submit a coherent, carefully crafted model of courses and research strategies under three fields of concentration and must be able to secure the support of two faculty members who will agree to direct his or her studies if accepted to the program.

The Stone Center has specific provisions for those students who either apply with a non-thesis Master's degree from another institution or completed the non-thesis M.A. program in Latin American Studies. These applicants can be provisionally admitted to the program, but are required to write a thesis equivalent that will conform to Tulane thesis requirements in length and sophistication. It must be defended before a two person committee appointed by the Graduate Advisor. Three hours of credit will be given for this project.

Applicants from other non-Tulane graduate programs, or from any of Tulane’s Professional Schools, must apply directly to the School of Liberal Arts for admission and should consult the section below entitled “New Student Application to the Graduate Program.” The general application requirements are described in the section on the M.A. degree. The Graduate Advisor will work carefully with applicants less conversant with Tulane’s faculty, especially transfers from other universities, to shape their program.

“Special Student, Non-Degree Status” for Candidates for Degrees in other Graduate Schools

Candidates for advanced degrees at other graduate institutions who wish to enroll and receive graduate credit for courses taken at Tulane should secure approval of their plans for temporary study in the School of Liberal Arts from responsible authorities in their own institutions. They should then apply for admission to the School of Liberal Arts as “special non-degree” students. Students applying for this status are not eligible for fellowship consideration and will be solely responsible for the costs of their education if admitted.

Admission as a special student, non-degree status, ordinarily allows the student to register for a total of no more than nine semester hours of graduate credit. Applicants who wish to be admitted to special student status must submit (1) a $45 application fee; (2) a completed application form; and (3) official transcripts of all undergraduate records and of any previous graduate work. After nine hours of graduate course work at Tulane have been completed, the student on special non-degree status may not register for additional graduate credit.

A special student who wishes to be considered for admission to a degree program may reapply to the School of Liberal Arts after having completed two or three courses successfully. Upon the recommendation of the Center’s admissions committee, the Executive Director of the Center, and approval of the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, graduate-level course work done as a special student may be transferred for credit to a degree program.

Students who wish to be admitted to the School of Liberal Arts graduate program in Latin American Studies should contact the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts for application materials (http://www.liberalarts.tulane.edu/). The completed online application (https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=tulane-g) must be submitted by February 1 for admission for the next academic year. Students may also download a .pdf version of the application file which is available at the School of Liberal Arts graduate program website (http://www.liberalarts.tulane.edu/graduate.cfm).

Tulane’s standards for admission are very high. We seek applicants who have developed the critical capacities for advanced work and are especially interested in attracting new students who will go on to complete doctoral degrees. We also seek students who have already developed the language skills needed for advanced work.

The School of Liberal Arts will not consider any student for admission until all the following documents, plus the $45 application fee, have been received: (1) completed application form, (2) three completed recommendation forms, (3) official transcripts of all undergraduate records and of any previous graduate work, (4) a statement of career objective and potential research program not to exceed 500 words, and (5) an official score report for the Graduate Record Examination General Test. All transcripts and other documents and material required for application for admission become the property of the School of Liberal Arts and are not returnable.

In addition to the School of Liberal Arts requirements, the Stone Center recommends the submission of examples of written work and information about language ability. A good working knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese is essential. Students are expected to pass a language examination in Spanish or Portuguese during the first year of study. The required level of competence in Spanish and Portuguese corresponds to “intermediate” on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) scale. This competency is considered a minimum requirement. Students are encouraged to develop additional languages as needed by their research fields.

Applications are first received by the Director of Graduate Studies at the School of Liberal Arts. A Center admissions committee consisting of Tulane Latinamericanists representing various disciplines considers individual credentials. This committee begins reviewing applications in mid-February, and makes recommendations about admission and financial aid to the School of Liberal Arts Dean. The School of Liberal Arts will send letters of acceptance explaining the financial and academic terms of Tulane’s offer. The Stone Center Graduate Advisor will also call the applicant to discuss details of the admission offer.

Note: The Stone Center can also admit students under very special circumstances in January, but financial aid is generally not available.

Admission is on the basis of academic accomplishments and potential, regardless of race, sex, color, religion, national/ethnic origin, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

Application for financial aid is accomplished by checking the appropriate box on the application form. Students may be admitted any semester, but financial aid decisions are made only in March and April for the entire subsequent year. In order to be eligible for financial aid, an applicant should have a complete application packet in to the School of Liberal Arts by February 1 for the following fall semester.

Applicants applying for admission without financial aid should meet the following deadlines: July 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester.

All applicants for admission, including those applying to any of the joint degree programs, must take at their own expense the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The test scores will be used, along with the other application materials, to determine eligibility for admission and to aid in counseling the applicant after admission. Students should write directly to the Graduate Record Examination, Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000 to request information on the date of the exam in your city or state. For more information regarding the GRE, potential applicants may also visit the GRE website at: http://www.gre.org/.

An applicant for admission who is not a native speaker of English must present satisfactory evidence of sufficient competence in English in reading comprehension, writing, verbal ability and oral comprehension. Ordinarily, the applicant will demonstrate competence by presenting an acceptable score on TSE (Test of Spoken English), normally a minimum score of 220. If TSE is not available in the applicant’s area of the world, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) may be taken instead, with a minimum score of 600 acceptable for admission. Applicants who do not meet these score requirements but are otherwise exceptionally qualified may be granted provisional admission with the stipulation that said students take an ESL course for the first semester in residence and then retest in the Winter before being allowed to continue study at Tulane. For information about these exams, write TOEFL/TSE Services, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151.

Degree requirements include 30 credit hours as follows: (1) a primary concentration (History, Anthropology, etc., etc.) of 12 hours, (2) a second supporting concentration of 6 hours, (3) a third supporting concentration, also of 6 hours (4) the Core Seminar (LAST 700), and (5) one of the following options for the final 3 hours credit:

Option One: The M.A. thesis, written under the direction of a thesis director and approved by a faculty committee. Students register for credit thesis in the fourth semester (LAST 899) and are required to participate in a thesis writing workshop under the direction of the Graduate Advisor. This course will be classified as a Pass/Fail course. A “Pass” is assigned for the thesis by the Graduate Advisor if the student successfully defends his/her thesis by the end of the Spring semester. [NOTE: If a student plans to graduate in the Spring Semester of his/her second year of study, the thesis must be completed, defended, and submitted to the School of Liberal Arts in final form usually by the first week of April.] If the student has not completed and defended the thesis by the end of the Spring semester of the second year of studies, a grade of “I” (Incomplete) will be reported until such time as the student completes the thesis AND applies to graduate. If the student fails to complete the thesis within one year of the end of the second year of study, the “I” grade will convert to a failing grade.

Option Two: A three-hour course in theory or methodology in the primary concentration. This need not be a Latin American content course. For example, in Sociology, the relevant courses are “Intermediate Social Statistics” and “Intermediate Sociological Methods;” in Anthropology, “Field Methods in Social and Cultural Anthropology;” and in Political Science, “The Conduct of Research” and “Statistics for Political Scientists.” Where a department does not have an appropriate offering, the Stone Center Graduate Advisor will help the student arrange an independent study project in the methodology of the primary concentration. This course must be taken by the end of the third semester.

The concentrations are usually departmental/disciplinary and are intended more as a guide to help organize a student’s curriculum around a specific research project. Where a student’s program suggests that there is an educational and qualitative logic, it is also possible to declare one synthetic concentration that combines courses from more than one department. Such a concentration might be, for example, “Cultural Studies” or “Mexican Studies.” Students are also encouraged, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, to take courses that may fall outside of their concentration areas if such courses are critical to the development of specific research skills, tools, methods, or content necessary in the pursuit of their research agendas.

The requirement for graduation with the M.A. in Latin American Studies is demonstrated competence in either Spanish or Portuguese. Students are expected to pass a language examination in Spanish or Portuguese during the first year of study. The required level of competence in Spanish and Portuguese corresponds to “intermediate” on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) scale. This competency is considered a minimum requirement. Students are encouraged to develop additional languages as needed by their research fields.

Currently, these language examinations are administered by Professors in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese as assigned by that department. Students should contact the Department of Spanish and Portuguese directly for further information on the administration of these exams. Native Spanish and Portuguese speakers are exempt from this requirement.

Upon entering the program a maximum of six credits (two courses) may be transferred from another department of Tulane or another University toward your Latin American Studies M.A. degree. However, students who do choose to transfer two courses will lose one semester of M.A. funding (limiting thesis writers to three semesters and non-thesis writers to two). To be considered for transfer credit toward a M.A. degree, graduate work done at another institution must carry a grade of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better and must have been completed no more than four years from the date of first registration for graduate work at Tulane.

Acceptance of graduate credit for work done at other graduate institutions must be approved by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies and by the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts. Although the official decision concerning the acceptance of transfer credit towards the Latin American Studies M.A. degree will be made only after the student has completed one semester of successful study in the program, the Stone Center Graduate Advisor can evaluate the transferability of previous coursework before the student enters the program. If you are planning to transfer credit, remember to contact your Graduate Advisor after you have completed your first semester in the degree program so that he may recommend your credit for transfer.

Full-time is defined by the Stone Center as at least three graduate level courses for those students with School of Liberal Arts Graduate Program Fellowships and three graduate level courses plus one undergraduate level Portuguese class for those students with FLAS Fellowships (see Financial Aid and Awards for more).

take three courses
submit final thesis prospectus with full committee signatures (by Oct. 15)
FLAS fellows take additional language course

Spring

register for thesis for credit (LAST 899) with approval of thesis director
apply to graduate for M.A. with thesis
FLAS fellows take additional language course
apply to PhD program in February for those wishing to continue in the program
defend thesis by mid-March
submit thesis in final form to Graduate School by appropriate deadline (usually early April)
graduate at end of term

Students are expected to complete the M.A. degree in four semesters, one of which is dedicated to writing the thesis. Students electing to write a thesis will earn three hours credit for the thesis. Students can complete the program in three semesters with the non-thesis option by taking four courses (one extra) in one of their three semesters of study. Both options require 30 hours of course credit.

The Stone Center encourages all students to write a thesis. The in-depth research and scholarly treatment of a significant problem is an integral part of graduate education.

The School of Liberal Arts and the Stone Center grant financial support for four continuous semesters for thesis students and three continuous semesters for non-thesis option students. At the end of the third semester, non-thesis option students should have completed 30 hours and have applied for graduation. Also at the end of the third semester, thesis students should have completed 27 hours, submitted their thesis proposal, and registered for thesis credit for the fourth semester. For students committed to writing the thesis, successful completion and defense of the thesis is required for graduation.

If a student receives funding in the fourth semester for the thesis option he or she must submit a completed thesis by the end of that semester. If the thesis is not completed, the student will not graduate for lack of sufficient credit and will be required to return the fourth semester stipend to the School of Liberal Arts.

Independent Studies can be an important part of your program if used properly and sparingly. Typically an independent project is created to fill an academic need or interest that is not being met by regular disciplinary offerings or to expand upon research begun in other courses but not fully completed. Ordinarily, the Graduate Advisor will not authorize students to take more than two Independent Studies courses during the course of their M.A. degree. Students may register for the independent study directly through the Latin American Studies program; but students should first attempt to register for the independent study through the department of the sponsoring faculty member. Please consult the Graduate Advisor for further information on registering for independent study.

The M.A. thesis is intended to be a full explication of a significant problem using original sources, interviews, or analogous materials. Its length depends upon the expectations of the Thesis Committee. Before submitting the application for the thesis, students should discuss their plans with the Stone Center Graduate Advisor in order to insure that projects are designed with feasible scope, appropriately interdisciplinary content, and proper support and supervision.

Students should be advised that credit for thesis is awarded for one semester, but theses are rarely defined, researched, written and successfully defended in one semester. Ideally, a potential thesis topic should be developed as early as the first semester of coursework and a thesis director and committee structure planned by the end of the second semester. Preliminary field explorations and research should be conducted in the summer after the end of the second semester. The thesis topic should be advanced in concept during the third semester; a final thesis prospectus should be approved by both the thesis director and the full thesis committee by October 15 of the third semester; and the actual thesis should be written and defended by the appropriate deadlines in the fourth semester. Students should also be warned that the deadline for submission is in the middle, not at the end, of this fourth semester. The Graduate Advisor will work closely with the degree candidate to insure that the thesis is advanced and completed in the recommended timeframe.

By March 1 (or October 1 for Spring admits) of the second semester of residence, M.A. students must formally decide whether they will pursue the thesis or the non-thesis option. For those who commit to write a thesis, a thesis commitment form and 4-6 page prospectus (see Appendix) should be submitted to the Center Graduate Advisor no later than October 15 (or March 15 for Spring Admits) of the third semester of residence.

The Graduate Advisor, after reading and discussing the prospectus with the student, will facilitate meetings of students with recommended faculty directors for their theses, where students have not already chosen their director. Then, these faculty will help students restructure their prospectuses, give critical advice, affirm the viability of the research project, and agree formally to serve as director.

The thesis committee consists of a director, ordinarily representing the field of the student’s primary concentration, and two other faculty members whose interests are germane to the project. The director must be tenure or tenure track—rather than “adjunct” or “visiting”—faculty. Consult with Graduate Advisor for initial advice about committee selection and again before finalizing your committee.

Please Consult the Graduate School website for information regarding proper thesis formatting, style guidelines, and submission deadlines.

Registration and Credit for Thesis

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Latin American Studies is awarded for mastery of a body of literature and for the production of imaginative and original research. A student may enter the program (1) progressing from the M.A. program in Latin American Studies at Tulane, or (2) transferring to the program with a M.A. conferred by another Tulane department or by another university.

Each semester doctoral students normally enroll in three classes and teach one class. By university regulations, students are allowed to enroll in a minimum of two courses while they serve as Teaching Assistants.

Students also begin preparation for general preliminary examinations, which are given during students’ last semester of classes and should be taken no later than the first semester after the completion of all coursework requirements. These are normally in October or March.

Upon satisfying the coursework and language requirements and completing the general exams, students begin research for the dissertation, presenting a formal prospectus for faculty approval. Once approved they can apply for admittance to candidacy for the doctoral degree and commence formal work on the dissertation, which must demonstrate their ability to carry out an original investigation in the field of Latin American Studies. Degrees are conferred only after the dissertation is approved in a formal defense before a faculty committee.

The minimum coursework requirement for the Ph.D. is 54 credit hours. Portions of this requirement are often satisfied by credit awarded for academic work completed in fulfilling requirements for the M.A. degree with thesis.

Students with an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane may transfer up to 30 credits of relevant work from their M.A. program, while students transferring from other departments at Tulane or other universities may transfer no more than 12 hours of relevant work (see Transfer Credit below).

The concentrations are usually departmental/disciplinary and are intended more as a guide to help organize a student’s curriculum around a specific research project. Where a student’s program suggests that there is an educational and qualitative logic, it is also possible to declare one synthetic concentration that combines courses from more than one department. Such a concentration might be, for example, “Cultural Studies” or “Mexican Studies.” Students are also encouraged, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, to take courses that may fall outside of their concentration areas if such courses are critical to the development of specific research skills, tools, methods, or content necessary in the pursuit of their research agendas.

The language requirement for graduation with the Ph.D. in Latin American Studies is demonstrated competence in two languages. Normally, one is Spanish; the second Portuguese. However, other languages may be presented if essential for the student's research. German, Quechua, Nahuatl, or Kachiquel are examples. The required level of competence in Spanish and Portuguese corresponds to “intermediate” on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language scale. This competency is considered a minimum requirement. Students are encouraged to develop additional languages as needed by their research fields. Levels of competency similar to those described for Spanish and Portuguese are required in any language presented to satisfy this requirement. Currently, language competency examinations in Spanish and Portuguese are administered by Professors in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese as assigned by that department. Students should contact the Department of Spanish and Portuguese directly for further information on the administration of these exams. All students, even native speakers, must be either examined for minimal linguistic competency as explained above or certified as to their native fluency by the Spanish and Portuguese Department.

Certification of competency in a second language must be presented by the end of the second year of study. Transfer students are expected to pass one language during the first year of study, and a second language examination by the end of second year of study. Testing procedures are discussed below in the Grades and Evaluation section of this handbook.

At the time of admission, the Graduate Advisor can provide an informal assessment about what previous course credit can be transferred to meet Ph.D. requirements, but University policy allows the Graduate Advisor to make a formal evaluation of requests for transfer credit only after students have completed nine hours in residence at Tulane. At that point, the Graduate Advisor recommends the transfer of appropriate and germane credit to the Graduate Dean for approval.

As noted above, students with an M.A. (with thesis) in Latin American Studies from Tulane may transfer up to 30 credits of relevant work from their M.A. program, while students transferring from other departments at Tulane or other universities may transfer no more than 12 hours of relevant work. Nevertheless, although rare, Graduate School regulations permit the acceptance of up to 24 semester hours of transfer credit for non-Center M.A. graduates if applicants can demonstrate persuasive evidence of transferable content.

Acceptance of graduate credit for work done in other M.A. programs at Tulane or other universities is recommended by the Graduate Advisor and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. To be considered for transfer credit, coursework must have received a grade of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale and must have been completed no more than six years before the date of first registration in the Center’s doctoral program. Only in very special cases, and with the recommendation of the Stone Center’s Graduate Advisor, the Dean will consider transfer of credit for courses taken earlier.

As a condition of their fellowships, doctoral students serve as Teaching Assistants or work an equivalent amount of hours as a Research and Project Associate each semester during which they receive funding (see section on Center Service and Teaching). Teaching Assistants offer one course per semester: Latin American Studies 101—an introductory survey course of the region. Most students find teaching these courses an important part of their professional preparation. For more information on teaching eligibility guidelines, please refer to the “Center Service and Teaching” section below, particularly the subsection on Teaching Assistantships.

Actual timetables are often different from that suggested below, which are given strictly for purposes of example. Presented below are two possible scenarios—one for a student graduating with an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane and another for a student transferring with an M.A. degree from another department or university. The first scenario assumes that the student is eligible for and receives thirty hours of transfer credit; the second that the student is eligible for and receives twelve hours of transfer credit. Both scenarios also assume that these students take only the minimum course requirement of two per semester, when most students take three, and that the dissertation is completed and defended in one year, which is not generally the case.

Upon beginning the doctoral program, all students should consult with the Stone Center Graduate Advisor, their Dissertation Directors, and, once appointed, their Examination Committees to develop their own timetables. These projected plans of study and research will then be updated and adapted at each successive advising meeting with the Graduate Advisor to insure the timely completion of doctoral requirements.

Scenario 2: Students with M.A. degree from other Tulane Departments or other Universities (assuming 12 hours of transfer credit)

Spring
(For students with an MA from another
Tulane Department)

take two courses
teach one course or serve as Project Associate

(For students from other universities)

take three courses
serve as Project Associate

Spring

take two courses
teach one course or serve as Project Associate
meet requirements for proficiency in last of two required languages
form Examination Committee and begin preparations for the General Preliminary Examinations

Spring

teach one course or serve as Project Associate (if funding permits)
begin dissertation research and writing

Spring

teach one course or serve as Project Associate (if funding permits)
defend dissertation and receive degree

General Preliminary Examinations

The general preliminary examinations are designed to evaluate a student’s subject mastery, scholarly competence, and analytical ability. These examinations are tailored for each individual’s particular academic and professional aspirations, theoretical and methodological needs, and field of research. They are designed to demonstrate students’ abilities to place their own research into context.

In February of the first year of doctoral study, the Graduate Advisor and each student meet to discuss the formation of the Examination Committee. This committee consists of four members: two professors from the primary concentration and one professor from each of the supporting concentrations. Ordinarily three of these four committee members later serve as the student’s Dissertation Committee.

Once a committee has been appointed, students prepare for the examinations by compiling professional bibliographies and critical reading lists in each of their three concentrations and for the Graduate Advisor. These bibliographies are reviewed in-depth with each committee examiner so that they can suggest modifications and additional readings. The committee will inform students of the parameters and scope of their questions well in advance of the examination.

The examinations include a twelve-hour written exam in the first concentration and two four-hour written exams in each of the other two concentrations. These written examinations are followed by an oral examination administered by the entire committee; the latter takes the form of a general discussion and lasts only about two hours.

All General Preliminary Exams are given in either October or March and must be completed within the space of one calendar month. Outside of these stipulations, individual exam schedules vary according to the student’s curricular and program needs and must be determined in close consultation with the Stone Center Graduate Advisor. Usually, students who enter the Ph.D. program with their M.A. degree in Latin American Studies at Tulane will be prepared for exams by the third or fourth semester of Ph.D study. Students who transfer with M.A. degrees from other departments or universities should be prepared by the sixth or seventh semester depending on their previous preparation and experience.

From the moment students enter the doctoral program in Latin American Studies at Tulane, and possibly before, they should be thinking about potential dissertation topics. A viable project will be one that transforms a focused and feasible research investigation into a valuable and unique academic contribution.

By the beginning of the semester after completing the General Preliminary Examination, students should decide in consultation with their Dissertation Directors and the Graduate Advisor the three members of their four-person Examination Committees that will constitute their Dissertation Committees. Once chosen, each committee member is given one of the following assignments: Director, Second Reader, or Third Reader. The Dissertation Director has primary responsibility for deciding how the committee will distribute responsibilities and will function. The Director is most advisedly the faculty member with whom a student has worked very closely and who has significant expertise in the student’s primary concentration.

Within three months of completing the General Preliminary Examination, students should present a Dissertation Prospectus. The prospectus constitutes the first formal synthesis of the research project that culminates in the Dissertation. Students should use it to organize and structure the content of the proposed research, to describe how and where it will be conducted, to analyze its feasibility and specific methodology, to define the importance of the topic as a unique contribution to knowledge, and to create a timetable for completion. Students prepare the Dissertation Prospectus in close consultation with their Dissertation Chairs, the Graduate Advisor, and other members of their Dissertation Committees.

The Dissertation Prospectus should be approximately three, doubled-spaced pages in length. The cover sheet includes the student’s name, department, the title of the proposed dissertation, and the names of the chair and the other members of the committee. The introduction of the prospectus should contain a summary of previous scholarship on the problem. The body should include an orderly description of the plan for the investigation. The conclusion should clearly state the anticipated nature of the investigation results. Major sources of information should be indicated and a selective bibliography attached. Three copies are prepared and are delivered to the Graduate Advisor with signatures of all members of the Dissertation Committee. The Graduate Advisor submits these documents to the Graduate School.

University Fellowships and Financial Aid are tied structurally to university appointments as Teaching Assistants or Project Associates that can only be fulfilled while in residence at Tulane. Furthermore, these positions are made available to continuing students for only three years and to transfer students for a maximum of five years. Consequently, where field research is a fundamental component of the dissertation project and where it cannot be accomplished with summer research grants that the Stone Center funds each year, students must solicit outside funding to support that work.

The Graduate Advisor is available to work with each student to identify additional sources of support and to prepare applications as soon as the student formulates their proposal. Many application deadlines occur in the early Fall, so doctoral students are advised to schedule meetings with the Graduate Advisor at least one year before they plan to begin field research.

After the successful completion of all required coursework, language examinations, the General Preliminary Examination, and the Dissertation Prospectus, doctoral students officially apply for Admission to Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The Graduate School and the Graduate Advisor have copies of the official form.

After this formality is complete, the Graduate Advisor secures the signed approval of the Dissertation Chair and submits a recommendation for Admission to Candidacy to the Dean of the Graduate School certifying that all requirements for the degree have been met. Once the Graduate Dean has certified that all requirements for the degree have been met, he or she will advance the student to Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D. in Latin American Studies

The recommendation for Admission to Candidacy must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than September 15 for those expecting to receive the degree in December, December 15 for those expecting to receive the degree in May, or March 15 for those expecting to receive the degree at the end of the Summer Session.

The Dissertation is not only an essential part of the candidate’s degree work but is also the appropriate culmination of the Ph.D. degree. It should demonstrate not only student mastery of the literature of the subject, but also ability to carry on independent research that results in a genuine contribution to knowledge, or an original interpretation of existing knowledge in a literate and lucid fashion.

Students’ experiences with their committees will be different depending on the groups’ particular dynamics and the needs of the student.Students will best utilize the collective wisdom that resides in committees, when they circulate early versions and completed drafts of chapters to committee members with expediency so that they have ample time to read, comment and suggest revisions.

Please consult the Graduate School website for information regarding proper thesis formatting, style guidelines, and submission deadlines.

All Tulane dissertations must be prepared for microfilm duplication and storage at UMI, the largest publisher of microfilm dissertations in an on-line searchable format.For this reason, all illustrations, photographs, diagrams, and tables in your manuscript must be in black and white.Final approved dissertations are sent to UMI, where they make a microfilm copy, and then they are returned to Tulane University’s Library for binding, cataloging, and shelving. This procedure is mandatory and must be paid for by the student before graduation.The cost varies from year to year but is usually less than $100 total.Current prices are available at the Graduate School Office and in the appendix of this handbook. Once published, you can order copies of your dissertation from UMI for a small fee.

The decision to copyright the dissertation must be made at the time the student submits the material to the Graduate School office. Copyright may be obtained through UMI for $35.Two positive film copies of the dissertation are then deposited in the Copyright Office.

Well before the deadline for submission of the Dissertation to the Graduate School, candidates must successfully complete a final examination for the Ph.D. degree.The examination, also called the Dissertation Defense, consists primarily of an oral defense of the Dissertation, but can be extended at the discretion of the Dissertation Examining Committee to include course material or any other relevant material. The Defense is a thorough critical discussion of the Dissertation and its conclusions, but frequently the committee requests final revisions to the Dissertation during the course of the Defense. It is risky to schedule a Defense immediately before the Graduate School’s deadlines for submission.

The Dissertation Examining Committee must include the members of the Dissertation Committee, but the Dissertation Chair may also invite other interested and appropriate faculty to be present.

The final examination will not be waived, unless the candidate, with the approval of the Graduate Advisor for Latin American Studies, can establish a case of hardship in extremis which is subject to review and approval of the Graduate Dean.

The goal of the Research and Project Associate Program is to provide graduate students an opportunity to engage in the teaching, research and programmatic life of the Stone Center, its working groups and institutes. Only projects that provide enrichment and learning experiences that contribute to the professional development of our graduate students are selected. In the same spirit, only projects that are institutional in scope are supported—research for a monograph by an individual faculty member does not fall within the scope of the program; the development of a major conference or lecture series does.

All M.A. students in Latin American Studies with Graduate School Fellowships, and all Ph.D. candidates with Graduate School Fellowships who are not Teaching Assistants participate in the program each semester that they hold University Fellowships.

Project Associates will be paired with Project Director at the beginning of each semester. Each will observe a detailed written agreement about the nature of the project and the responsibilities of both the Project Associate and the Project Director.

Research and Project Associates are normally appointed for one semester. Summer appointments are not available under this program. Nevertheless, we are cognizant of the fact that some projects might be better served by full-year commitments. For this reason, reappointments are possible when mutually agreed upon by all participants.

Fall appointments generally run from the second week of September to the second week of December (Thanksgiving week excluded); Spring appointments from the third week of January to the first week of May (Mardi Gras week excluded).

Each Associate must work 6 hours per week or 72 total hours over the course of the academic semester. Total hours may be unevenly distributed over the semester depending upon the specific nature and requirements of the project and upon the student’s schedule and commitments.

Projects will be evaluated twice, at mid-term and at the end of the semester. In the final evaluation, both the Project Director and Associate will compare the completed project to the aspirations set down in the initial description, critique the process and working relationship, and evaluate the experience as a whole.

Teaching in the Stone Center is considered a vital part of doctoral students’ preparation and often provides a crucial credential for securing later employment. The Center’s Assistant Director for Undergraduate Affairs serves as Undergraduate Teaching Coordinator and assists instructors in the preparation and teaching of courses. In addition to this training, Teaching Assistants are required to attend sessions on college teaching offered by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Ph.D. students with University Fellowships teach one class per semester or participate for 6 hours a week in the Research and Project Associates program.

In general, assignment to teach is made according to the following eligibility guidelines:

Please note that teaching for the Center is neither an obligation nor a right of admission to the program. Doctoral Students may not actually be given a teaching assignment immediately upon becoming eligible. Teaching assignments may vary in timing from one student to the next depending on a number of factors. Such factors include the student’s familiarity and comfort with the University environment and with the Latin American Studies program, section availability compared to the total pool of