Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, Certificate

The program in Chican@ and Latin@ Studies (CLS) offers a systematic and interdisciplinary analysis of Mexican- and Latin-American-origin people, cultures, and collectivities within the United States. The CLS certificate is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge base and the intellectual tools to understand the unity and diversity of US Latin@ populations. The primary objective of the CLS program is to train students in the study of Chican@s and Latin@s, as well as to introduce them to the central questions, topics, and applications that have emerged in this field of inquiry.

1. Identify and discuss key contemporary expressions, situations, and theoretical interpretations of Chican@ and Latin@ life in the United States.
2. Discuss the differences and commonalities (culture, indigeneity, Diaspora, national origin, migration and immigration, citizenship, phenotype, gender, sexual orientation, sexuality, language, geography, economics, and worldviews and values) that shape the intersecting experiences and tensions within and across Chican@ and Latin@ populations.
3. Describe ways social histories, sociocultural, and sociopolitical histories of Chican@s and Latin@s in relation to the development of the United States as a nation and the role of this relationship in shaping the racialization, social stratification, and oppressions of these populations.
4. Analyze, critique, and interpret theory and research on Chican@ and Latin@ populations.
5. Engage in experiential based learning and/or applied action based research to bridge theory, action, and community service with Chican@ and Latin@ populations.

All undergraduate students at UW–Madison must complete the university-wide General Education Requirements, which are designed to convey the essential core of an undergraduate education. This core establishes a foundation for living a productive life, being a citizen of the world, appreciating aesthetic values, and engaging in lifelong learning in a continually changing world. These requirements provide for breadth across the humanities and arts, social studies, and natural sciences; competence in communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills necessary for success in college and beyond; and investigation of the issues raised by living in a culturally diverse society. This core is intended to provide students with intellectual and practical skills, basic knowledge of human cultures and the physical world, strategies for understanding these topics, and tools intended to contribute to their sense of personal and social responsibility. General Education complements the work students do in their majors and degrees. Together, these requirements help students learn what they need to know not just for making a living, but also for making a life.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Completing the General Education Requirements is an important part of achieving these competencies, and to do so, students choose from many courses in communication, ethnic studies, quantitative reasoning, and breadth of study across disciplines in the natural sciences, humanities, literature, and arts, and social and behavioral sciences.

Each school and college may choose to allow General Education courses to count toward other degree and/or major requirements. Students should always check with their advisors to discuss any additional degree requirements and determine if students are required to take specific General Education courses or to complete the requirements in a particular order. Students should review their Degree Audit (DARS) report to see how they are progressing toward fulfilling the General Education requirements. Please refer to.

An undergraduate certificate in Chican@ and Latin@ studies is available for those students from any undergraduate major who wish to pursue Chican@ and Latin@ studies courses in a systematic manner. Academic advising for the CLS certificate is available in the Student Advising Office, 307 Ingraham Hall.  Prospective and current certificate students must make an appointment with Rachelle Eilers, [email protected], to discuss requirements, courses, and application to the certificate. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Rachelle Eilers will work from home and meet with students remotely until further notice.