Latin American and Latinx Honors Program

Latin American and Latinx Honors Program

The Latin American and Latinx Studies (LAS) Honors Program is intended for students pursuing either the LAS Language emphasis or the LAS Culture and Society major who have demonstrated excellence in their coursework and who want to experience the study of topics relevant to the major outside the classroom. The high-impact practices required for honors in the LAS program align with such experiences.

The LAS Honors Program is not equivalent to the University Honors Program. They are two different programs and, because they are distinct, students should review the requirements of each with care.

Students who pursue the LAS Honors Program do not have to be part of the University Honors Program.

Students in the University Honors Program can also apply to be part of the LAS Honors Program.

The LAS Honors Program is not equivalent to the Spanish Honors Program. They are two different programs. Students pursuing Honors in both Spanish and LAS can do so, but must complete different projects for each one (completing four different projects overall).

Eligibility

LAS majors who have a major GPA of 3.00 or higher. Completion of LAS 150 and LAS 222 is required before applying to the Honors program, whether doing the LAS Language emphasis major or the LAS Culture and Society emphasis major.

Procedure

An application must be submitted to the LAS program via this e-form. The e-form will ask that you identify an LAS faculty or affiliate faculty/IAS member to serve as a reference. The application must be submitted prior to the student’s last two semesters of study. That being said, students are encouraged to apply after completing LAS 150 and LAS 222, but no later than their final two semesters.

Requirements

At graduation, the student must have a major GPA of 3.00 or higher. In addition, the student must submit evidence that two of the options from the list below have been satisfactorily completed at a standard of excellence deserving of a recognition in LAS Honors.

With the exception of the OPI proficiency test, students may do two of any of the other given options to meet the LAS Honors Program requirements if their projects are distinct. For example, a student could conduct two separate faculty/student collaborative research projects with the same or different LAS faculty or affiliate faculty/IAS member(s) or, with approval from the LAS Program Director, with faculty from departments or programs outside of and not formally affiliated with the LAS program.

Students that select OPI proficiency as one of the options to fulfill one of their requirements must complete work in a different category for the second option.

Students pursuing Honors in both Spanish and LAS can do so, but must complete different projects for each one (completing four different projects overall).

1. A faculty/student collaborative research project with an LAS faculty or affiliate faculty/IAS member(s) or, with approval from the LAS Program Director, with faculty or affiliate faculty/IAS member(s) from departments or programs outside of and not formally affiliated with the LAS program. In special circumstances approved by the LAS Director, certain independent studies can be counted for this requirement.
2. Advanced Low or higher on an official ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview. This applies to both LAS Language emphasis and LAS Culture and Society majors.
3. An off-campus presentation at a conference on a topic related to the major.
4. Completion of an LAS related internship approved by an LAS faculty or affiliate faculty/IAS member(s).
5. Submission of a publication-worthy manuscript to a journal related to the major.
6. Completion of application to the U.S. Fulbright program (or other similar prestigious grants or awards with approval from the LAS Director). Similar prestigious grants or awards would have to have some relation to the major, take place in a Latin American country, or have to deal with an issue related to Latinx populations in the US or elsewhere.
7. Certification as an interpreter by the State of Wisconsin. This applies to both LAS Language emphasis and LAS Culture and Society majors. This requirement can be extended to other bodies providing other kinds of certifications for other types of interpreting (medical, etc.).
8. Completion of the UW - Eau Claire Peace Corps Certificate requirements.