Latina and Latino Studies

 Latina/o Studies is an interdisciplinary field that critically analyzes the local, national, and hemispheric importance of the Latino/s in the U.S. It draws from a variety of established disciplinary methods, including social sciences, history, and literary and cultural studies. It traces the birth and transformation of Latino communities within American society from the colonial period to the present. The field comparatively studies U.S. and Latin American contexts, and engages multilingual aspects of Latino culture. The field also studies the sociocultural experiences and cultural production of Latinas and Latinos. It serves as a bridge between the academic and non-academic worlds in order to understand the complexity of all the Latino national groups: scholars of the field often both document and engage with the struggles and political activism of Latino/as in their search for equality, representation, and social justice. (An area of local interest is the growth of immigrant populations in Pennsylvania.)

You Might Like This Program If...

• You want to study the history and culture of Latino communities in the U.S., which constitute the fastest growing minority in American society.
• You want to put into dialogue different disciplines and approaches to study the phenomenon of "Latinidad."
• You value bilingualism and multilingualism.
• You appreciate Latino literature, arts, and culture.
• You believe that colleges and universities should engage with Latino communities in order to better understand their different problematics and propose innovative projects.

This minor in Latina and Latino Studies offers students across the University an opportunity to learn about the diverse histories, cultures, politics, migration patterns, and other aspects of Latina/o populations in the United States. Classes will be offered on:

• Latino history;
• the artistic achievements of Latinas/os in popular culture, literature, theatre, film, and television;
• the migratory flows of Latina/o populations;
• education;
• other issues related to language and identity; and
• family issues.

These courses demonstrate that studying Latina/o social formations is a critical component of understanding the social fabric of the U.S. as well as the U.S. presence in Latin America and the complex phenomenon of globalization. Although the emphasis of Latina/o Studies is on the U.S., the role of Latina/o immigration within wider shifts related to globalization requires an understanding of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

• Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
• Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

The program develops a critical understanding of the history and contemporary position of Latinas/os in the U.S. It provides valuable cultural fluency for students from a wide variety of career paths. Given the growing importance of the Latino/a population in the U.S., such knowledge is very advantageous in many professional settings.

A minor in Latino/a Studies, will enrich and enhance your career possibilities in fields including but not limited to, public service, education, marketing, law, politics, business, manufacturing and agriculture.

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Graduate students from any Ph.D.-granting program may pursue a Latina/o Studies graduate minor, an interdisciplinary doctoral minor. The minor for each student will be planned jointly by the student, the student's doctoral adviser, and an adviser designated by the Latina/o Studies Initiative committee. In addition, there are methodology and pedagogy seminars designed to introduce graduate students to teaching undergraduates in the field, as well as actual opportunities to teach the introductory undergraduate seminar as the instructor of record and thus build a teaching expertise in the field.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES