The Institute for Latina/o and Latin American Studies

The Institute for Latin American Studies was created in 1974 to call attention to the variety of courses dealing with Latin America at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. It promotes an understanding of Latin America, facilitates contact among professors with Latin American specialties, seeks to respond to student and community groups and presents speakers and other programs. The UWL Institute is linked in the U. W. System through the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Since 2001, the Institute has expanded into U.S. Latino and Latina Studies, reflecting the research interests of newly-hired faculty and a growing presence of Latina/o students.   There is a strong working relationship between ILLAS and LASO, the Latin American Student Organization.

The Institute is interdisciplinary with participants from the Colleges of Liberal Studies, the College of Science and Health and the College of Business Administration. Members of the Institute offer a wide variety of courses and expertise in the following: economics, history, business, management, geography, languages and literature, political science, sociology, anthropology and archaeology.

The Institute is presently housed in 337 Wimberly Hall.  This office houses the Institute's pedagogical collections, journals and a small library of materials on Latin American and Chicano literature, as well as a working area for faculty associates.  The Institute's video library, with over 70 titles, is available to ILLAS associates and their classes.  See the video catalog below.

For more information, contact:    

  • Fall 2007: Margarita, Communication Studies (olivas.marg@uwlax.edu) at (608) 785-6717, 315 Center for the Arts.
  • Spring 2008: Víctor M. Macías-González, History (macias.vict@uwlax.edu) at (608) 785-8349, 403J Wimberly Hall.

Calendar of Events

International Studies Minor: Latin American Emphasis

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers an International Studies Minor with a Latin American emphasis which is open to students in all schools and colleges within the university. The minor consists of 24 credits from approved international studies curriculum which does not include courses counted towards the major. Each student plans an individual course of study with approval of an international studies or Latin American studies faculty adviser, subject to the following:

1) POL/GEO/ECO/SOC/ANT 202/HIS 203

2) Six credits from two departments selected from international studies Category I: global issues (courses which focus on transregional zones or on issues which are transregional in scope)

3) Twelve credits from at least two departments, selected from international studies category II (courses which focus on issues which are national or regional in scope), including SPA 321 and at least six other credits from category III (courses dealing with Latin American topics).

4) INS 495

5) Proficiency in Spanish demonstrated through completion of SPA 202 or equivalent

6) Twelve of the above credits must be at 300 level or above

A list of approved courses for Category I, Category II, and Category III is available from the director of international studies courses.


Course Offerings

Economics
375 Economic Development (3 cr)
499 Independent Study (1-3 cr)

Geography
316 Geography of South America (3 cr)
317 Geography of Middle America (3 cr)
334 Field Geography
375 Special Topics in Geog./Earth Science (1-3 cr)
450 Geography Internship (3-12 cr)
496 Individual Study (3 cr) 

History
336 Hispanics in the United States (3 cr)
341 Nineteenth Century Latin America (3 cr)
342 Twentieth Century Latin America (3 cr)
343 US Borderlands (3 cr)
344 Colonial Latin America (3 cr)
345 US-Latin American Relations (3 cr)
347 History of Greater Mexico   (Northern Mexican and Mexican American History) (3 cr)
353 Maya Civilization (3 cr)
354 Spain to 1700 (3 cr)
356 History of Mexico (Mexico City-centered political and cultural history)  (3 cr)
450 History Internship (3-12 cr)
490 Historiography Seminar (4 cr)
495 History with Documents (4 cr)
497 Individual Study (1-3 cr)

International Studies
225 Seminar in World Areas Studies (1-3 cr)
226 Seminar Foreign Study Tour (1-3 cr)
245 Introduction to Hispanic Cultural Studies (to be cross listed with History)   (3 cr)
425 Interdisciplinary Seminar in International Studies (2-3 cr)
495 Directed Readings in International Studies (3 cr)

Music
204 Latin American Music:  Context and Impact   (3 cr)

Political Science
330 Politics of Developing Areas (3 cr)
331 Comparative Politics (3 cr)
339 Contemporary Latin America (3 cr)
450 Internships in Government and Politics (3 cr)
495 Seminar (3 cr)
499 Readings and Research (3 cr) 

Sociology/Archaeology/Anthropology
203 Culture and Ecology (focuses on Mesoamerica, 3 cr Ant.)
285 Archaeology of Mexico and Central America (3 cr cross listed Arc. or Ant.)
300 Latin America: Politics, Diversity and Cultural Change (3cr cross listed Soc.or Ant.)
305 Sociology of Development and Social Change (3 cr)
314 Industry and Society (3 cr)
353 Maya Civilization (3 cr Arc. or Ant.)
409 Readings and Research in Anthropology or Archaeology (1-3 cr)
450 Internship in Anthropology or Archaeology (3-15 cr) 

Spanish
321 Spanish-American Civilization (3 cr)
340 Spanish-American Literature I (3 cr)
341 Spanish-American Literature II (3 cr)
395 Hispanic Literature in the U. S. (3 cr)
403 Studies in Spanish Literature (3 cr)
399 Foreign Literature in Translation (3 cr)
403 Studies in Spanish Literature (3 cr)
450 National/International Intern Program (1-4 cr)
495 Seminar in Spanish (2 cr)
498 Independent Study
499 Independent Study

ILLAS Associates

William D. Barillas, English (barillas.will@uwlax.edu)
Steve Brokaw, Marketing (brokaw.step.@uwlax.edu)
Victoria Calmes, Modern Languages (calmes.vict@uwlax.edu)
Mariana Candido, History (candido.mari@uwlax.edu)
Dorián Dorado, Spanish (dorado.dori@uwlax.edu)
Enilda Arbona Delgado, Sociology (delgado.enil@uwlax.edu)
Jean Hindson, Spanish (hindson.jean@uwlax.edu)
Janis Hanson, Modern Languages (hanson.jani@uwlax.edu)
Jean Janecki de Sotarello, Modern Languages (janecki.jean@uwlax.edu)
Darlene Lake, Modern Languages (lake.darl@uwlax.edu)
Víctor M. Macías-González, History (macias.vict@uwlax.edu)
Cecilia Manrique, Political Science (manrique.ceci@uwlax.edu)
Timothy L. McAndrews, Sociology/Archaeology (mcandrew.timo@uwlax.edu)
Leticia Peña, Management (pena.leti@uwlax.edu)
Richard Pinnell, Music (pinnell.rich@uwlax.edu)
Shelley Sinclair, History (sinclair.shel@uwlax.edu)
Donald Socha, Modern Languages (socha.dona@uwlax.edu)
Andrew Melendrez-Stapleton, Marketing (stapleto.andr@uwlax.edu

Emeritus
Sheldon Smith, Anthropology (smith.shel@uwlax.edu)

Video Lists

Title

Country

Length

Language

Subtitles

Release Date

Una visita a Buenos Aires

Argentina

19

Spanish

No

0

Buena Vista Social Club

Cuba

105

Spanish

Yes

1999

Veracruz

Mexico

50

English

No

1995

One River, One Country: The US-Mexico Border

USA

0

English

No

0

Women of Hope

USA

29

English

No

1996

Isabel Allende: The Woman's Voice in Latin American Literature

USA

56

English

No

1994

Caudillo - The History of the Spanish Civil War

USA

111

English

No

1991

Márquez, Tales Beyond Solitude

USA

59

English

No

1989

Julio Cortázar, Entrevista

USA

40

Spanish

Yes

1988



Title

Country

Minutes

Language

Subtitles

Release Date

The Dark Side of the Heart

Argentina

127

Spanish

Yes

1992

Wild Horses

Argentina

122

Spanish

Yes

1997

Ls Historia Oficial

Argentina

112

Spanish

Yes

1985

Central Station

Brazil

106

Portuguese

Yes

1998

The Day You Love Me

Colombia

80

Spanish

Yes

1986

Our Lady of Assassins

Colombia/ France

101

Spanish

Yes

2000

Bitter Sugar

Cuba

102

Spanish

Yes

1996

Things I Left in Havana

Cuba

110

Spanish

Yes

1997

Guantanamera

Cuba

104

Spanish

Yes

1995

Mariposas en el Andamio

Cuba

74

Spanish

Yes

1995

Fresa y Chocolate

Cuba

108

Spanish

Yes

1993

Before Night Falls

Cuba

133

Spanish

Yes

2000

El Super

Cuba/US

90

Spanish

Yes

1979

Nueba Yol

Dominican Republic

105

Spanish

Yes

1995

Like Water for Chocolare

Mexico

105

English

No

1992

El compadre Mendoza

Mexico

85

Spanish

Yes

1933

Cilantro y Perejil

Mexico

90

Spanish

Yes

1997

In the Country Where Nothing Happens

Mexico

98

Spanish

Yes

1999

Cuando habla el corazón

Mexico

95

Spanish

Yes

1942

Vámonos con Pancho Villa

Mexico

92

Spanish

Yes

1935

El Mariachi

Mexico/USA

81

Spanish

Yes

1992

We're All Stars

Peru

80

Spanish

Yes

1993

Don't Tell Anyone

Peru/Spain

114

Spanish

Yes

1998

Un chien andalou/Land Without Bread

Spain

42

 

No

1932

Goya in Bordeaux

Spain

105

Spanish

Yes

2000

Open Your Eyes

Spain

117

Spanish

Yes

1999

The Grandfather

Spain

146

Spanish

Yes

1998

Spirit of the Beehive

Spain

95

Spanish

Yes

1973

Tacones lejanos

Spain

112

Spanish

Yes

1991

Tango

Spain/Argentina

115

Spanish

Yes

1999

Burnt Money

Spain/Argentina

125

Spanish

Yes

2002

Surviving Picasso

USA

126

English

No

1996

Chicano Park

USA

59

English

No

1988



Title

Country

Length

Language

Subtitles

Release Date

Everlasting Gloria!

USA

95

Spanish/English

Yes

1995

Sesión latina

USA

60

Spanish

No

1989