August 19, 1994 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408/459-2495)

EDUCATORS IN LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES AT UC SANTA CRUZ ANNOUNCE CHANGES IN PROGRAM NAME AND CURRICULUM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--The Latin American studies program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been renamed Latin American and Latino studies in a change that reflects the integration of the study of Chicano and Latino populations within the United States.

The new name is part of a reorganization designed to encompass the study of Spanish-speaking people in the United States and those of Latin American heritage, says program coordinator Julianne Burton-Carvajal, a professor of Spanish literature. "We needed to change the name and direction of the program to reflect the centrality of cross-border studies," says Burton-Carvajal. "Area studies as historically conceived was a by-product of cold war geopolitics. The changes in name and orientation of our major reflect new realities on the local, national, and international scene."

As part of a move toward gaining departmental status, the curriculum and major have been expanded to include cross-border issues that have developed with the emergence of "greater Latin America"--a region that extends from the southwestern United States to the southern tip of South America. Although the curriculum will remain rooted in the historical phenomena that shaped the region, the new, broader focus will allow students to address contemporary issues such as globalization, transnationalization, and the ways in which groups reproduce their regional culture in binational settings.

The changes include the establishment of two overlapping concentrations within the program for students who major in Latin American and Latino studies. Students can choose to concentrate on "politics and society," which has a social science focus, or on "culture and society," which is largely oriented toward the arts and humanities. In addition, students who choose the "intensive concentration" do extensive course work in both areas. Students who major in Latin American and Latino studies are required to speak, read, and write in Spanish or Portuguese. Beginning this fall, students will also have the option of declaring a minor in Latin American and Latino studies.

(This release is also available on UC NewsWire, the University of California's electronic news service. To access by modem, dial 1- 209-244-6971.)

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