LACS Today

Welcome to Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Northwestern University.

Northwestern's Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program (LACS) is a spirited and diverse community. Our cohort is composed of over 20 scholars with specialties in a variety of areas. Given our interdisciplinary nature, we are closely connected with other departments at Northwestern such as Spanish and Portuguese, History, Anthropology, English and Political Science.

The keystone of LACS is our minor, designed for students with interests in Latin American and Caribbean language, politics, art and culture. Courses are offered in subjects as diverse as the ancient cultures of the Aztecs, Maya, and Inca; colonial and modern history of Latin America; the Latino cultures of the United States; art of Latin America, and Latin American politics. Individual classes may focus on questions of gender, race, and the African Diaspora, or on specific issues such as immigration to the U.S. from Latin America, or critical events such as the Mexican revolution or recent elections.