About the ProgramLatin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies Program
A major or minor in Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) at Gustavus offers students the opportunity to study the Americas across a wide spectrum of the arts, humanities, and the social sciences through a variety of geographical and cultural emphases. It also offers students the technical tools needed for in-depth experiential learning through internships, language courses, community engagement, and cultural immersion in study-abroad programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. An interdisciplinary program that attracts many of the most engaged and fascinating students on campus, LALACS is growing!
Course Catalog Faculty and Staff
Goals
- Expose our students to the study of the Americas (North, Central, South America and the Caribbean, in addition to the thriving Latinx community in the United States) from various disciplines and perspectives so they can better understand the region as a whole and the interconnections between regions;
- Foster an interdisciplinary mindset, ranging from: history, geography, politics, economics, art, and culture;
- Provide course offerings that are decolonized, innovative and relevant;
- Integrate academic and experiential learning;
- Apply student knowledge to real world issues via community engagement, an internship and the senior capstone project; and
- Instill in our students a passion for social justice, service and advocacy.
Vision
The Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) Program offers an interdisciplinary concentration that joins students and faculty in a meaningful study of the Americas with a focus on the effects globalization has on identity and community. We recognize the growing cultural plurality of the United States—diversity that is increasingly evident in Minnesota and the Gustavus community. A unique aspect of the program is the exploration of historical and cultural ties to the countries of the Iberian Peninsula, in addition to Latinx demographics in the United States.
Commitment to Upholding Equity
The Latin American, Latinx & Caribbean Studies (LALACS) Major/Minor Program commits to upholding equity and inclusion. As an area studies program shaped by its postcolonial nature we, the LALACS faculty, are tasked with ensuring that we not only decolonize our pedagogies, but also our brains; our inherited worldview. We seek equity for those in the margins and embrace the diversity of all human beings.
Program Features
Because LALACS is an interdisciplinary program, students learn to make connections between disciplines, become more vibrant thinkers, and gain the deep cultural knowledge demanded by employers and graduate programs.
Whether they are planning to work with an organization focused on social justice in Latin America or the Caribbean, in business in Latin America, or with Latinx students in the U.S., Gustavus students benefit from a deeper understanding of Latin America's religious traditions, geography, political history, economic issues, indigenous past, cultural heritage, and relations with the United States.
Our students are, by definition, curious, complex, passionate, and involved. They embody the best of Gustavus, and they have a sophisticated perspective on international issues and a passion for social justice.