LADS Minor

Latin American Development Studies Minor

Latin America provides one of the most dynamic and revealing regions in which to study development. From democratic transitions and social movements to environmental crises and innovative policy reforms, the region offers powerful lessons about resilience, inequality, and institutional change.

In this minor, students develop analytical tools to move beyond description and toward explanation. They engage complex questions about power, policy, geography, and justice while becoming part of a community dedicated to thoughtful scholarship and meaningful impact.

Sugar Cane, Diego Rivera, 1931
Sugar Cane, Diego Rivera, 1931
Pro-democracy feminist demonstration
Pro-democracy feminist demonstration which commemorated victims of the dictatorship, 1983
Photo: Kena Lorenzini. Biblioteca Nacional de Chile

Why Choose This Minor?

Rooted in Trinity’s commitment to social justice, ethical leadership, and global engagement, this program challenges students to critically examine inequality, migration, democratization, sustainability, indigenous rights, gender dynamics, urbanization, and economic transformation.

Explore Development, Justice, and Social Change in Latin America

This minor invites students to engage major debates about democracy, inequality, sustainability, and human rights with rigor, compassion, and intellectual curiosity.

Students learn not only to understand development challenges, but also to ask why countries facing similar structural problems produce different outcomes and what those differences mean for policy, equity, and human dignity.

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Curriculum Overview

Required Core Courses

Plus four elective courses from different disciplines

Students customize the minor by selecting courses across history, economics, public policy, and the humanities, strengthening analytical and cultural understanding of Latin America.

Career Pathways