Investigate why Frida Kahlo’s paintings are so enduringly popular. Dive into the world of Latin American soccer. Separate fact from fiction in the biography of Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Sample popular dishes in countries across Latin America. The Latin American Studies Program offers an in-depth look at the richness and diversity of a vast area and its people. Whether pre–Columbian art, the striking wonder of the Amazon rainforest, or the history of colonialism tugs at your heartstrings, you’ll be forever changed by your newfound knowledge.

Take advantage of study abroad programs where you’ll travel to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, or other exciting places to sharpen your language skills and become familiar with new cultures. In Eugene, you can volunteer for a variety of organizations such as Centro Latino Americano, a local bilingual multicultural agency dedicated to helping the Latino community, or become politically active with the Latin American Solidarity Committee. UO students have also worked with the local school districts to mentor youth. Others have volunteered at Siempre Amigos, which provides health services to survivors of torture and political violence.

You’ll delve into politics, literature, science, ecology, and other engaging topics in courses such as Caribbean Migrants in the Literary Imagination or The Cold War in Latin America. Learn from top-notch scholars who offer encouragement in a supportive atmosphere.

Due to its inherently interdisciplinary training, our undergraduate major in Latin American Studies provides a thorough grounding in the languages, history, geography, and some of the central cultural and socio-economic issues at stake in the region. Career opportunities for students completing a degree in Latin American studies are available through such avenues as research centers, private foundations working in the area, international businesses, international nongovernmental organizations (including human-rights and environmental organizations), the Peace Corps, the United States Foreign Service, international aid programs, the United Nations and other international organizations.

On February 16, 6-8:00 pm in the Mills International Center, (M102 Erb Memorial Union at the UO), Sociology Professor Michael Dreiling will screen his award winning documentary, A Bold Peace, on the impact of Costa Rica’s radical choice of national disarmament. President Oscar Arias is featured in the film and will visit the campus on March 10. Comments and a Q&A will follow the film.

 Mark your calendar for PeaceJam’s program featuring Nobel Peace Laureate and former Costa Rican president, Oscar Arias. Arias will deliver a public lecture at the UO on March 10^th 6-8pm in Ford Alumni Ctr. Ballroom. PeaceJam workshops March 11-12. More at the UO Global Justice Program.

[embeddoc url=”https://las.uoregon.edu/files/2016/04/LAS-Event-Poster-Final-24s6w68.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

CLASP promotes all facets of Latin American studies nationwide.CLASP fosters global competency, language proficiency and cultural awareness of Latin America and the Caribbean, drawing upon interdisciplinary and area expertise.

CLASP encourages excellence in teaching and program development; organizes workshops at national and regional conventions; develops curriculum materials; promotes teaching of less commonly taught languages; recognizes exemplary children’s and young adult literature; and supports K-12 and post-secondary professional development.

Lawrence 115
1190 Franklin Blvd.
UO campus

Talk title: Chicano Park Anchor of Barrio Logan

Hector Villegas is a community artist and neighborhood activist in Chicano Park’s Barrio Logan, San Diego. Chicano Park is a public space of cultural and artistic resistance that emerged over struggles of community empowerment and self-determination in the 1970s. The park is home to the country’s largest collection of outdoor murals. Today, the neighborhood is experiencing pressures of housing and retail gentrification and neighborhood activists are struggling to maintain their neighborhood. Hector Villegas’s talk will trace the history of activism in Chicano Park, and discuss his art work and today’s neighborhood movements to protect Barrio Logan against gentrification.

One of his artworks in progress is the pillar at Chicano Park shown in the photograph on the left. You can view more images of his work on Instagram@ mexikota art and on Facebook @ hector mexikota villegas.

Sponsored by the UO Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) and the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

November, 11. 2:00-4:00 pm Graduate Student Center
111 Susan Campbell Hall

Calling all grad students across the UO campus whose interests lie in the areas of Latino/a and Latin American Studies! This is a chance to learn about each other’s interests and interdisciplinary work, and a good opportunity to connect with like-minded colleagues. Refreshments provided.

Sponsored by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS), along with the Latin American Studies program.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION
Thu, Fri, Sun, Mon Oct 29, 30; Nov 1, 2. 6:00pm to 9:00pm
This popular annual event is filled with music, poetry, art, dialogue and a traditional ofrenda is constructed to celebrate the holiday. The event is co-sponsored by Oak Hill School in conjunction with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, MEChA de UO, Adelante Sí, el Instituto de Cultura de Guanajuato, el Instituto Estatal de Migrante Guanajuatense y sus familias, CBT Nuggets, and Latin American Studies Program. Visit http://jsma.uoregon.edu/DiadelosMuertos for information about all four dates, October 29, October 30, November 1, and November 2.

– See more here

October 29th, Thursday. 1:00-2:30. Knight Library, Room 122. Guest speaker José Antonio Mazzotti will engage graduate students and faculty members in a conversation about the future of the field of Latin American Studies in U.S. research universities. Please join us for an open conversation. Coffee and cookies.

A new study abroad program in Chiapas, Mexico is coming to the UO this summer. You can find out more at two events this week:

Another World is Possible: Service Learning and Intercultural Engagement Across Communities in Chiapas Tuesday October 13, 4:00 to 5:00 pm Friendly 214 Instituto de Lenguas Jovel Director Helga Loebell and Faculty Advisor Analisa Taylor give a sneak peek of the new UO Chiapas Program’s model of academic and public engagement through service learning, sharing with students and faculty how this program creates safe and socially responsible research and internship opportunities that benefit students as well as in-country organizations and communities. Refreshments provided.
Mayan Communities and Social Justice in Chiapas: Summer 2016 Program Open House for Students Wednesday October 14, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Volcanology 101 Join Program Director Helga Loebell and Faculty Advisor Analisa Taylor for an afternoon snack and virtual tour of the Chiapas Program that will take place in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico July 17 to September 3, 2016. We’ll give you details on scholarships, courses, prerequisites, home stays, internship opportunities, planned adventures, and more. Refreshments provided.
Both events are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages, the Office of International Affairs and the UO Global Justice Program.
Program Details:
This 7-week program offers you the opportunity to earn twelve upper division credits in Spanish through courses on Indigenous History and Culture in Chiapas, Mesoamerican Foodways, and Academic and Public Engagement across Communities. UO participants team up with Mexican youth to design and implement hands-on social, environmental, or cultural projects oriented toward your mutual interests. Excursions in and around San Cristóbal draw on the knowledge of local experts in fields such as Mayan History, Art, and Culture, Human Rights, Food Justice, and Environmental Education to create a holistic program of cultural and academic discovery.

With a population of approximately 200,000 people, San Cristóbal de las Casas is one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas, and has been a center of Maya civilization for thousands of years before that. Highland Maya culture, crisp mountain air, and a cluster of internationally renowned universities, research institutes, and non-profit grassroots organizations make this quaint big city a magnet for curious idealists from all over the world and a cozy perch from which to explore the archaeological, natural, and cultural wonders of Southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula.

Operating continuously since 1993, the Instituto de Lenguas Jovel is unmatched in Chiapas for its academic quality and reputation for social responsibility in working with community partners. The Instituto Jovel offers courses in Spanish, German, English, Tzotzil and Tzeltal, as well as cultural programming and workshops, making it a multicultural haven that echoes the provincial charm and international pulse of San Cristóbal. Instructors build museum tours and around-town exploration into their curricula, and Helga Loebell coordinates language exchanges, dance lessons, and cooking classes. Excellent yoga, dance, and martial arts studios are all within a few blocks of the school and students’ home stays.

See here for a quick tour of the school and its setting in San Cristóbal. Please contact Professor Analisa Taylor at Analisa@uoregon.edu or Rick Batchelor at
rbatche2@uoregon.edu for more information.

Program Dates: July 17-Sept 3, 2016

Application Deadline: March 1, 2016

Spring 2015

The Latin American Studies Program presents LAS 407

This course examines the conflicted relationship between cinema and global politics in 20th-century Latin America. The course will focus on three of the four major cinemas in Latin America (Cuba, Brazil and Argentina).

Annete Rubado-Mejia is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Oregon’s Department of Romance Languages. Her interests include Luso-Brazilian language and culture, Hispanic language and culture, Literature, Cinema and Political Economy, Modern Subjectivities. She has a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Irvine, with Emphases in Critical Theory and Spanish and Portuguese.