BORICUA COLLEGE | MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program

(HEGIS: 0308)
Minimum Required Credits: 40

Goal: Demonstrate advanced level of research and study of the peoples of the Americas, including the Caribbean, from the perspectives of the humanities and social sciences.

Objectives:

  1. Demonstrate self-awareness and mastery level of the intellectual, affective and psychomotor competencies necessary for life-long learning and further scholarly development.

  2. Demonstrate ability to extend and/or contribute to the knowledge of the Americas through study and research.

  3. Demonstrate the ability to integrate the knowledge of the Americas, for scholarly and creative work and professional practice through the use of the generic intellectual, affective and psychomotor skills.

  4. Demonstrate the application of the generic skills and knowledge of the Americas, in the context of the humanities and the social sciences, in multicultural situations.

  • Study of Latin American dictatorships through reading novels from several countries. Included are: Tirano Banderas, Amalia, El Señor Presidente, La Llaga, El Otoño Del Patriarca, El Recurso Del Método, Yo El Supremo, and others.

Colloquium

Small group colloquia are designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their self-awareness and Mastery of the Affective Skills of receiving (listening and reading), responding (speaking and writing) and expressing their values, feelings and emotions in understanding the generic principles of the liberal arts and sciences.

Experiential Studies

These courses concentrate on the “psychomotor” dimension of learning and  compliments the cognitive and affective skills developed in individualized instruction and colloquium.  These sequences of courses evolve from perceptual enrichment through sensory awareness and physical development to instrumental and complex skills where the cognitive and affective dimensions integrate with the psychomotor.

  • Internships where students develop and practice research skills.

  • Internships where students develop and practice research skills under supervision.

  • The student is required to produce a Thesis or comprehensive research project, that reflects breadth and depth in the use of cognitive and affective, competencies and extensive documented knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean.

Theoretical Studies

  • Study of the development of political institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Course covers descriptions of governmental systems and analysis of the socio-economic and political impact of external forces.

  • Course covers origins of the major economic systems, consequences and possible solutions to the region’s socio-economic dilemmas.

Cultural Studies

The College believes that affirmation of students’ culture is essential to their learning process; Cultural Studies courses supplement as context for the learning processes of the previous four types of courses.

  • The arts, music and cinema from Latin America and Caribbean countries are studied and discussed in terms of their origins, form, content and international appeal.

  • Study of critical issues in the history of Latin American and Caribbean countries from the nineteenth century to the present. Among the issues covered are beginnings of selected nations; colonialism, slavery, independence movements and revolutions, military dictatorship, neo-colonialism, emerging democracies, and relationships with the United States.

Independent Studies

Individualized Instruction

The Individualized Instruction courses in the Generic Studies Core Curriculum program require students to demonstrate self-awareness and mastery in the use of critical, intellectual skills necessary for understanding the generic principles of the liberal arts and sciences. At Boricua College, the study of these mental processes is referred to as Cognitive Science.

  • Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of literature through the use of their intellectual skills: comprehension, analysis and evaluation of Latino literary and cultural experiences in the U.S.A. as expressed in poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and plays by Puerto Rican, Mexican-American, Dominican, and other Latino writers in English and Spanish.

  • Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the native civilizations of Latin America (Aztecs, Mayas, Incas, and other groups) from ancient times to the conquest, the structure of the colonial rule and African slavery and the formation of a “new race”.