The Central Latin American Studies Program offers a broad and flexible interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Spanish-, Portuguese-, and French-speaking nations of the Americas. Students take courses in the departments of Anthropology, Economics, English, Geography, History and Modern Languages, among others.
An area studies approach offers a unique opportunity for students to transcend disciplinary limits and develop an integrated view of the social, geographical, cultural, economic, political, and historical forces shaping a major region of the world. Students not only develop this global perspective and in-depth knowledge of one region, but they will learn to communicate across disciplines, a rare and valuable skill in whatever field they later choose to apply their knowledge of Latin America, be it teaching, government service, or business.
The program brings together faculty with a broad range of expertise from the culture of contemporary Maya society in Central America, to HIV/AIDS in Cuba, to slavery and emancipation in Brazil, to Hispanic Literature. Latin American Studies students take classes with colleagues in other sectors of the International Studies Program, with students of Latin American heritage, and with majors from the disciplines involved in International Studies. They also benefit from special events and lectures attended by a wide range of campus and community members. Course offerings and the overall strength of the program in Latin American Studies at Central is enhanced through the collaboration of the Center for Caribbean, Latin American and Latino Studies and participation in ConnLAP, the Connecticut Latin Americanists Partnership, that brings together the Latin American Studies programs throughout the CSU, at UCONN, at Yale and at Trinity. In addition, Central also offers a Latino and Puerto Rican Studies Program directed by Heather Rodriguez, Ph.D., Sociology, in which students can explore the realities of communities of Latin American descent living in the United States.
