For Current Students

From the northern border of Mexico, down to Tierra del Fuego, Latin America is a vast region comprised of complex histories, diverse landscapes, and vibrant cultures. Defined as the region of the Americas whose Romance language—Spanish, Portuguese, and French—are primary, Latin America includes Mexico, most of Central and South America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

A Latin American Studies minor enables students to explore this dynamic region in an interdisciplinary way. Students take classes in the arts, humanities, sciences, or social sciences with a focused study of Latin American and Hispanic/Latino history, culture, and contemporary affairs.

Courses range from broad overviews (Latin American Politics, Modern Latin American History) to focused studies (Pre-Columbian Art, Chicano and Latino Popular Culture), and are offered in the departments of Art, History, Music, Sociology and Anthropology, International Affairs, and Hispanic Studies, among others. A major component of the program is overseas study; students are strongly encouraged to spend at least a semester abroad.

Our program regularly sponsors and co-sponsors lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, and readings. Recent events have included a talk on women, literature and power in Chile; a documentary on Hugo Chavez and Venezuelan politics; and a lecture on indigenous rights in Oaxaca.

News

Ethnic Studies Minor, faculty, History Major, History Minor, human rights, humanities, Latin American Studies Minor

“Tren de Aragua: A Gang, Not Terrorist Invaders” by Elliott Young

LC Professor of History Elliott Young has an informative article published by The North American Congress on Latin America entitled, “Tren de Aragua: A Gang, Not Terrorist Invaders,” which examines immigrant rights and how the current administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to target Venezuelan migrants relies on a false narrative about gangs and the Venezuelan state.

The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1966 to examine and critique U.S. imperialism and political, economic, and military intervention in the Western hemisphere. In an evolving political and media landscape, we continue to work toward a world in which the nations and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are free from oppression, injustice, and economic and political subordination.

Elliott Young is professor of history at Lewis & Clark College and the author of “Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System.”

Ethnic Studies Minor, History Major, History Minor, human rights, humanities, multicultural, Political Science Major, Political Science Minor

Elliott Young Op/Ed: “New art exhibition raises questions about policing in Portland” in Portland Tribune

LC Professor of History Elliott Young has a new Op/Ed in The Portland Tribune entitled, “New art exhibition raises questions about policing in Portland.”

Elliott Young is professor of history at Lewis & Clark College and the author of “Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System.”

New INSIDE-OUT PRISON EXCHANGE class in Spanish for Spring 2026

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