UC San Diego Latin American Studies

QUIZ! Which Latin American Studies course should you take this fall based on your Latin American snack of choice?

Check out LATI 180! Have you noticed how vibrant Mexican culture is? Did you know that many of its traditions have a pre-Hispanic origin and are still practiced today? Join this Fall to discover the rich history and enduring influence of the civilizations that shaped Mexico before European colonization. We will explore the cultural systems of the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Mexica peoples, as well as lesser-known northern and western Mexican cultures. Using a combination of archaeology, ethnohistory, art and indigenous knowledge, we will examine how these societies managed the landscape, cooked, developed belief systems and technologies, establishing traditions that continue to influence Mexico, and the world, today.

This course offers hands-on, interactive learning experiences, providing you with the opportunity to engage directly with the material culture of ancient Mexico. We will connect  the past with the present to develop a deeper appreciation of the resilience, diversity and ongoing contributions of indigenous peoples to contemporary society.

LATI 170 exlores the tools of social science research in latin america, driven by a commitment to liberate knowledge from lingering colonial legacies in the region. We’ll blend interdisciplinary texts with popular media, including films, testemonies, podcasts, and news stories. The focus is on understanding the methods and theories of insurgent scholars as they produce knowledge alongside and in the service of grassroots movements.

Check out LATI 166! Interested in food blogging, culinary arts, bartending, and food service industry? With special attention to borderlands cuisine, this course explores the political economy and culture of latin american food staples beginning with their native orgins and incorporates their stories into the genre of food blogging by use of historical and ethnographic methods.

An entry to the field of Latin American Studies that focuses on actors who have made an impact in the region. This course surveys different types of scholarship on Latin America (e.g. history, anthropology, cultural studies, political science, environmental studies, and journalism) as well as by exploring regional cultural production (e.g. film, music, and literature).

This couse surveys the multilayered relations between latin american studies particularly Third World movements, femist collectives, the Black Liberation Movement, the Indigenous Movement, Human Rights and Trans-border activism. Materials include readins from different disciplines as well as media to offer a rich and diverse examination of the interplay of economics, politics, representation, and identity from a latin american perspective.

✨Meet your professor✨ Get to know Nayeli Jiménez Cano! This Fall, she will instructing LATI 180: Ancient Mexico: Living Legacies of Indigenous Civilizations!

The summer is an important season for our current Graduate Students. They are busy conducting research and preparing to write their theses. Some of our students travel internationally with funding from the LAS Travel Grant, including Fabian Mendoza, pictured here. Fabian is in Jalisco, Mexico, conducting research on the human costs of agro-extractivism in the modern tequila industry.

Congratulations to Damian Valenzuela who defended his thesis on May 29th! Thank you to the committee members who offered their support of this research!

Congratulations to Michael Aldas who defended his thesis on May 27th! Thank you to the committee members who offered their support of this research! 🎉