Latin American and Latinx Studies Department
Explore the histories, cultures, and struggles shaping Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx communities in the United States.
Nuestra América is connected. So Are the Questions We Ask.
Who gets to define national identity? How do race, gender, and class shape people's lives? What happens when communities challenge systems of power? How do music, literature, religion, art, and popular culture become spaces for resistance, creativity, and social change?
Latin American and Latinx Studies (LALS) brings these questions into focus. Through the study of Latin America, the Caribbean, and US Latinx communities, students examine the histories, politics, cultures, and social movements that connect the Americas. We explore how colonialism and its legacies continue to shape the present, how people negotiate identities and belonging, and how communities create new possibilities for the future.
LALS is for students who want to look beyond familiar narratives, question assumptions, and better understand the forces shaping our interconnected world.
Think Critically. See the World Differently.
LALS is an interdisciplinary program that brings together perspectives from the humanities and social sciences. Rather than approaching the Americas through a single discipline, students make connections across fields and learn to ask complex questions from multiple perspectives.
Our courses explore subjects such as:
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Politics, Power, and Social Movements: Revolution, democracy, activism, political institutions, colonialism, imperialism and struggles for social justice.
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Race, Gender, and Identity: Afro-Latin American and Afro-Caribbean histories, Indigenous communities, feminism, sexuality, migration and the politics of belonging.
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Culture, Media, and Representation: Literature, film, music, religion, visual culture, and the ways communities represent themselves and challenge dominant narratives.
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History, Place, and Global Connections: The histories of Latin America and the Caribbean, transnational communities, diaspora, environmental change and the relationships connecting the Americas.
These questions do not belong to a single discipline, and neither does LALS. Students encounter different approaches to understanding the world while developing the ability to think critically, make connections, and engage with perspectives beyond their own.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Some of the most meaningful learning happens when students take their questions into the world. LALS offers opportunities to connect academic study with research, cultural engagement, and community experiences. Use the menu on the side, to learn more!
Mentored Field Experience
Work with a faculty mentor and a small group of students to develop and pursue a research project beyond the classroom. Through interviews, observation, archival research, and community engagement, students investigate questions connected to the places and people they study.
Study Abroad and Global Learning
Explore the histories, cultures, and contemporary realities of Latin America and the Caribbean through study abroad and faculty-led travel opportunities. Encounter new perspectives, build connections, and experience firsthand the subjects you study.
Cultural Events and Community Engagement
Connect with the broader Stetson and local communities through cultural programming, conversations, guest speakers, and opportunities to engage with Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx experiences.