University of California, Santa Cruz - Department of Latin American and Latino Studies

The Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) at UC Santa Cruz centers the interconnected experiences and perspectives of Latin American and Latinx communities as a foundation for intellectual analysis and engaged research. **Our impact** Our department was first founded as a program of study in 1994. In 2011, we launched our doctoral program, the first in the world to link Latin American and Latino studies. Our curriculum and research initiatives have grown to include a wide array of perspectives and disciplines, mirroring the dynamic evolution of the communities we study. We are committed to transformative research, teaching, advising, and mentoring that advance our understanding of how these communities’ dreams and realities are shaped by migration and mobilities; inequalities, identities, and intersectionality; race and ethnicity; social and political transitions; and culture, power, and knowledge. LALS is a space for dialogues that link the histories, societies, cultures, ideas, and experiences of Latinxs and Latin American peoples in California, the United States, hemispherically, and globally. **Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion** As an interdisciplinary department within a Hispanic-Serving Institution, our mission and vision emerge from the diverse communities that the university serves. We aim to cultivate an academic and supportive environment that fosters innovative research, critical thinking, and active community engagement. That includes programs to diversify academia by supporting graduate students who aim to become professors.