Latin American and Latine 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
Latin American and Latine Studies (LALS) invites students to explore the histories, cultures, and politics of more than 40 nations from Mexico and the Caribbean, to Tierra del Fuego and the Latine diaspora across the U.S. Through courses in Sociology, Government, History, Music, Hispanic Studies, and Economics, students examine diverse communities from multiple perspectives. Many extend their learning beyond campus by immersing themselves in Latin American cultures through study abroad experiences.
A Sampling of Courses
Race and U.S. Latinxs
This course examines how race, racism, and racialization shape Latinx experiences in the United States. It investigates how Latinxs are positioned within the U.S. racial landscape, how overlapping identities such as gender, class, and immigration status influence these dynamics, and how relations with other groups and racialized immigration enforcement have shaped Latinx youth, families, and communities.
Explore these select courses:
This course explores the politics of Latin America by looking at the political history and contemporary politics of various countries in the region. We will explore how the strength of states, variations in regime type, and pervasive inequality – on the axes of class, race, and gender/sexuality – have affected and continue to affect politics in Latin America.
Beginning in the Age of Encounters and ending with the Enlightenment, the course traces how the Scientific Revolution fundamentally changed the way we think about nature through key figures, including da Vinci, Copernicus, Kepler, Galilei, Bacon, Descartes, Newton, and Linnaeus. In addition to basic concepts and terminology in the history of science, students will read and analyze primary sources; think critically about how historians write history; evaluate the role of institutions and social customs in the creation of knowledge; and articulate historical arguments orally and in writing.
Are we the only rational beings in the universe? Is such a thing as a soul? Can we predict the future? The truism goes that history is told by the victors, and the same is true for the history of ideas -- so, join us for a journey into the history of ideas that haven't made it into modern textbooks. Featuring materials from Hamilton College’s Special Collections, this course focuses on a series of case studies from early modern Europe and the Atlantic world that represent pivot points to teleologies in the history of science and thought. The result is a history of wonderment followed by doubt, illuminating divergent and sometimes abandoned paths once frequented by the wisest among humankind.
Labeled as superstitious or brujas/witches who deal in magic and the occult, Latino practitioners of indigenous and African-diasporic spiritualities are marginalized by US mainstream society and by their own communities. This course examines US Latino authors that reclaim curanderismo, nahualismo/shape-shifting, shamanism and santería to propose alternative modes of knowledge, challenging the Western spiritual-secular divide and Cartesian mind-body dualism that prioritize rational thought. Sixth sense, dream states, trance and holistic medicine are “other” ways of knowing. Primary readings by Rudolfo Anaya, Gloria Anzaldúa, Judith Oritz Cofer. Art and music are studied in African-diasporic ritual. Secondary readings include literary criticism, theoretical and historical texts.
Migration in and from Latin American territory represents one of the main social, political, and economic challenges of our times. However, the displacement of individuals and communities has a long history. This course explores the migratory movements of indigenous communities during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Students will identify the various motives and cultural consequences of the indigenous migration phenomenon in and from Latin America by analyzing stories, novels, and films. This course addresses issues related to racism, discrimination, territorial appropriation, gender inequality, colonial traces, and ecological deterioration, among others. This course meets the educational goals of Hamilton College, with particular emphasis on the following: intellectual curiosity and flexibility, analytic and aesthetic discernment, disciplinary practice, communication and expression, understanding of cultural diversity, and ethical, informed, and engaged citizenship.
Meet Our Faculty
Marissa Ambio
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Director of Latin American and Latine Studies
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
Mackenzie Cooley
Associate Professor of History, Director of Medieval and Renaissance 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
Race, racism, and racialization; Latinx (im)migration; Puerto Rican diaspora; sexuality; child welfare
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
Careers After Hamilton
Hamilton graduates who took Latin American studies courses have pursued careers in a variety of fields, including:
- Primary Pediatric Physician, Pediatrics of Arlington
- Physics Teacher, Teach for America
- Audit Programs Manager, Elysian Energy
- Co-Founder and COO, Moffin
- Senior VP of Strategic Marketing, Bank of America
- Senior Director, KIPP NYC
- Research Associate, George Washington University
- Judicial Law Clerk, Maryland Judiciary
- Social Science Educator, Miami Dade County Public Schools
- Vice President, Global Recruitment, Protis Executive Innovation
Explore Hamilton Stories
Politics in Latin America Class Takes on Wikipedia
Get an inside look into a Latin American studies class thanks to Anna Richardson ’26: "Our class’ largest assignment for the semester is to find and revise a Wikipedia article covering Latin America. Each group [of four] chooses a different topic and corresponding article to revise. Anything from the 1952 Cuban coup d’état to Brazil’s affirmative action policies to the history of feminism in Latin America is fair game."
Wellin Museum Presents René Treviño’s “Stab of Guilt”
The recent Wellin Museum of Art exhibition, "René Treviño: Stab of Guilt," highlights how the artist's multidisciplinary practice encompasses a range of mediums and reflects personal inspirations as well as Treviño’s research into Maya and Aztec history, Catholic symbolism, astronomy, pop culture, and queer theory to recast his heritage and identity in a new light.
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.
Contact
Department Name
Latin American and Latine Studies Program
Contact Name
Marissa Ambio, Program Director
Clinton, NY 13323
