ILAC-BA - Iberian and Latin American Cultures (BA)

Studying Iberian and Latin American cultures at Stanford means engaging in a deep and compelling exploration of the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America (including Brazil), and Latinx communities in the United States. To achieve the goal of training students as experts in these areas, the department balances an emphasis on literary studies with philosophical, historical, and social approaches to cultural issues. Given the focus on critical thinking, open discussion, and close textual analysis, undergraduate majors are provided excellent preparation for a large number of professional fields, including business, education, international relations, law, and medicine.

This program is designed for students who wish to engage in a transitional and cross-linguistic study of Iberian and Latin American literatures and cultures. Courses emphasize critical thinking and close textual analysis, with an emphasis on the deep and often understudied intersections between literature written in Catalan, Portuguese, and Spanish from the medieval period to the present day. Iberian and Latin American Cultures appears on the official transcript and diploma.

Declaring the Major

Students declare the major in Iberian and Latin American Cultures through Axess. Students should meet with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies to discuss appropriate courses and options within the major, and to plan a course of study. The major is administered through the DLCL undergraduate student services office in Pigott Hall, Room 128.

The requirements listed below are considered core requirements and must be taken at Stanford University. AP credit and Transfer credit from other Universities do not count towards this major. 

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

1. oral proficiency in Catalan, Portuguese, and/or Spanish beyond the interpersonal level with presentational language abilities;

2. close reading skills of texts in Catalan, Portuguese, and/or Spanish;

3. writing proficiency in Catalan, Portuguese, and/or Spanish beyond the interpersonal level with presentational language abilities.