"Presencia de America Latina" Mural, Casa del Arte, Universidad de Concepción, Chile

Fotografía tomada por Farisori; Autor del mural: Jorge González Camarena, mexicano; Propiedad de la Universidad de Concepción, Chile

"Latin America" is both a useful and problematic phrase used to refer the places, peoples, and histories of South, Central and North America (throw parts of the Caribbean also) that were colonized by Spain and Portugal between the late 14th and late 19th Centuries.  If you have an interest in any of the places, stories, cultures, people roughly referred to under the "Latin America" our courses, major and minor are for you.  With our courses you can take a disciplinary approach, an inter-disciplinary approach, a regional or comparative approach or even a single-country approach to the region.  You can study as well as critique imperial practices, constructs of race, political economy, migration, resistance movements, democracy and dictatorship...Interested only in Mexico? Join us.  The southern cone? Ditto.  The social and political movements of peasants, queer, student, teacher, indigenous, afro-descendant peoples? Here we go.

It is difficult to describe how much can fit under our umbrella. It is yours to explore and probe, and we are here to answer your questions.

We offer courses, research support, guest speakers, conferences, film series, and occasionally even travel programs. We collaborate with Study Abroad, Spanish/Portuguese, Latino & Caribbean Studies to fill out your language, experiential and diaspora-related needs and interests.  Want to spend a summer or semester in the valley or village or city from Puebla, Oaxaca or Guerrero from where your parents or grandparents came from? Talk to us.  Want to do an independent study on military dictatorships or women's movements? Talk to us.  

Environmental issues? China in the World? Pharmaceutical industry? Panama Canal trade? Debt and Banking? Here they are.

Latin American Studies students have participated in service-learning programs, learning about topics ranging from Anthropology and Human Rights, to Education, Health, and Sustainability, in places such as Córdoba, Argentina, Cochabamba, Bolivia, Oaxaca, Mexico, Cuzco, Peru, the Costa Rican rainforest, and the Guatemalan highlands. Our students also take advantage of traditional academic semester and year-long programs in Latin American and the Caribbean, including Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, and Spain.

Course Offerings

Have questions? Contact us.