Latin American and Latinx Studies

Pura vida! Students conduct field research in Costa Rica.

The Chicago Latino Film Festival, the largest U.S. film festival with a focus on Latin America and Latinos, features over 100 films in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and English. For several years, Lake Forest College has been a partner venue, working with the Latino Cultural Center of Chicago to bring their films to Chicago's North Shore.

Encompassing Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Hispanic Caribbean, Latin America has grown enormously in economic and cultural importance to the United States. Immigration, trade, travel, literary production, and popular culture—these are just a few of the ways in which Latin America is affecting the lives of Americans and just a few of the things our students and faculty are studying.

Many of our Latin American Studies students participate in the Border Studies Program, or take advantage of study abroad programs in Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, and Uruguay.