Laurie Medina, Director
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) facilitates the study of this core region of the Americas. It is the nexus between the university curriculum, providing pathways that bring together students from diverse colleges. It also facilitates fruitful collaborations between MSU and other institutions in the U.S. and in the region. CLACS enriches formal instruction with experiential learning abroad, film and seminar series, visiting scholars, sponsored events, faculty and student research, and ready access to scholarly resources through campus repositories and loan programs. By situating disciplinary and language learning in cultural, historical, geographic and cross-cultural frames, students and faculty learn about the global cultural context permeating professional behavior. Participants become more ethno-sensitive, more culturally aware and more at home in a global community.
Academic units across the university offer courses with substantial Latin American and Caribbean content. A wide range of cultural and Spanish and Portuguese language offerings are available. Undergraduate students are served by a specialization program, experiential learning opportunities, and scholarships. Information about the specialization in Latin American and Caribbean Studies is found in the College of Social Science section of the catalog.
The director of CLACS is assisted by an elected advisory council that represents the more than 150 faculty members affiliated with the center.
For more information, call 1-517-353-1690, email clacs@msu.edu or visit http://latinamerica.isp.msu.edu/.