Mexican American Studies, Bachelor of Arts

Program Overview

The mission of the UTRGV Mexican American Studies (MASC) program is to prepare students to critically investigate community knowledge and socio-political, economic, cultural, and artistic conditions of and contributions by Mexican Americans, Chicana/os and Latina/os to the history, culture, and institutions of the United States and broader Americas. The Mexican American Studies program offers a Bachelors of Arts in Mexican American Studies, a Minor in Mexican American Studies, a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Mexican American Studies, and a Graduate Certificate.

The goal of the BA in MASC is to recognize, validate, and engage students, faculty, and Mexican American, Chicana/o and Latina/o communities as agents of conocimiento and knowledge. Our place-based pedagogies and transdisciplinary methods provide a holistic approach to the study of complex and dynamic Mexican American experiences. We prepare students to critically investigate community knowledge and socio-political, economic, cultural, and artistic conditions of and contributions by Mexican Americans, Chicana/os and Latina/os .

Students develop the skills to engage in self-discovery and to communicate their conocimientos to produce salient applied research to effect positive social change in their comunidades . Our position en la frontera requires and enables MASC to have a simultaneous local and hemispheric concentration. This unique transcultural context shapes academic and public conversations regionally, nationally, and globally.

 

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

040 Language, Philosophy and Culture - 3 hours

MASC 2301Introduction to Mexican American Studies

3

060 American History - 6 hours

MASC 2327Mexican American History I

3

MASC 2328Mexican American History II

3

Major Requirements - 36 hours

Required Courses - 18 hours

Mexican American Studies - 9 hours

MASC 2351Introduction to Mexican American Literature

3

MASC 3332Mexican American History

3

MASC 4350Research Methods in Mexican American/Chicanx/Latinx Studies

3

Spanish language - 9 hours

Choose from:

SPAN 1311Beginning Spanish I

3

SPAN 1312Beginning Spanish II

3

SPAN 2311Intermediate Spanish I for Non-Native Speakers

3

SPAN 2312Intermediate Spanish II

3

SPAN 1315Spanish for Heritage Language Learners I

3

SPAN 2313Spanish for Heritage Language Learners II

3

SPAN 2315Spanish for Heritage Language Learners III

3

Prescribed Electives - 18 hours

Complete 6 hours from 3 categories below for a total of 18 hours. 12 hours must be advanced. 

Special Topics courses may be offered and applied to the Mexican American Studies degree plan at the discretion of the department.

Anthropology

ANTH 4304Indians of North America

3

ANTH 4323Mexican American Culture

3

ANTH 4348Peoples and Cultures of Mexico

3

ANTH 4350Mexican American Folk Medicine

3

ANTH 4369Archaeology of Mexico and Central America

3

Creative and Fine Arts

ARTS 3350Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Art and Architecture

3

ARTS 4352Latin American Art and Architecture

3

ARTS 4354Modern Mexican Art, 1785-1940

3

ARTS 4355Modern Mexican Art since 1940

3

ARTS 3356Mexican Viceregal Art and Architecture

3

ARTS 4357Latin@ Art History

3

Or

MASC 4357Latin@ Art History

3

MASC 1307Mexican Folk Music

3

DANC 2250Foundations in Mexican Folklorico Dance - Two Credit Hour

2

Or

DANC 2349Foundations in Mexican Folklorico Dance - Three Credit Hour

3

 

DANC 3250Intermediate Mexican Folklorico Dance - Two Credit Hour

2

Or

DANC 3349Intermediate Mexican Folklorico Dance - Three Credit Hour

3

 

DANC 4250Advanced Mexican Folklorico Dance - Two Credit Hour

2

Or

DANC 4349Advanced Mexican Folklorico Dance - Three Credit Hour

3

History

HIST 3300Historiography and Methods

3

HIST 3333Texas History

3

HIST 3361Colonial Latin America

3

HIST 3362Modern Latin America

3

HIST 3336Spanish Borderlands to 1821

3

MASC 4331Mexican-American Civil Rights

3

MASC 4332Chicano Movement

3

HIST 4360Mexico's First Century as an Independent Republic

3

HIST 4361Contemporary Mexico

3

HIST 4362History of Mexican Culture

3

HIST 4363History of Mexican Cinema

3

HIST 3300 only required for 4000 history courses. 

Language and Literature and Linguistics

MASC 4317Mexican-American Literature

3

ENGL 4318South Texas Literature

3

MASC 4370Introduction To Border Language

3

MASC 4385Topics In Border Studies

3

SPAN 2317Spanish for Healthcare Professionals I

3

SPAN 2318Spanish for Healthcare Professionals II

3

SPAN 2320Latina/o Culture and Civilization in Spanish

3

SPAN 2321Spanish in the United States

3

SPAN 3300Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition I

3

SPAN 3301Advanced Spanish Grammar & Composition II

3

MASC 3308Introduction to Latina/o Literature

3

SPAN 3348Advanced Spanish for Healthcare Professionals

3

SPAN 4315Acquisition of the Spanish Language

3

SPAN 4320The Mexican Novel

3

SPAN 4321Mexican Literature

3

SPAN 4326Chicano Narrative

3

WRLS 2301Multilingual Writing in Academic and Community Contexts

3

Mexican-American Studies

MASC 4300Learning and Reflective Service (Practicum)

3

MASC 4392Special Topics in Mexican American Studies

3

Philosophy

PHIL 1305Introduction to Latin American Philosophy

3

PHIL 1362Race, Sexuality, and Class

3

PHIL 3365Chicana and Latin American Feminisms

3

PHIL 4305Special Topics in Latin American Philosophy

3

PHIL 4345Mexican/Mexican-American Philosophy

3

Political Science

MASC 4316U.S. Latin@ Politics

3

MASC 4333U.S. Mexico Border Relations

3

MASC 4354Immigration, Race, and Citizenship

3

POLS 4320Latin American Politics

3

POLS 4323Mexican Politics

3

Sociology

SOCI 1301Introduction to Sociology

3

SOCI 3313Criminology

3

SOCI 3325Social Psychology

3

SOCI 3333Urban Sociology

3

SOCI 3347Sociology of Immigration

3

SOCI 4313Race and Ethnic Relations

3

MASC 4323The Mexican American Experience

3

SOCI 4352Social Stratification

3

Interdisciplinary Studies

EDFR 2301Intercultural Context of Schooling

3

GEOG 3333Latin American Geography

3

MASC 3325Latino Health

3

PSYC 2301General Psychology

3

MASC 4328Psychological Issues in the Mexican-American Community

3

SOCW 3333Special Topics in Social Work Issues

3

SPAN 4348Spanish for Healthcare Professionals and Latino Health

3

PSYC 2301 required in advanced psychology courses.

Free Electives - 42 hours

Free elective credit hours at the advanced level may be needed to achieve the institutional minimum of 42 advanced hours.

Students interested in applying free elective hours towards a double major or minor should see an advisor for more information.

Total Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120

View this program’s recommended roadmap to graduation.

 

UTRGV Roadmaps are a suggested sequence of courses designed to assist students in completing their undergraduate degree requirements. This is a term-by-term sample roadmap of courses required to complete the degree. Students must satisfy all requirements in their catalog including, but not limited to course prerequisites, grade point average and course grade benchmarks, progression requirements, and graduation requirements. 

 

Students should meet with their academic advisor every semester to discuss their individualized path toward completion. Degree progress within this roadmap depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation and readiness, student time management, work and personal responsibilities, and financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.