THE UNITED STATES HAS A POPULATION APPROACHING 300 MILLION people and covers roughly 3.5 million square miles. Latin America has a population approaching 600 million people and covers roughly 8 million square miles. Yet we habitually think of Latin America, with its rich tapestry of cultures so deeply interwoven with our own, as the "other" America. The Latin American Studies program at Hamilton challenges such mental borders by allowing students to see this emerging, energetic and often contradictory region through new eyes.
The goal of Hamilton's Latin American Studies Program is to blend Hispanic studies, history, government, sociology, women's studies and anthropology to present the Latin American mosaic in all its diverse dimensions.More ...
Academic Program
STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES
Students
in the Latin American studies program have a number of opportunities to study
abroad with the assistance of the program faculty, and Hamilton College
encourages all students — particularly those studying other cultures and
traditions — to experience life beyond campus and borders.
On
campus, Burke Library houses the Beinecke Lesser Antilles Collection. It is one
of the world's most important research collections of historical documents from
and about this Caribbean region that was the
birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, who gave the College his name.
RESOURCES
Students
in Latin American studies can draw on the resources of the many departments and
programs that contribute to the minor, particularly the Hispanic studies
program. These include an ongoing series of lectures, films and presentations. La
Mesa de Español provides an opportunity for students and faculty members to meet
weekly for lunch and conversation in Spanish. Students in the program direct
Club Español, which organizes cultural activities related to Spanish and Latin
American cultures, and La Vanguardia, for students of Latino background. The
department and the College provide computer facilities, a modern language
laboratory, an audiovisual center and a recording studio for student use.
The vast expanse of Latin America's very geography suggests the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The five-course Latin American studies minor draws on the resources of Hamilton's Hispanic studies, history, government, sociology, women's studies and anthropology programs to present the Latin American mosaic in all its diverse dimensions.
One-on-One Learning
The Hamilton program is not about large, anonymous lectures. It brings some of the College's most accomplished faculty members in many fields into small classrooms. There the emphasis is on discussion, one-on-one engagement, and strong writing and research skills.
A Study in Culture
A familiarity with Latin American language, life, arts and history is of great practical value in an increasingly bilingual and multicultural professional world. But Latin American studies provides its own rich rewards as well. Latin American culture is not "down there." It is part of the fabric of the American life that we all live; to see it more clearly is to see ourselves anew.
The vast expanse of Latin America's very geography suggests the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The five-course Latin American studies minor draws on the resources of Hamilton's Hispanic studies, history, government, sociology, women's studies and anthropology programs to present the Latin American mosaic in all its diverse dimensions.
One-on-One Learning
The Hamilton program is not about large, anonymous lectures. It brings some of the College's most accomplished faculty members in many fields into small classrooms. There the emphasis is on discussion, one-on-one engagement, and strong writing and research skills.
A Study in Culture
A familiarity with Latin American language, life, arts and history is of great practical value in an increasingly bilingual and multicultural professional world. But Latin American studies provides its own rich rewards as well. Latin American culture is not "down there." It is part of the fabric of the American life that we all live; to see it more clearly is to see ourselves anew.
The vast expanse of Latin America's very geography suggests the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The five-course Latin American studies minor draws on the resources of Hamilton's Hispanic studies, history, government, sociology, women's studies and anthropology programs to present the Latin American mosaic in all its diverse dimensions.
One-on-One Learning
The Hamilton program is not about large, anonymous lectures. It brings some of the College's most accomplished faculty members in many fields into small classrooms. There the emphasis is on discussion, one-on-one engagement, and strong writing and research skills.
A Study in Culture
A familiarity with Latin American language, life, arts and history is of great practical value in an increasingly bilingual and multicultural professional world. But Latin American studies provides its own rich rewards as well. Latin American culture is not "down there." It is part of the fabric of the American life that we all live; to see it more clearly is to see ourselves anew.
