Latina/o Studies (LS) faculty are committed to employing comparative and transnational studies, informed by interdisciplinary theories and methodologies, to effectively grasp the past, present, and future experiences of Latinas/os in the U.S. This approach is reflected throughout LS course offerings, research, and sponsored events.
Founded in 1984, LS offers an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to the study of Latina/o history, politics, culture, social relations, and artistic expression within the U.S. and in transnational perspective. The faculty consist of jointly appointed core and many affiliated faculty in various departments and Schools (such as Natural Resources and Environment, Nursing, Public Health, and Social Work) to provide richly varied undergraduate and graduate curricula and mentoring in humanities, social scientific, health, and scientific fields. The Latina/o Studies Program is housed in the Department of American Culture, where faculty and students enjoy scholarly collaboration and dialogue with members of other ethnic studies units. LS also maintains close ties to the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, and to other interdisciplinary units and initiatives, such as the National Center for Institutional Diversity.
For a longer history of the Latina/o Studies Program, please see Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes's article “Latina/o Studies at the University of Michigan: Negotiating Inclusion and Exclusion in the Midwest.” (Special issue on “Building Latina/o/x Studies: Case Samples from the Midwest,” ed. Lucía M. Suárez. Diálogo: An Interdisciplinary Studies Journal 24.2 (Fall 2021): 57-78.)
