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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.

To declare, students should make an appointment with the program advisor to discuss requirements, courses, and application to the certificate.

Requirements For the Certificate

Completion of the certificate requires a minimum of 15 credits in Chicana/o and Latina/o studies. 1 

Complete one Introduction Course:
CHICLA 201 Introduction to Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies3
Complete at least one additional 100- or 200-level course3
Introduction to Comparative US Ethnic and American Indian Studies
The North American West to 1850
The U.S. West Since 1850
Latina/Latino/Latinx History
Chicana/o and Latina/o Cultural Studies
Topics in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
Politics in Multi-Cultural Societies
Chicana and Latina History
Intersectionalities, Self ­Awareness, and Social Actions for Social Change
Race and the Developing Child
Critical Aspects of Teaching, Schooling, and Education
Latin America: An Introduction
Sociology of Race & Ethnicity in the United States
First Semester Spanish for Spanish Speakers
Second Semester Spanish for Spanish Speakers
Complete at least 9 credits of advanced courses:9
Chicana/o and Latina/o History
Mexican-American Politics
Latinx Literacies
Latinx Feminisms: Women's Lives, Work, and Activism
Racial Formation and Whiteness
Chicano/Latino Educational Justice
Topics in Chicano/a Studies
Immigrant Health and Wellbeing
Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change
Race, Ethnicity, and Media
Labor in the Americas: US & Mexico in Comparative & Historical Perspective
Survey of Latino and Latina Popular Culture
Chicana/o and Latina/o Literatures
Latino/as and Media
Latino History and Politics
Colony, Nation, and Minority: The Puerto Ricans' World
Ethnicity, Race, and Justice
Immigration, Crime, and Enforcement
US Latino Literature
Topics in Latinx Culture
Sociodemographic Analysis of Mexican Migration
Latino Urbanism: Design and Engagement in the American City
Border and Race Studies in Latin America
Chican@ and Latin@ Social Movements in the U.S.
Integrative Seminar in Chicana/o Studies
Dimensions of Latin@ Mental Health Services
Advanced Topics in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
Directed Study 1
Carmen Miranda
Racial Ethnic Families in the U.S.
Total Credits15
1

 A maximum of 3 credits earned through a directed study course (CHICLA 699) can count toward the certificate.


Pass/Fail courses don't count for the certificate.

 residence and quality of work

  • 8 credits in CHICLA or credits counting toward the certificate, taken in residence
  • A cumulative 2.000 GPA in courses counting approved for the certificate

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

  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.

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, reilers@wisc.edu, to discuss requirements, courses, and application to the certificate.  CLS certificate recipients have enjoyed great success in fields including the health professions, social service, education, law, journalism, business, the arts, politics, and government service.

L&S career resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

CHICANA/O AND LATINA/O STUDIES (CLS) Director

  • Rubén Medina (Spanish and Portuguese)

Faculty

  • Nidia Bañuelos (Continuing Studies)
  • Erin Barbato (School of Law)
  • Theresa Delgadillo (English and Chican@ & Latin@ Studies)
  • Falina Enriquez (Anthropology)
  • Alberta M. Gloria (Counseling Psychology)
  • Paola Hernández (Spanish & Portuguese)
  • Armando Ibarra (School for Workers and Chican@ & Latin@ Studies)
  • Kathryn Kirchgasler (Curriculum & Instruction)
  • Edna Ely-Ledesma (Planning & Landscape Architecture)
  • Michael Light (Chican@ & Latin@ Studies and Sociology)
  • Lori Lopez (Communication Arts)
  • Benjamin Márquez (Political Science)
  • Sara McKinnon (Communication Arts)
  • Rubén Medina (Spanish & Portuguese and Chican@ & Latin@ Studies)
  • Almita Miranda (Chican@ & Latin@ Studies and Geography)
  • Alfonso Morales (Planning & Landscape Architecture)
  • Mariana Pacheco (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Marla Ramírez Tahuado (History and Chican@ & Latin@ Studies)
  • Steve Quintana (Counseling Psychology)
  • Sarah Rios (Community & Environmental Sociology)
  • Diana Rodríguez-Gómez (Educational Policy Studies)
  • Diego Román (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Aurora Santiago-Ortiz (Gender & Women's Studies)
  • Carolina Sarmiento (School of Human Ecology)
  • Revel Sims (Chican@ & Latin@ Studies and Planning & Landscape Architecture)
  • Alison Powers Useche (History)
  • Kate Vieira (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Juan Zalapa (Horticulture)

Instructors

  • Megan Bailon
  • Yesenia Cervera

Emeritus Faculty

  • Andrea-Teresa Arenas
  • Jim Escalante (Art)
  • Mary Louise Gomez (Curriculum and Instruction)
  • Consuelo López (Gender & Women's Studies)
  • Francisco Scarano (History)
  • Steve Stern (History)
  • Lynet Uttal (Counseling Psychology)

Staff

  • Rachelle Eilers (Certificate Advisor)
  • Peter Haney (Program Administrator)
  • Jessica Gomez (Project Assistant)