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Detail of Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, Wikimedia Commons

Iberian and Latin American Cultures

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School of Humanities and Sciences

Groundbreaking approaches to the literature and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, Brazil and Lusophone Africa, and Latina/o populations in the United States.

What You'll Study

The Department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures at Stanford University has long been recognized as a pioneer in the development of groundbreaking approaches to the literature and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, Brazil and Lusophone Africa, and Latina/o populations in the United States.

With world-renowned and actively engaged specialists in a variety of areas and periods, the Department offers innovative courses and programs that help students to meet and exceed their intellectual and professional goals.

The Department is committed to three main educational goals: 1) to provide students with a contextualized knowledge of the literatures and cultures of the Iberian Peninsula from the medieval period to the present, of the Spanish-speaking communities of Latin America, of Portuguese-speaking communities throughout the world, and of the Spanish-speaking communities of the United States; 2) to prepare undergraduate students for advanced study in those areas and/or in a range of professional fields; and 3) to provide doctoral students with the very best advanced training as research scholars and teachers, in preparation for careers as university professors or in related roles. In each of these areas, the faculty of the Department is committed to providing students with a nearly unprecedented level of mentoring and support.

The Department frequently organizes conferences and talks by distinguished guest speakers, and we also regularly host visiting faculty, such as the Juníper Serra Visiting Chair in Catalan Studies and the Eusko Ikaskuntza Visiting Professor in Basque Culture. As an integral part of the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, our faculty and students also organize and participate in divisional focal groups, initiatives sponsored by the DLCL Research Unit, and interdepartmental programs and centers across the Stanford campus. As part of a broader Stanford Humanities community recently ranked the best in the world, the Department is a highly dynamic, open, and supportive site for the study of Iberian and Latin American cultures, whether one is a beginning student or an advanced scholar.

Degrees Offered

  • BA
  • Honors
  • Coterm

More Information

Learn more about Iberian & Latin American Cultures in the Stanford Bulletin

Exploratory Courses

ILAC 129

Queer Latin America in Literature and Film in the 20th Century (FEMGEN 146)

ILAC 130

Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives

ILAC 131

Introduction to Latin America: Cultural Perspectives

ILAC 140

Migration in 21st Century Latin American Film (CHILATST 140)

ILAC 149

The Laboring of Diaspora & Border Literary Cultures (COMPLIT 149, CSRE 149)

ILAC 161

Modern Latin American Literature

ILAC 182

Mexican Cinema in the Era of Globalization

ILAC 193

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