Latin American & Caribbean Studies

Welcome, Bienvenidos, Bem-vindos! Eastern Connecticut State University's Latin American Studies Program has existed for more than twenty years. Under the able direction of Dr. James Russell, in the early 1990s, the program transitioned from a language-based minor into an interdisciplinary minor emphasizing the socio-economic, political and historical aspects of the region.

For the remainder of the 1990s and into the first decade of the 21^st century, Latin American Studies at Eastern consisted of a small number of courses from various disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Thus our program combines the strengths of faculty with diverse backgrounds, expertise and experiences throughout the region, much like the Cuban multicolor mural that you see below.

In 2011, Dr. Ricardo Pérez became Program Coordinator. Around this time, Eastern Connecticut State University hired new faculty with strong academic preparation and expertise on Latin America. The new hires, together with the retention of faculty who had been hired in the late 1990s and early 2000s, have contributed greatly to enhance the program's profile. In 2012, the program was renamed Latin American and Caribbean Studies and a Faculty Advisory Board was created to develop the curriculum and promote cultural programs. In 2015, Eastern's Curriculum Committee approved the Program Modification that the Faculty Advisory Board proposed to designate the minor and cross-list our courses with various academic programs including Anthropology, Art, History, Political Science, Sociology and Spanish. Also in 2015, we hosted the 1^st Annual Latin American and Caribbean Studies Conference, an appropriate venue for affiliated faculty to share their current research with Eastern students, faculty and staff.

Dr. Ricardo Pérez
Program Coordinator