About

The interdisciplinary program in Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) brings together different methods of inquiry to better understand the cultures, societies and environments of Latin America and its diasporas, including the many communities that historically predated the United States, people who have immigrated to the United States from various parts of Latin America, and their descendants.

The Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) program is an interdisciplinary program that brings together different methods of inquiry to better understand the cultures, societies and environments of Latin America and its diasporas, including the many communities that historically pre-existed the US, people who have immigrated to the US from various parts of Latin America, and their descendants. The program also explores the importance of Latin America and Latinx communities in a global context. LALS provides opportunities for students seeking to deepen connections with their own Latin American and/or Latinx heritage.

LALS offers interdisciplinary and critical perspectives on colonialism, religion, race and ethnicity, politics, gender and sexuality, indigeneity, environments, language, cultural production, migration, and economics within the region’s societies. Course offerings draw from Africana, Anthropology, Art and Visual Culture, Environmental Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Hispanic Studies, History, Politics, and Religious Studies. Students learn about a diverse area of the world that includes Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and the United States. They also consider the ongoing relevance of the interactions of the region’s indigenous population with people coming from Europe, Africa, and Asia for more than half a millennium. The on-campus curriculum and programming is supplemented with opportunities for off-campus study in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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!)

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!)

“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,

“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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The program in Latin American and Latinx Studies has the following goals and objectives:

Goals:

1. Provide a framework of study that fosters an integrated approach to understanding Latin America and/or Latinx communities.

2. Broaden students’ worldviews and challenge ethnocentric attitudes towards Latin America and/or its diasporas in the United States by expanding their understanding of diversity and difference throughout the Americas.

3. Promote students’ global fluency by cultivating empathy and by teaching the tools necessary to communicate within Latin American and/or Latinx communities.

Objectives:

Engage students in the methods of a transnational and interdisciplinary field that encompasses coursework in Africana, Anthropology, Art and Visual Culture, Environmental Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Hispanic Studies, History, Politics, and/or Religious Studies.

Foster the study of Latin America and/or Latinx communities and their evolution over time and across regions.

Encourage sustained exploration of race/ethnicity, class, gender, migration, sexuality, and/or religion in the shaping of historical and contemporary Latin America and/or Latinx communities.

Develop critical thinking skills and strong oral, written, and visual communication abilities.

A degree in Latin American and Latinx Studies prepares students for work in many fields, such as US, Latin American or international government work, international business, education, international development, the nonprofit sector (e.g.–environment, human rights, health), journalism and film, the arts, and medicine.