About Us

The Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies at the University of Connecticut advances teaching and learning about Latin America and the Caribbean through formal programs of study, scholarly research and extracurricular activities. The oldest area studies program at the University of Connecticut, Latin American Studies was initiated in the late 1940s through the efforts of two noted Latin Americanists, Nathan Whetten (Rural Sociology) and Robert G. Mead, Jr. (Spanish). Professor Hugh Hamill (History) founded the Center for Latin American Studies in 1974, and fostered the development of the B.A. and M.A. degree programs at UConn. Under his leadership, the Center initiated a pattern of resource sharing and collaboration with Latin American Studies programs at other institutions in southern New England that continues to this day. In 1984, the Center added Caribbean to its formal name, the better to reflect the actual scope of its academic programs and faculty expertise.

The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies draws its faculty from departments throughout the university, ranging from agricultural economics to tropical zoology, with particular strength in the traditional liberal arts disciplines, development studies, and tropical biology. In addition to earning renown for their scholarly credentials, Connecticut faculty have played a major role in the promotion of Latin American Studies regionally and throughout the United States. The University of Connecticut was a founding institutional sponsor of the Latin American Studies Association , the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP), and the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). It also contributed five of the first nine presidents of the New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS) and is a member of the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU).

UConn is a founding member of the Latin American Studies Consortium of New England (LASCNE) in which Brown University, the University of Massachusetts and Yale University collaborate to promote the study of Latin America and the Caribbean. During the nineties, this Consortium was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with funding under Title VI of the Higher Education act as a National Resource Center. The four Consortium members arrange occasional faculty exchanges and share visiting speakers, while graduate students and faculty may use the library resources of all members and students may take courses at any member school. Library privileges may be requested by filling out a Request for Reciprocal Borrowing Privileges.