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

Students and professors walk down a street in Puerto Rico
Students Travel to Puerto Rico to Study the Effects of Hurricane Maria
It’s one thing to study the effects of a hurricane in a classroom setting, learning about the biology behind the devastation or the history of the country it hit. It’s a whole other ballgame to visit the place you’ve been …
A student stands in a dark lab with a professor
At 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, Professors Become Mentors
With small class sizes and faculty members committed to their success, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students develop close bonds with professors, both in and out of the classroom — a cornerstone of the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø experience. From guiding students in independent lab work to fueling their passion for a new field, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø professors inspire students to reach far and support them along their journey.
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Blog: Mackin ’20 Eager to Travel Around Latin America During Semester Abroad in Peru
NAME  Johanna Mackin ‘20 HOMETOWN  Houston, Texas AREAS OF STUDY  Political Science major, Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean Studies concentration WHERE SHE’S STUDYING  Pontificia Universidad Catòlica del Perú in Lima, Peru DURATION Fall 2018 WHY SHE CHOSE PERU “I chose …