Latin American and Caribbean Studies

专业详情

Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) is an interdisciplinary program for students who want to engage critical issues in the social sciences and humanities through deep immersion in the histories, cultures, economies, politics, and natural environments of Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to gaining deep knowledge of a region closely tied to Chicago and the United States, LACS students develop strong linguistic, research, and analytical skills; most also spend significant time studying or conducting fieldwork in a Latin American country.

The major requirements include: coursework; language proficiency in Spanish or Portuguese; experiential learning that aims to broaden students’ appreciation of Latin American and Caribbean perspectives and deepen their cultural fluency; and a fourth-year BA colloquium and capstone project that allow students to develop their capacity for independent, creative, rigorous inquiry. Students can choose every year from dozens of course listings across the disciplines and can expect individualized mentorship and advising from our dedicated faculty and staff.

The Center for Latin American Studies supplements our academic offerings with dozens of public events each year, which help to build a strong Latin American Studies community. We also aim to expose students to Chicago’s role as a significantly Latin American city and to prepare them for careers in government, journalism, law, business, teaching, the nonprofit sector, or academia.