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Course Offerings: Summer 2025

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The 28th Annual Conference on the Americas will be in the UGA Health Sciences Campus 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.

Amanda Whylie (Entertainment and Media Studies Major & Spanish Minor)
flanked by Aryan Thakur and Garrett Williams (Photo by Stephanie Schupska)

Congratulations to student Amanda Whylie for being selected as one of three UGA Schwarzman Scholars this year, along with Aryan Thakur and alumnus Garrett Williams. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Whylie is majoring in entertainment and media studies in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and pursuing a minor in Spanish in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She has also worked with LACSI Interim Director, Dr. Chad Howe. Starting in August of 2025, she will pursue a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Agave americana, desmetiana, or salmiana? 
Century plant

A light dusting of snow blanketed the garden a couple of weeks ago, creating a striking contrast against plants typically associated with tropical climates. The agave species pictured above has endured many cold nights with minimal damage, demonstrating remarkable resilience.

The mystery now is its exact identity. When I first started in the garden, it was labeled Agave desmetiana , but after double-checking the spelling, I realized this specimen is far too large. Agave americana often suffers damage from freezing temperatures, and Agave salmiana isn’t particularly hardy either.

If you have any thoughts on its identification, please email me at Nunally.Benzing@uga.edu (LAEG Curator)

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.

The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) calls for nominations for its thirteenth annual “CLASP Faculty Teaching Award.” Formerly the “CLASP Junior Faculty Teaching Award,” the award’s name was changed to be more inclusive and to encourage more nominations. However, the award is not for tenured faculty; tenured faculty are not eligible.
 
Eligible faculty include tenure-track, visiting, and adjunct faculty, instructors, lecturers, and professors and teachers, including those at institutions without a tenure system. Nominees must be employed at a CLASP member institution at the time of nomination. Nominations should come from senior or supervising faculty or administrators, but self-nominations with the contact information of three references will be accepted.