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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.

How to Get in

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

Students declared in the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies major are not eligible to declare the Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies certificate.

Requirements

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 course from the following list:3
Introduction to Comparative US Ethnic and American Indian Studies
The North American West to 1850
The United States West Since 1850
Latina/Latino/Latinx History
Chicana/o and Latina/o Cultural Studies
Border and Migration Studies of Latinx America
Introduction to Latinx Cultures
Politics in Multi-Cultural Societies
Chicana and Latina History
The U.S. & Latin America from the Colonial Era to the Present: A Critical Survey
Intersectionalities, Self ­Awareness, and Social Actions for Social Change
Race and the Developing Child
Critical Aspects of Teaching, Schooling, and Education
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
Cultures and Histories Topics in Chicana/o & Latina/o Studies
Education and Service Topics in Chicana/o & Latina/o Studies
Topics in Chicano/a Studies
Immigrant Health and Wellbeing
Latinas: Self Identity and Social Change
CHICLA 334
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
Black and Latinx in Literature and Visual Culture
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.
Latinx Digital Publics
Dimensions of Latin@ Mental Health Services
Advanced Topics in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
Esperanza Community-Engaged Research with Latines
Directed Study 1
Carmen Miranda
Racial Ethnic Families in the U.S.
The Caribbean and its Diasporas
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.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Identify and analyze core concepts, important social and political issues, and key artistic and cultural expressions related to Chicana/o and Latina/o life in the United States.
  2. Discuss the histories of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the United States and their implications for contemporary problems of racialization, social stratification, colonialism, and oppression.
  3. Describe the commonalities and differences among Chicanas/os and Latinas/os along lines of class, gender, race, sexuality, citizenship, and national origin, and evaluate Latinidad as a pan-ethnic category in the United States.
  4. Analyze relations between Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in the United States and their countries of heritage from a transnational and transborder perspective.
  5. Apply ideas from Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies to concrete problems through service-learning and community-based research, in a spirit of dialogue and reciprocal exchange informed by ethical and social justice principles.

Advising and Careers

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.

People

For a detailed list of faculty, please see the department website.