Through Pitt\u2019s Center of Latin American Studies, students can gain an understanding and context of U.S.-Latin American relations, including issues affecting Latinx communities and current conflicts in Latin America.<\/p>\n
Amid ICE raids and enforcement across the nation<\/a>, more people are seeking to learn<\/a> about Latino and Hispanic language, history and culture. Pitt\u2019s Center for Latin American Studies<\/a> and Certificate in Latin American Studies<\/a> gives students the chance to dive into its neighbors\u2019 experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n Luis Van Fossen Bravo, the associate director of CLAS, said the certificate was created in the 1960s<\/a> to give students a place to learn more about Latin America and conduct research related to the region.<\/p>\n \u201cThe center was looking at ways to kind of give students training about Latin America,\u201d Bravo said. \u201cOne of the things that actually kind of created the movement towards the creation of the certificate was the seminar and field trip<\/a> in which students take a class during the spring semester, and then they go to the field for six weeks to carry out the research project that they created.\u201d<\/p>\n Enrollment for the certificate peaked in the mid 2000s, with over 200 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the certificate, according to Ana Paula Carvalho, assistant director for academic affairs. In recent years, the certificate has seen a decline in enrollment rates. The certificate itself takes 15 credits and can be fulfilled through a variety of courses<\/a>. It has a requirement of three years studying Spanish, Portuguese, Quechua or Haitian Creole and a study abroad component that may be fulfilled by participation in the CLAS Undergraduate Seminar\/Field Trip<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Audrey Maize, CLAS student ambassador and a junior triple major in political science, Arabic and Latin American Studies, said she appreciates the flexibility of course work that the certificate and CLAS programs<\/a> offer.<\/p>\n \u201cWhereas another major or certificate would have you take core classes and elective classes that are all about whatever your major is, the Center for Latin American Studies allows you to take classes that are both in your major and outside of it,\u201d Maize said.<\/p>\n Karen Goldman, who teaches one of the courses that counts towards the certificate, SPAN 0082, \u201cLatin America Today<\/a>,\u201d said her goal is for students to have a more informed perspective on real world issues relating to Latin American studies.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is for students to come away from the class with a really enhanced understanding of the countries in Latin America and also the relationship between<\/a> U.S. history and Latin American history and how those impact each other today,\u201d Goldman said.<\/p>\n As Latin America becomes more central in U.S. political discourse<\/a>, Goldman aims to give her students historical context and a more nuanced education that will allow them to engage in civic discussions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Latin America is much, much more on the radar of US-based people in light of the Trump administration policies towards<\/a> Latin America,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cFor example, the situation in Venezuela<\/a> is something that people might not know a lot about. Argentina<\/a> is a country that was pretty much off the U.S. radar for many years, and now it is very much front and center. Bad Bunny, as a Puerto Rican singing at the Super Bowl<\/a> or winning<\/a> all these Grammys and making political statements<\/a>, is crucial, and students need context for these kinds of events.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the variety of academic offerings, Bravo said the CLAS offers community support for its students and the larger Pittsburgh area as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the Latin American and Caribbean festival<\/a> coming up in March. We organize it every year, and it has become a pillar of the community,\u201d Bravo said. \u201cWe also have grants that we can provide to students. For instance, the 20th annual Brazilian festival<\/a> on Saturday [Feb. 14] is organized by Brazil Nuts<\/a> Club at Pitt, so we have specific grants for club activities.\u201d<\/p>\n Students who participate in the programs in CLAS come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, Carvalho said. Part of what ties them together, then, is the community they find at CLAS.<\/p>\n \u201cIndependently, the students are all from different majors. They have different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, but they do find this community in common,\u201d Carvalho said. \u201cA lot of times we have students that say that the Center is like their second home.\u201d<\/p>\n Carvalho hopes the Center can serve as a space for students who need support of any kind.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always tell our students, if you\u2019re sad or if you just need to talk, come to us. We are good listeners. If we can help, we can help in many ways. And that\u2019s across the center \u2014 all the staff will do that, and our students will help other students as well,\u201d Carvalho said.<\/p>\n John Trabulsi, a CLAS student ambassador and senior Spanish major at Pitt with a certificate in Latin American studies, said he feels a responsibility to support immigrant communities in Pittsburgh<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel obligated to help people in our community, to make sure our students are aware of what\u2019s happening<\/a>, to make sure immigrants in the community around us are safe,\u201d Trabulsi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, we have about 49 students. The numbers have been declining for a variety of reasons,\u201d Carvalho said. \u201cSome of it was because of decline in the language programs<\/a> across the board, not just in our certificate. Then later, of course, the pandemic was another big hit that kind of brought it down a little bit as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n