Ivan Allen College Schools Launch New Minors

Posted May 20, 2021

Schools in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts will offer two new minors to students in the fall, African Studies and Latin American and Latinx studies (LAT).

The new African Studies minor is jointly offered by the Schools of Modern Languages, Economics; Literature, Media, and Communication; Public Policy, and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.

The program focuses on contemporary Africa and requires five courses, including as many as three taught in English in subjects such as economics or political science. Students must also take at least two classes taught in one of five African languages — Arabic, French, Portuguese, Swahili, or Wolof — language of Senegal. Students can begin at the introductory language level.

Courses offered this fall that count toward the minor include FREN/ARBC/PORT/SWAH/WOLO 3420 Introduction to Africa, which is taught in English and required of all students interested in the minor.

The focus of this course will be on “current issues, development, media, and relations with international partners, with attention to the very diverse African sub-regions (North, West, East, Central, South, Indian Ocean islands), and diasporas in the U.S. and elsewhere,” according to the program website.

For more information about the minor contact Chris Ippolito, professor in the School of Modern Languages.

The other new minor to be offered this year is Latin American and Latinx Studies, which is offered jointly by the Schools of History and Sociology; Literature, Media, and Communication; Modern Languages and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.

The minor focuses on the regions and people of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Latino/Latinx peoples in the United States.

“Through the interdisciplinary study of history, politics, economics, literature, media, and languages of these regions and populations, students engage in comparative study of societies, values, and local/global issues,” according to program materials.

Three of the minor’s required courses must be from the School of Modern Language’s Spanish catalog, with the remaining two chosen from offerings in Portuguese or courses such as INTA 3242 Soccer and Global Politics, offered by the Nunn School, LMC 3210 Ethnicity in American Culture, offered by LMC, or ML 2500 UA Introduction to Latinx Studies, a course taught in English in the School of Modern Languages. All three courses are available in Fall 2021.

For more information on this minor, contact Kelly Comfort, associate professor of Spanish and director of the Spanish Program in the School of Modern Languages.