Master of Philosophy in Latin American Studies

Differences from 2014/15 to 2021/22

(See also the general notice at the commencement of these regulations.)

For the purposes of this examination, ‘‘Latin America’’ will be interpreted as the eighteen Spanish-speaking republics of the Western Hemisphere, plus Brazil, Haiti, and Puerto Rico.

The regulations are as follows:

Year 1:

  • 1. In the first year, candidates for the M.Phil. in Latin American Studies will:

    • (a) Follow for three terms a course of instruction in the M.Sc in Latin American Studies with the exception of the extended essaydissertation. Candidates will presenttake three qualifyingassessments examinations, eachdetails of which countswill forbe 16.6available per cent ofin the finalCourse degree markHandbook. Examinations at the end of the first year will serve to qualify for entry onto the second year of the course. 

    • (b) Undertake the Research Methods for Area Studies course: Candidates will submit a 2,500 word maximum take-home test in qualitative methods to be set on Monday of Week 8 and submitted by 12 noon on Monday of week 9 of Michaelmas Term; and a one week take-home test in quantitative analysis to be set on Monday of Week 8 and submitted by 12 noon on Monday of week 9 of Hilary Term. Each of the items of written work described above must be uploaded to the University approved online assessment platform. Each submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating it is the candidate’s own work.

    • (c)  Develop a thesis topic, which will be the subject of fieldwork in the long vacation between the first and second year. A draft title for the thesis must be submitted for approval by the Latin American Centre Management Committee by 12:00 noon on the Friday of Week 02 of Hilary Term.

    • (cd) Candidates may also be required to present themselves for an oral examination if requested to do so by the examiners. The oral examination will focus on the candidate’’s examinationassessment papers.

  • 2. The list of examination paperscourses will be published on the Latin American Centre website and in the University Gazette in Week 0 of Michaelmas Term. Candidates must take the core paper in Economics if they wish to take a further paper in that discipline. Specialisation on a single country or a combination of countries is permitted so long as the choice appears in the list of available papers published.

  • 3. Candidates shall be deemed to have passed the qualifying examination if they have passed all three examinationqualifying paperscourses and all the components of the Research Methods for Area Studies.

  • 4. Candidates who fail one of the three paperscourses taken at the end ofin the first year withoutas compensatingset strengthsout onin both(a) of the other papersabove shall be deemed to have failed the qualifying examination. Such candidates will be required to retake the failed assessment paper and pass it by the start of the Michaelmas Term of their second year, on a date stipulated by the Chair of Examiners, in order to continue the course without interruption.

  • 5. Candidates who fail more than one papercourse as set out in (a) above shall be deemed to have failed the qualifying examination. Such candidates will be permitted to retake the assessment papers failed on one (but not more than one) subsequent occasion, in Trinity Term, one year after the initial attempt. Such candidates must pass the papers that they have retaken in order to continue onto the second year of the course.

  • 6. Candidates who fail the research methods course overall will be permitted to re-submit a new submission for the failed piece(s) of work within four weeks of publication of the failed mark, on a date specified by the Chair of Examiners.

Year 2:

  • 67. In the second year, candidates for the M.Phil. in Latin American Studies will:

    • (a ) Offer a thesis of not more than 30,000 words, including footnotes and appendices. TwoAn typewrittenelectronic copiescopy of the thesis must be deliveredsubmitted tovia the ExaminationUniversity Schoolsapproved andonline addressedassessment to the Chair of Examiners for the M.Phil. in Latin American Studies, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, platform by 12 noon on the Monday of Weekweek 5 of Trinity Term in the calendarsecond year in whichof the examinationcourse. Only the file submitted via the University approved online assessment platform constitutes a valid submission; no concomitant hard-copy may be submitted. The submission must be anonymous, and the submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is tothe becandidate’s takenown work. Successful candidates will be required to deposit one copy of their thesis in the Bodleian Library, and will be required to sign a form stating whether they will permit their thesis to be consulted. The thesis will be equivalent to two examination papers, and so will count for 33.3 per cent of the final degree mark.

    • (b ) Take anothertwo examinationadditional papercourses from the list; or by agreement with the Latin American Centre Director of Graduate Studies and the relevant department, takeone of these may be a methodology or other paper from an appropriate M.Phil. elsewhere in the University of Oxford. The examination will count for 16.6 per cent of the final degree mark.

    • (c ) Candidates willmay be required to present themselves for an oral examination if requested to do so by the examiners. The oral examination may focus on any of the candidate’’s examination papersassessments, including the thesis, or both.

  • 78. Candidates shall be deemed to have passed the examination if they have passed all examinationfive paperscourses and the thesis.

  • 8. Candidates who fail the second year examination paper (without compensating strengths on the thesis) or who fail the thesis shall be deemed to have failed the examination. Such candidates will be permitted to resubmit the thesis or retake the examination paper on one (but not more than one) subsequent occasion, in Trinity Term, one year after the initial attempt. Such candidates must pass the thesis or examination paper in order to pass the examination.

  • 9. Candidates who fail both the thesis and the examination paper shall be deemed to have failed the examination. Such candidates will be permitted to retake the examination and resubmit the thesis on one (but not more than one) subsequent occasion, in Trinity Term, one year after the initial attempt. Such candidates must pass both the thesis and the examination paper in order to pass the examination.

  • 10. The examiners may award a distinction for excellence in the whole examination.