Program
About Our Program
Explore the history, cultures, languages, politics, economies, and art of Latin America and the Caribbean through interdisciplinary study that provides a comprehensive foundation for understanding the region and from which to pursue specialized research and work.
The major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies gives undergraduates general mastery of a discipline while also permitting the flexibility to explore the region from other disiplnary perspectives. Students take core courses that give them grounding in the language, history, politics, and cultures of Latin America as well as courses in a discipline of choice.
Our renowned faculty represent disciplines from across the University, including: anthropology, art history and archaeology, economics, history, music, political science, sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, and urban studies.
Outside of coursework, students in the program also benefit from ILAS's public programming, travel grant opportunites, FLAS summer language study fellowships, and other initatives.
Students also benefit from resources and opportunities at Columbia University and other academic and cultural instititions in the New York City area, which provide opportunies to support research and enrich their knowledge of the region. Students have access to the vast Latin American holdings of the New York Public Library, New York University, and Cornell University. Students may benefit from participating in the activities of the wide range of on-campus groups focused on Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx cultures. Lastly students, also benefit from the public programming of other Latin American and Caribbean Studies institutes and centers at other universities in the city (e.g., NYU's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies), as well as numerous museums and other cultural institutions in NYC.