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Community Resources

We've put together a list of campus, local, and national resources on harassment and discrimination, immigration, and wellness to support our community.

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Professor José A. de la Garza Valenzuela's book shows how ‘lawful fictions’ are used to manage immigration, citizenship

Professor José A. de la Garza Valenzuela looks at the experiences of queer migrants, and at how immigration practices shape particular fictions about them, in his new book “Queer in a Legal Sense: Brown Citizenship and Other Lawful Fictions.” Read full story Professor José A. de la Garza Valenzuela's book shows how ‘lawful fictions’ are used to manage immigration, citizenship
Professor Natalie Lira receives Humanities Research Lab Award from HRI and OUR

Professor Natalie Lira was awarded the Humanities Research Lab Award by the Humanities Research Institute and Office of Undergraduate Research to transform the course LLS 100: Introduction to Latina/o Studies into a local community-based research experience. Read full story Professor Natalie Lira receives Humanities Research Lab Award from HRI and OUR
Professor Elena Guzman joins the Department of Latina/Latino Studies

This spring, the Department of Latina/Latino Studies welcomes assistant professor Elena Guzman. Professor Guzman's research studies ritual art and performance in the Afro-Caribbean. She also creates films that focus on the metaphysical and ethereal experiences of African diaspora spirituality. Read a Q&A with Guzman to learn more about her research. Read full story Professor Elena Guzman joins the Department of Latina/Latino Studies

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Why Study Latina/Latino Studies?

Professor Mirelsie Velázquez shares the value of the major, favorite spots in Champaign-Urbana, and why the Latina/Latino studies department is the best kept secret on campus in an interview with the College of LAS.

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Highlighted Courses

Intro Latina/Latino Studies

Interdisciplinary introduction to the basis for a Latina/Latino ethnicity in the United States.

LLS 100

Latina/os on the Bronze Screen

Critical, historical, and theoretical exploration of Latina/o representations in U.S. film from the 1900s to the present. Examination of cinematic representations as well as the social, political, and cultural context in which those representations are produced.

LLS 250

Latinas/os & Public Policy

Examines the effectiveness of current U.S. public policies in addressing the social, economic, and political problems affecting Latina/o individuals and communities. Specifically, it evaluates current policy in the areas of public assistance, fair housing, criminal justice, immigration enforcement, and reproductive health.

LLS 368

Commodifying Difference

An interdisciplinary examination of how racial, ethnic and gender difference is negotiated through media and popular culture, and how racial, ethnic and gendered communities use cultural forms to express identity and difference.

LLS 435

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Upcoming events

Alumni spotlight: C. Lucio, '17, executive assistant to the general superintendent for participatory budgeting at the Chicago Park District

C. Lucio (BA, '17, Latina/Latino studies and anthropology) is the executive assistant to the general superintendent for participatory budgeting at the Chicago Park District. Their undergraduate degrees are the foundation of their community-centered approach to participatory budgeting. They said LLS and anthropology provided them with a critical lens and historical context to understand how power, race, and equity shape urban planning.

Faculty spotlight: Gilberto Rosas

Gilberto Rosas's research interests include “the state,” racism and its broad complexities, critical ethnography, and experimental writing.

Department of Latina/Latino Studies