U.S. Latino/a Studies

Welcome

Latinos/as are the largest and fastest growing, culturally diverse population in the United States, representing dynamic and thriving American realities.

True to its land-grant mission, and in recognition of the growing importance of the Latino/a communities in the Midwest, Iowa State University invited Dr. Hector Avalos to launch the U.S. Latino/a studies program in 1994. Strategically, ISU welcomed leading faculty specialized in Latino/a studies through a multi-disciplinary approach. Affiliate faculty from across campus build on this interdisciplinary approach and include Brian Behnken (History), Elisa Rizo (World Languages and Cultures), Katherine Bruna (School of Education), Julie Wilhelm (World Languages and Cultures), and Bonar Hernandez (History).

Today, U.S. Latino/a studies at Iowa State University is a cross-disciplinary, coalition-building program that offers well-structured and creative coursework to students interested in the arts, cultures, economies, histories, politics, religions, and literatures of Latino/a communities throughout the United States. It facilitates the study of a vast array of communities and individuals with roots in the Caribbean and Latin America, and to long-established U.S. citizen communities such as Chicanos/as, Mexican Americans, Tejanos, Californios, Cuban Americans, Dominican Americans, and Puerto Ricans on the island and mainland. With complicated colonial histories, diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds, and cross-cultural experiences, United States Latino/a studies embodies a bold kind of Hemispheric International Enterprise.

The USLS program offers courses that meet the ISU Arts and Humanities and LAS General Education Cultures and Communities requirements, and offers a 15 credit Minor. Our program also offers summer internship scholarships to our students who meet specific eligibility requirements.

Mission statement

U.S. Latino/a studies is a student-centered program and university minor focused on providing safe spaces for teaching and learning that empower students to become conscientious neighbors and actively engaged global citizens. Through cross-disciplinary course offerings, intentional programming, and campus and community outreach, the U.S. Latino/a studies program honors all student experiences, and creates a special place of belonging for Latinx students as valuable and visible. Students study the different voices, lives, and modes of Latinx, Caribbean, and Latin American knowledge production. Connecting the Latinx population with its allies, the program also contributes to institutional transformation.

Major

Students can work with the USLS program director and the Interdisciplinary Studies adviser to develop an individualized major program. In addition to meeting the general requirements for the interdisciplinary studies major, students wishing to complete a track in U.S. Latino/a studies must complete a minimum of 36 credits in U.S. Latino/a studies including USLS 2110: Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Studies. At least 15 of the 36 credits must be in courses numbered 3000 and above and 6 credit hours must be earned at the 4000-level. Students must meet the upper-level communication proficiency requirement by taking English 3020 or 3140.

Learning outcomes

Upon the completion of their program of study, students with an interdisciplinary studies major in U.S. Latino/a/x Studies will demonstrate proficiency in four goal areas: Communication, Cross-Cultural Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Lifelong Learning Skills.

1. Communication: Key communication skills, including written, oral, and digital. Understanding textual and media sources and ability to apply media literacy to cross-cultural analysis. Working knowledge of social scientific and/or humanistic approaches in the field.
2. Cross-Cultural Literacy: Ability to communicate across communities and acknowledge different communicative styles and languages including Spanish, Portuguese, and Indigenous.
3. Critical Thinking: Ability to analyze from a transnational/transborder/translocal perspective and to objectively examine the interconnections between Latinx, Caribbean, and Latin American communities, as part of the United States body politic. Developing key skills, such as finding and understanding sources, comparing arguments, proposing solutions to discussed problems within an expansive historical perspective that includes class, ethnicity, gender, and race.
4. Lifelong Learning Skills: Acquisition of practical hands-on skills in community engagement, extension and outreach service, amongst multiple peer groups, in different settings such as urban, rural, and/or international.

Minor

The minor in US Latino/a studies requires a minimum of 15 credit hours including USLS 2110: Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Studies. University policy states that minors must include at least 9 credits that are not applied to any other degree requirement.