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"The Department of Latina/Latino Studies is a higher education miracle and gem"

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Department of Latina/Latino Studies. We caught up with former professor Alejandro Lugo, who was there at the beginning in 1996 and played a significant role in the formation of the program. We asked him to share his favorite memories, reflect on the importance of the anniversary and tell us about what he's working on now. Read his interview. Read full story
A protest. A program. A legacy.

More than 450 people joined a 1992 protest demanding greater institutional support for Latina/o students. Their activism helped create the Department of Latina/Latino Studies, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026. Read full story
Professor Mirelsie Velázquez elected to leadership of Puerto Rican Studies Association

She'll serve as vice president from 2027-28, before serving as president in 2029-30. She currently serves on the executive committee of the association as an at-large representative. 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/o Anthropology

Examine the contemporary cultures and communities of Latinas and Latinos in the United States. In particular, we will explore the experiences of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, and Cubans in the United States.

LLS 259

Visualizing Borderlands

This course examines how borders are represented, visualized, maintained, and contested in media, art, and literature. Students will explore how artists, activists, and communities represent, navigate, and reimagine borderlands as sites of struggle, creativity, and belonging.

LLS 396

Empiring Central America: Migration and Belonging

Why do Central Americans leave home and risk their lives to cross borders? This course examines the root causes of migration. Using history, culture, lived experience, political struggle, forms of resistance, diaspora, and transnational life as analytical frameworks, students will examine migration from Central America.

LLS 396

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Alumni Spotlight

LLS and anthropology alumna Teresa Ramos, (BA, ’04; MA, ’08; PhD, ’12), first secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood

LLS and anthropology alumna Teresa Ramos (BA, ’04; MA, ’08; PhD, ’12; anthropology with a minor in Latina/Latino studies) has been named the first secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Ramos is currently the first assistant deputy governor for education in Governor JB Pritzker’s office. Pending state Senate approval, Ramos will begin her new role in January and the department will be fully operational by the summer of 2026. The department combines programs currently overseen by several other state agencies including oversight and funding of preschool programs and...

Faculty Spotlight

Elena Guzman

Elena Guzman is an Afro-Boricua documentary filmmaker, educator, and anthropologist. She is currently writing her book manuscript tentatively titled, "Chimera Geographies: Spiritual Borderland Performances of the Afro-Caribbean," which focuses on the way Black women and non-binary people throughout the African diaspora use ritual performance in African diaspora religions.

Department of Latina/Latino Studies