Chicano/Latino Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to examine the historical and contemporary experiences of Americans of Latino origin or ancestry. This diverse population includes people who trace their heritage to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and other Latin American and Caribbean nations. The curriculum seeks to provide an awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the language, history, culture, literature, sociology, anthropology, politics, social ecology, health, medicine, and creative (art, dance, drama, film, music) accomplishments of Chicano/Latino communities. The Department offers a B.A. degree in Chicano/Latino Studies, an undergraduate minor, and a graduate emphasis.

Change of Major. Students who wish to change their major to Chicano/Latino Studies should contact the Department office for information about change of major requirements, procedures, and policies. Information is also available at http://www.changeofmajor.uci.edu.

Center for Research on Latinos in a Global Society

Interdisciplinary research in Chicano/Latino Studies is conducted under the auspices of the Center for Research on Latinos in a Global Society (CRLGS). Its multifold goals are (1) to examine the emerging role of Latinos as actors in global economic, political, and cultural events; (2) to promote Latino scholarship; (3) to enhance the quality of research in Latino studies; (4) to provide a forum for intellectual exchange and the dissemination of research finding; and (5) to promote the participation of undergraduate and graduate students in research on Latino issues. The use of the term "global society" underscores the faculty's perception that, as a society, the United States is becoming "globalized," meaning that it is increasingly affected by worldwide economic, political, demographic, and cultural forces and that Latinos are at the center of this. Latinos in the United States, individually and as a sociopolitical group, play important roles in the multiple processes—immigration, trade, international capital flow, and international political movements—which are changing the traditional demarcation between domestic and foreign, and national and international politics, economics, and society.

Scholarship Opportunities

The Jeff Garcilazo Fellowship/Scholarship Fund, named in honor and memory of the late Chicano/Latino Studies and History professor, was established to provide opportunities for students to examine the historical and contemporary experiences of Latinos. Funds are awarded to current UCI students.

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), formerly the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, awards scholarships annually to students enrolled in and attending an accredited college full-time from the fall through the spring (or summer) terms.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Many career opportunities exist for students who graduate with a B.A. degree in Chicano/Latino Studies, such as service with national and international organizations which seek knowledge of American multicultural society in general, and of Chicanos/Latinos in particular; positions as area specialists with state and federal government agencies; careers in the private sector with corporations or private organizations which have a significant portion of their activities in the U.S. and Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, and other Latin American countries; and positions of service and leadership within Chicano/Latino communities such as education, human services, law, health fields, journalism, and public policy. Students may also continue their education and pursue professional or graduate degrees. Employers and admission officers understand that many of their employees and graduates will one day work in communities with significant Chicano/Latino populations, and for this reason they give due consideration to applicants who have in-depth knowledge of Chicano/Latino culture.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE

Participating Faculty

Leo R. Chávez: International migration, Latin American immigrants, medical anthropology, transnational communities, cultural analysis of popular images

Gilberto Q. Conchas: Inequality with emphasis on urban schooling systems

Louis DeSipio: American politics, ethnic politics, Latino politics and public policy

Cynthia Feliciano: Race/ethnicity, education, immigration

Raúl Fernández: Economic and cultural transactions between the U.S. and Latin America

Lisa García Bedolla: Chicana-Latina studies, American politics, race and ethnicity

Gilbert González: Ethnic/Chicano historical studies, the political economy of education and Latin American studies

Rodrigo Lazo: U.S. literature and the Americas; Latino studies; U.S. immigrant literature; the nineteenth century; Cuba and Cuban American studies

Michael J. Montoya: Social inequality and health; race and ethnicity; social and cultural studies of science, technology, and medicine; the participation of ethnic populations in biomedical research; the U.S./Mexican border, critical bioethics

Alejandro Morales: Latin American and Chicano literature, film studies, creative writing

Leticia Oseguera: Stratification of American higher education, the civic role of higher education, college transitions, and baccalaureate degree attainment for underrepresented groups

Ana Rosas: Labor history, immigration, family studies

Vicki L. Ruiz: Twentieth-century U.S. history specializing in Chicana/Chicano studies, Latina history, oral narratives, gender studies, labor, and California and the West

Rodolfo D. Torres: Urban politics, the State and class structures, studies in racism and inequality, poverty and social policy

Deborah Vargas: Chicana/Latina cultural production; racialized sexualities; transnational feminisms; cultural studies; popular culture

James Diego Vigil: Urban, psychology, socialization and educational anthropology, sociocultural change, urban poverty, Mexico and U.S. Southwest ethnography, and comparative ethnicity

Maria Estela Zarate: College-access issues, Latino educational issues, and education policy

The Department of Chicano/Latino Studies offers an emphasis in Chicano/Latino Studies, which is available in conjunction with the Ph.D. programs in the Departments of Anthropology; Criminology, Law and Society; Education; English; History; Political Science; Planning, Policy, and Design; Sociology; Spanish and Portuguese; and Women's Studies; and the program in Social Science. Satisfactory completion of the emphasis is certified by the Chair of Chicano/Latino Studies and is noted in the student's dossier.

ADMISSION

Applicants must first be admitted to, or currently enrolled in, one of the participating programs listed above. Applicants must submit to the Chicano/Latino Graduate Program Committee (1) an application form listing prior undergraduate and graduate course work related to Chicano/Latino Studies (if any), institutions attended, and major(s); and (2) a one- to two-page statement of purpose, including career objectives, areas of interest and research, and record of research, teaching, community, and/or creative work.

The Committee determines admissions, in consultation with the Chicano/Latino Studies core faculty, based upon the extent to which the applicant's research interests relate to Chicano/Latino Studies, the applicant's previous course work, and research or other experience related to Chicano/Latino Studies. Lack of prior course work does not preclude admission, so long as the statement of research interests is congruent with the graduate emphasis and makes a compelling case.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum course work for the graduate emphasis in Chicano/Latino Studies consists of four courses: two core courses, Chicano/Latino Studies 200A and 200B, a coherent sequence normally taken in consecutive quarters; and any two courses selected from the list of graduate courses in Chicano/Latino Studies.

For doctoral students, the qualifying examination and dissertation topic should incorporate U.S. Latinos and/or issues relevant to Chicano/Latino Studies as a central focus of analysis. One member of the candidate's dissertation committee should be a core or affiliate faculty of the Chicano/Latino Studies Department.