The Program in Latin American and Latinx Studies program offers critical perspectives through a variety of courses, including anthropology, environmental studies, gender and sexuality studies, and more.
Our program weaves together multiple ways of understanding Latin America and its diasporas, including the many communities that existed before the United States, people who have immigrated to the United States from various parts of Latin America, and their descendants.
Program in Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS)
Matt Von Vogt
Pettengill Hall
Phone: 207-786-8296
mvonvogt@bates.edu
Our graduates leave our program with important context about Latin America and its diasporas, which helps shape their work in a variety of fields, including social work, public health, and consulting.
of 2020-2024 humanities graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school
Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies Baltasar Fra-Molinero teaches SPAN 201 – A – 90272 – Intermediate Spanish I in Roger Williams
Professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies Baltasar Fra-Molinero teaches SPAN 201 – A – 90272 – Intermediate Spanish I in Roger Williams
Associate Professor of Politics Clarisa Perez-Armendariz holds thesis meetings from 1-4 p.m. in Pettengill 127. Here she meets with David Quintero ’20 of Oxnard, Calif., and Claire Deplanck ’20 of Singapore.
Scenes from campus on Sept. 21, 2021 Lecturer in Psychology Sue Langdon holding a book she received from colleague Karen Melvin of history department. She is using it to teach her first year seminar.
“Identity and Multilingualism through Picture Books” is a two-week summer institute designed for 29 K-3 elementary teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The institute will focus on pedagogical approaches to language learning through an equity lens, engaging with narrative form and structure (translation, multilingualism, code-switching) as well as visual construction (illustrations of race, ethnicity and culture as well as modes of interacting with book format). We will offer our seminar in a combined format: one week of virtual synchronous and asynchronous content July 4-8, 2022 in preparation for one-week of in-person, hands-on learning experiences to be held July 11-15, 2022 at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. On Tuesday, July 12: We will spend the day immersed in the world of esteemed Maine artist and children’s book author and illustrator Ashley Bryan, including time with original works from the Bates College Museum of Art. Through hands-on exploration, teachers will practice using narrative and material objects in class design. Project Co-director Kirsta Aaronson, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean of the Faculty Anthony Shoskak, Education Curator, Museum of Art Project co-director Margaret Boyle, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Director of Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies at Bowdoin College. Anne Sibley O’Brien, children’s book creator,
This coming Tuesday, March 4 at 7 PM in Olin, we will be screening the beautiful documentary “Torah Tropical” followed by a Q + A with producer Heidi Paster (parent of a current Bates student) led by students from my Jewish Latin American film seminar. The documentary follows the story of a family in Cali, Colombia, who converts to Judaism and attempts to immigrate to Israel. Please join us if you’re interested and please also consider passing along the information to your students, colleagues, and friends if they might also be interested (entry is free for Bates staff, faculty, and students!)
Our program provides an opportunity to understand the present tensions between the United States and different countries in Latin America, giving critical context to current events. Students have the chance to participate in off-campus study in Latin America or the Caribbean, allowing them to be truly immersed in what they’ve been studying and gain new understanding about these cultures. LALS also provides opportunities for students seeking to deepen their connections to their Latin American and/or Latinx heritage.
The LALS faculty studies across multiple disciplines and focus areas, weaving together the strands of their work to present students with a 360-degree view of a subject that takes all identities and spheres of life into account. Specialties include Maya fashion, borderlands history, the literature of Equatorial Guinea, colonial Mexico, politics, and film.
In the Student Center for Belonging and Community, first-generation Bates students mentor their younger peers, providing guidance on everything from academics to internships to social life.
Bates is embarking on a $45 million project to update two key athletic facilities and construct a new fitness and well-being center. A gift of $10 million from Jon W. Brayshaw ’90, P’25 and Jocelyn Stoddard Brayshaw ’88, P’25 has brought the college a vital step closer to construction. The new facility will be named the Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center.
February on campus saw sports successes, several large snowfalls, and our annual Winter Carnival — a week of events celebrating the joys of the chilly season.
