Students graduating from this program will: Demonstrate the ability to speak and read fluently, and conduct research in a foreign language. Be able to interpret the historic, cultural, and political dynamics that comprise a specific region selected by the student for in-depth study. Be able to apply critical perspectives on legacies and ongoing forces that are local and global in scope from the field of Latin American Studies. Be able to define a research problem and analyze it from several different disciplinary fields, including appropriate theory, methodology, and concepts for the topic.