Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies

Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies: Self-Designed Major, Concentration 

The Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies program explores the diversity of Latin America’s peoples and cultures. Students choose from an array of courses from different departments and examine Latin American and Caribbean peoples and Latinx communities in the United States, as well as the common cultural and historical roots that connect them.

Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies is an interdisciplinary program. Students work intimately with faculty experts from the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts to analyze the changing political, social, economic and cultural realities of Latin America’s peoples.

Students develop an understanding of how processes and decisions in the United States affect Latin American countries and their populations, both within and beyond the region. The program provides opportunities for students to engage with relevant and urgent topics affecting the relations between the United States and Latin American countries, as well as institutions in the United States and its Latinx population. Among such topics are immigration, trade, security, nationalism, activism (on behalf of minorities, the environment, and human rights), and cultural identity.

The program enables students to become engaged global citizens, who are sensitive to cultural, social, economic, and political differences while competent to establish bridges among them. 

Program Highlights

The Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies program includes courses that will help students to recognize, understand, and analyze:

  1. the diverse peoples, cultures, histories, politics, identities, languages, and religions of the region, including the United States.
  2. how racism, colonialism, imperialism, and globalization have shaped the histories, cultures, and experiences of Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean peoples, either directly or indirectly.
  3. the influence of Latin America and the Caribbean on other areas of the world.
  4. how Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean identities and experiences shape and are shaped by contact and migration.

 

Students
Community-Based Learning

Connect learning in the classroom with civic engagement by taking part in Community-Based Learning.

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Study Abroad

Participate in a semester or yearlong study abroad experience in Latin America or Spain.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Engage and interact with the sizeable Hispanic and Latino population in the area through volunteer opportunities.

Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies News

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17³Ô¹ÏÍø Faculty, Staff and Students Join with Worcester to Highlight Latino History
With support from the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Scholarship in Action program, professors, staff and students work with city activists to collect and tell Latino stories.
Veronica Ruiz '23
Blog: Ruiz ’23 Looks Forward to Meeting New People and Exploring New Places
Name: Veronica Ruiz Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Studies She’s Considering: Double major in Spanish and Anthropology, Concentration in Latinx Studies Why She Chose 17³Ô¹ÏÍø: I choose 17³Ô¹ÏÍø because of the small class sizes and student body population. Not only …
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Academic Conference Goes Virtual in Response to Pandemic
As faculty members across the College worked to transition their courses to a distance-learning format this semester, one of the many logistical challenges to tackle was the annual Academic Conference, where students present the results of their independent work in …