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About CLACS
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) serves students, faculty and scholars from across the University of Illinois campus, along with communities across Illinois and the Midwest, by promoting innovative research, specialist teaching, and public awareness of the Latin American and Caribbean region. CLACS is a designated National Resource Center for the 2022-2026 period, supported by the Department of Education under Title VI funding.
- Join us to celebrate the grand reopening of the museum, including premiering new exhibitions—Fragmented Histories: Andean Art Before 1600, created with partners in Peru, and an introduction to New York-based contemporary artist... Read full story Krannert Art Museum: Grand Reopening Celebration!
- On March 15, more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants were accused of engagement in gang activity and deported from the U.S. — not to Venezuela, but to El Salvador, some 1,600 miles away from their home country. Ellen Moodie, an anthropology professor at the... Read full story Why were Venezuelan immigrants sent to El Salvador?
- We’re thrilled to share new photos from the LAST 395: Archaeology Field School in Peru, where students are currently conducting hands-on research at the archaeological site of Cerro Blanco, a historic Chancay Administrative Center in central Peru.Led by Professor Kasia... Read full story LAST International Program: Field School in Peru 2025
Professor Carlos Carrillo Joins New England Philharmonic as Composer-in-Residence
We are thrilled to announce that Associate Professor of Composition-Theory Carlos Carrillo has been appointed Composer-in-Residence with the New England Philharmonic. This prestigious role recognizes his exceptional contributions to contemporary classical music and his commitment to enriching the cultural landscape.
Upcoming Events
Explore our Courses
Title
LEARN Q'ANJOB'AL WITH US! TITAN HAKUY Q'ANJOBAL JETOQ!
Q’anjob’al is a living Maya language spoken in Guatemala and growing communities in the U.S. Studying it opens the door to understanding Mesoamerican Indigenous heritage, Maya worldviews, and cultural practices. It’s especially valuable for educators, researchers, and professionals working with Maya communities.
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COME LEARN QUECHUA! HAMUYCHIK RUNASIMI YACHARIKUQ!
Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, with 8–9 million speakers across six Andean countries. Learning Quechua offers valuable insight into Indigenous heritage, Andean worldviews, and linguistic structure. It’s especially useful for researchers, educators, and professionals working in the region.
Topics in Q'anjob'al Language and the Community (Spring B Last 395)
This course is an introduction to the Mayan language and community of Guatemala known as Q’anjob’al. It is designed to provide students with an overview of the Q’anjob’al speakers and their complex everyday sociocultural interactions.
Beginner Quechua 1 (QUEC 410, CRN 77348)
An introduction to the largest indigenous language family of the Americas. This course focuses on the Southern Quechua variety, spoken from southern Peru through Bolivia, up to northern Argentina.
Que Pasa in Latin America? (LAST 170)
Introduction to Latin America offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the ways of life of Latin American peoples, their origins, historical legacies, and current cultural expressions.
Life in the Andes (LAST 210, CRN 78201)
An overview of contemporary Andean culture, as practiced by the people in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
Beginning Q'anjob'al I (LAST 445)
This introductory course offers a foundation in Q’anjob’al, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and southern Mexico. Designed for beginners, the course emphasizes basic vocabulary, pronunciation, reading and conversational skills.
Archaeology Field School in Peru (LAST 395)
This course is an archaeological field school where students will have the opportunity to engage in innovative original research at the archaeological site of Cerro Blanco, a Chancay Administrative Center located in central Peru.
Social & Environmental Issues (CRN 76846)
Introduction to how people interact with the natural environment from a social science perspective. Covering population change, political economy, technology, policy, and institutional perspectives in addressing global environmental issues.
Gender & Environment in the Amazon (NRES 598)
Scholarship across environmental justice, political ecology, gender studies, and environmental politics is increasingly drawing attention to the problem of violence against land and environmental defenders. In addition to creating a theoretical foundation, this course will provide an opportunity for students to be involved in organizing and hosting a workshop with women defenders from Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil in May 2025
Modern Judaism: Religion, Culture, Politics (REL 494, CRN 76930)
What is the relation of Judaism and the individual Jew to the modern world? Is Judaism a religion, a nationality, an ethnicity, or a combination of these? This course explores various answers to these questions by examining various historical and cultural formations of Jewish identity in Europe, the Americas/Caribbean, Asia, and Africa.
ARTS OF COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA (ARTH 342, LAST 342)
Embark on a journey through the history, stylistic evolutions, and thematic movements of Latin American visual cultures from the 16th to the early 19th centuries.The course brings into focus themes like pictorial constructions of race, indigenous workshops and traditions, the emergence of art academies, pictorial portrayals of gender, and the birth of creole nationalist identities.
Senior Seminar MEXICAN MURALISM (ARTH 495)
This seminar dives into the origins, forces, and creative boom of paintings that defined the Mexican Mural Renaissance of the early 20th century. While spotlighting the movement’s famed figures such as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, we also explore the overlooked contributions of women muralists and the lasting impact on later artists and artistic collectives.
Context in International Interventions (ABE 232 - CRN 75460 / AFST 233 - CRN 75542))
Learn how the influences of culture, economy, education, politics, and mechanical proficiency can be incorporated into design decision-making to improve outcomes and adoption. The course uses a case study from rural Nigeria to examine the impact of societal context on technical design.