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Course Offerings: Summer 2025

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Dear LACSI community,

¡Feliz año nuevo! Feliz ano novo! Kusisqa mosoq wata!

As we start off the spring semester, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute is excited to welcome all its new and returning faculty and students. With the new year comes a host of new opportunities, all of which we hope will include the various members of UGA’s Latin Americanist community.

In 2024, LACSI was at the center of a number of exciting events and initiatives, including the exhibition “Dancing with the Devils: Latin American Masks Traditions” on loan from the Center for Latin American Studies’ Andean and Amazonian Cultural Artifacts Collection at The Ohio State University. Additionally, LACSI sponsored visits by scholars and artists from around the world who came to UGA to share their expertise. Our faculty and students also continued to be recognized for their own outstanding contributions to Latin American and Caribbean Studies, both at UGA and beyond. LACSI strives to serve as a hub for promoting and encouraging work on Latin America and the Caribbean, and our collective accomplishments last year stand as evidence to this commitment. ¡Felicidades a todos!

Looking forward, LACSI is preparing to expand our efforts as we lay the groundwork for what will be competitive submissions for the Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) and Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) grants. These efforts will require the voices of the entire LACSI community, and we hope that you will consider joining us in making this initiative as successful as possible. Additionally, we have again scheduled a range of exciting events for this semester, including research talks by Dr. Kent Eaton from the University of California Santa Cruz; Dr. Katie Sobering from the University of North Texas; Dr. Ariel Wilkis from IDAES, Universidad de San Martín, Argentina; and Dr. Analiese Richard from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Cuajimalpa, México, among others. We will host a book presentation for our very own Dr. Diana Graizbord who recently published Indicators of Democracy: The Politics and Promise of Evaluation Expertise in Mexico  (2024, Stanford University Press), and will again host the 28th  Annual Conference on the Americas, scheduled for February 21-22 on the UGA Health Sciences Campus, with keynote speaker Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey from the CDC. These, and many soon-to-be announced initiatives, should offer plenty of opportunities for engagement with LACSI during Spring 2025.

Please consider visiting us at the Casa Amarilla/Casa Amarela/Q’ellu Wasi, perhaps to participate in one of our Weekly Conversation Tables (Spanish and Quechua) or to share some ideas on ways that LACSI might contribute to furthering Latin American and Caribbean studies across campus. We look forward to greeting you all soon!

¡Hasta pronto! Até logo! Ratukama

Chad, Jorge, and Carla

Congratulations to Dr. Cristiane Lira , Portuguese Academic Professional in the Department of Romance Languages and LACSI Core Faculty, for receiving the Franklin College Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

The award recognizes “a faculty member in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences who has through sustained commitment to high-quality instruction in undergraduate teaching made a life-changing impact on students.” With high student involvement, the award will support Dr. Lira’s career development and opportunities to enhance teaching and research activities.

Helianthus annuus
El girasol
Sunflower

As we step into the new year, we are thrilled to share some extraordinary news . The Exposition Foundation has awarded us a generous grant that will help fund the garden for the next five years.

This incredible support comes at a pivotal time, enabling us to continue our mission of education and outreach that celebrates the rich ethnobotanical knowledge of the Americas. Thanks to this grant, we can ensure that this vital work will continue uninterrupted.

We are deeply grateful to The Exposition Foundation for recognizing the importance of our work and investing in the future of the garden. Their support not only secures the curator position but also empowers us to expand our outreach, enhance our exhibits, and inspire a deeper appreciation for the profound relationship between plants and culture.

In the words of Paul Duncan , LACSI's former Associate Director for more than two decades, "the LACSI-Exposition Foundation relationship dates back to the early 2000s. Throughout all these years, the Foundation's love for the LAE Garden has translated into several grants that are closely tied to the success of this space."  

Stay tuned for updates as we put this grant to work and bring exciting new initiatives to life!

- Nunally Benzing  (LAEG Curator)

The 28th Annual Conference on the Americas will be in the Miller Learning Center to be held on February 21 & 22, 2025 and hosted by the University of Georgia

This conference  provides a venue in which faculty and students from the University System of Georgia (USG) can engage and share their interest and expertise regarding the Caribbean, Latin America and Canada.

Held annually for the past 27 years, we explore critical socio-cultural, political, economic, health, environmental, global, regional and national issues. While the focus of this conference is primarily for university/college faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to showcase their research on the Americas.

The yearly CLASP Teaching Award for K-12 Educators recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Latin America and/or the Caribbean among elementary, middle, and high school teachers. 

Teachers and administrators are invited to view the call for applications below.