Latin American Studies
The goal of the Latin American Studies Program is to blend courses across disciplinary boundaries in order to present the Latin American mosaic in all its diverse dimensions.
About the Minor
At Hamilton, Latin American studies offers an intense exploration of the history, culture, and politics of Latin America — the more than 40 nations and independent states that stretch from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of the Americas. Students are challenged to see this emerging, energetic, and often contradictory region through new eyes. Those who want an immersion in a Latin American culture find ample opportunities to study abroad.
A Sampling of Courses
Literature and Modernity in the Andes
The cultural representations of religion, history, means of transportation, media, photography, etc., provide distinct points of view on how modernity has been perceived in the Andes. This course will introduce students to the recognition of those perspectives by looking closely at novels, short stories, and movies, produced from the 19th century to the present day. This course also will explore the diverse ways in which the intensification of modernity has changed the nature of Andean cultural production itself: its language, style, the narrator’s and characters’ worldviews, etc.
Explore these select courses:
Meet Our Faculty
Mackenzie Cooley
Assistant Professor of History, Director of Latin American Studies
history of science; early modern world; Colonial Latin America; environmental history; intellectual history; digital humanities; history of gender and sexuality; animal studies; genetics and history
19th-21st century Latino literature and culture
musical theater, popular music, Latin American music, 20th- and 21st-century music, and popular-classical crossovers
Latin American literature, Mexican literature, and culture and gender studies
international economic development and labor economics
Medieval Iberian literatures and cultures; cross-cultural exchanges; medieval travel writing; Alfonso X of Castile; early modern Spanish travel; autobiography
Andean indigenous cultures and literature, Latin American literature, Environmental Humanities, and Spanish as a second language
Comparative politics, Latin American politics, protest and social movements, political violence, and state capacity
Explore Hamilton Stories
Politics in Latin America Class Takes on Wikipedia
Communications and Marketing Office student intern Anna Richardson ’26 talks here about an unusual assignment in her Politics in Latin America class with Professor Heather Sullivan.
Kelly ’21 Studies Belize Border Dispute
Her Hamilton-funded research project took her to Belize. Savannah Kelly ’21 looked at the effects of the Guatemala-Belize border dispute on Belize’s indigenous communities.
Connecting the Dots: Latin America, Sociology, Media
Natasha Espinosa ’18 went into her first year at Hamilton with the goal of taking full advantage of the open curriculum. For Espinosa, this meant exploring her long-held interest in and personal connection to Latin America.
Careers After Hamilton
Hamilton graduates who took Latin American studies courses are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:
- Audit Programs Manager, Elysian Energy
- Senior VP of Strategic Marketing, Bank of America
- Research Associate, George Washington University
- Vice President, Global Recruitment, Protis Executive Innovation
Contact
Department Name
Latin American Studies Program
Contact Name
Mackenzie Cooley, Program Director
Clinton, NY 13323
