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New book co-edited by emerita professor Angharad N. Valdivia and two alums explores quinceañeras in pop culture

A new collection of essays co-edited by Angharad N. Valdivia, emerita professor of Latina/Latino studies and the Institute of Communications Research, with alumnae Jillian M. Báez (PhD, ’09, communications) and Diana Leon-Boys (PhD, ’20, communications and media studies, Latina/Latino studies minor), explores the increasing visibility of quinceañeras in popular culture. Read full story
Professor Janett Barragán Miranda awarded Campus Research Board grant to study CDC Latina/o health program

Latina/Latino studies professor Janett Barragán Miranda was awarded funding from the Campus Research Board’s Multiracial Democracy program for her project “From the Streets to the Laboratories: How the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1982-1984) Impacted the Latina/o/x Community.” Read full story
LLS academic program coordinator Sean Ettinger honored with Cathy Acevedo Faculty & Staff Award

Dr. Sean Ettinger, the Department of Latina/Latino Studies academic program coordinator, was honored with the 2026 Cathy Acevedo Faculty & Staff Award by La Casa Cultural Latina. The award recognizes faculty or staff who have shown extraordinary commitment to Latina/o students and the campus community. Read full story

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Why Study Latina/Latino Studies?

Professor Mirelsie Velázquez shares the value of the major, favorite spots in Champaign-Urbana, and why the Latina/Latino studies department is the best kept secret on campus in an interview with the College of LAS.

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Highlighted Courses

Intro Latina/Latino Studies

Interdisciplinary introduction to the basis for a Latina/Latino ethnicity in the United States.

LLS 100

Latina/os on the Bronze Screen

Critical, historical, and theoretical exploration of Latina/o representations in U.S. film from the 1900s to the present. Examination of cinematic representations as well as the social, political, and cultural context in which those representations are produced.

LLS 250

Latinas/os & Public Policy

Examines the effectiveness of current U.S. public policies in addressing the social, economic, and political problems affecting Latina/o individuals and communities. Specifically, it evaluates current policy in the areas of public assistance, fair housing, criminal justice, immigration enforcement, and reproductive health.

LLS 368

Race, Medicine, and Society

Examine the historical significance of race through medicine. Specifically, it will be concerned with "race" as a central category in the medical construction and management of individuals and populations. Case studies might focus on colonial medicine, race and public health, sexuality and reproduction, global health disparities, and genetics and genomics.

LLS 479

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Alumni spotlight: Celina Villanueva, '08, Illinois State Senator

This past summer I was given the opportunity to interview LLS alum Celina Villanueva (BA, ’08, Latina/Latino studies) who represents Illinois' 12th District in the Illinois State Senate. Sen. Villanueva represents much of the southwest side of Chicago, including her home neighborhood of Little Village and other neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Brighton Park. She began attending U of I in 2003 and graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s in Latina/o studies. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she went on to work for the Illinois Migrant Coucil and the Illinois Coalition...

Faculty spotlight: José A. de la Garza Valenzuela

José A. de la Garza Valenzuela focuses on fiction by gay Chicano writers and his current research investigates the legal underpinnings of queer migrant narrative to shed light on experiences of migration and residence in the U.S. inaccessible through the state’s legal archive.

Department of Latina/Latino Studies