Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program expands students’ horizons

Three years ago, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program was a new concept to the GC&SU campus.

Jeffrey Blick, professor of sociology and government, came up with the concept for the program under the suggestion of the Americas Council of the University System of Georgia.

However, in the short amount of time that has passed since its original conception, the program now has ten students enrolled and has produced two students who will be awarded certificates on Friday, September 16.

According to the program’s coordinator, Assistant Professor of Spanish Rossana Pattroni, knowledge of the Latin Americas is becoming a greater need for people of the United States, especially those living in Georgia.

“Georgia is trying to be key in relations with Latin America and the U. S., whereas this position was previously held by Miami, FL.,” said Pattroni. “Especially with things such as the Free Trade Agreement, commerce, and trade jobs to be considered.”

In recent times, U. S. exports to Latin America have grown 15 times faster than exports to Europe, and eight times as much as exports to Japan. Mexico has become the United States’ third largest trading partner; the U.S. accounts for 60 percent of all foreign investments in Mexico and has an estimated 2,600 companies

operating south of the border, according to the program’s Web site.

This is the only program offered by GC&SU that focuses solely on Latin America. The programs, courses, and curriculum the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program offers is determined by a committee composed of professors Jesse Hingson, Catherine Moses, Blick and Pattroni.

For students who opt to enroll in the program, expect to be immersed in the history of Latin America, their literature, a study of the area’s indigenous people and current events.

“Those who enroll will also be exposed the repercussions of certain events in the history of Latin America, and the reality of these events,” said Pattroni. “Students can also study abroad with the program. We have one student who went to Mexico for the summer and another who will be studying in Nicaragua for a year.”

As many Georgians are aware, the Latin population has skyrocketed in the past few years. It is estimated that in the last decade alone, this figure has increased by 300 percent. Officials estimate that 500,000 Latinos live in Georgia alone, which gives the state the third largest growth rate in Latino population next to Texas and Florida. With this in mind, it isn’t hard to understand

why so many young people are studying Spanish as a second language.

“For students who have had four semesters in Spanish, we hope that this is something they would consider minoring in, because completion of four semesters in the language satisfies a large portion of the requirements to join this program,” said Pattroni.

The first two students who will be awarded certificates from the program are Spanish major Tabitha Johnson and history major David Blackwood.

“I chose the Latin American Studies Program because it was a perfect mix of my two majors: history and Spanish,” Blackwood said. “I heard about the Latin American Studies Program from one of my Spanish professors and thought that it would be interesting. I plan to work as a missionary in Latin America and believe the courses I have taken have given me a deeper understanding of Latin American culture and history. This knowledge allows me to see issues that affect the region from more than just a U.S. perspective, and I believe that this knowledge will also help me be effective in my future work in the region.”

The ceremony will take place in 114 Terrell Hall, at 3:00 p.m. More information on the eligibility requirements for the program can be found on Pattroni’s Website:

http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~rpattron/LACS.htm.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 16 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry