Last modified: Friday, March 27, 2009
IU's Latino Studies announces a new doctorate degree minor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Bloomington Latino Studies Program recently announced the approval of its new doctorate degree minor and an $18,000 Dissertation Year Award.
This graduate degree will allow students in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, business, law and education to develop expertise on the historical and contemporary experiences of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Central Americans and other Latin Americans who have immigrated to the United States or who have resided in the U.S. for multiple generations. The program's courses examine Latino communities and experiences within local, national, transnational and diasporic contexts.
With support from the College of Arts and Sciences, the Latino Studies Program will launch its new Doctor of Philosophy minor along with the new College of Arts and Sciences Latino Studies Dissertation Year Award. The $18,000 award includes a fellowship stipend and very modest hourly responsibilities as the editor of a newsletter for Latino Studies and assistant in some outreach events. Applications are due Monday, March 30 -- for more details visit the Latino Studies Web site at https://www.indiana.edu/~latino.
In the past 30 years, Latino and Chicano Studies scholars have transformed knowledge throughout academia, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. The most important contributions have been in the theoretical foundations of traditional disciplines focusing on racial formation, colonial theory, hybridity theory, border theory, identity politics, racism, immigration and migration theory, and Latina/o Critical Race Theory. The Latino Studies Ph.D minor will offer an interdisciplinary space for scholars in traditional academic units to address these areas within a coherent intellectual focus of study.
The need for this program -- located within the College of Arts and Sciences -- is evident in the demographic importance of Latinos and the rise in nationwide demand. Within the United States, the Midwest has experienced the largest growth in Latino population. Between 2000 and 2005 the Latino population increased 117 percent in Indiana alone; nationwide by 58 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2050 close to one in three U.S. residents will be of Latino origin.
Those individuals possessing an enhanced understanding of the largest ethnic group in this country will be better qualified for the job market of the future. With the growing Latino population in Indiana and nationwide, the new doctorate minor will prepare students for working with Latinos after studying the diversity, history, culture and needs of the largest ethnic minority of the U.S. population.
Students in other departments can minor in Latino Studies by completing 12 credit hours of course work directly related to Latino Studies subject matter. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. minor in Latino Studies should visit https://www.indiana.edu/~latino/ for information and application materials.
Completed applications for the Dissertation Year Award are due by Monday, March 30. Application materials include a completed application form (available at https://www.indiana.edu/~latino and at Latino Studies), curriculum vitae, transcripts, dissertation prospectus and two letters of recommendation. Some preference will be given to students doing work related to Latino Studies, but any student with a relationship to this subject area is welcome and encouraged to apply. The award is for students who have advanced to candidacy at the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences.
For more information please contact: Arlene J. Díaz, director, Latino Studies Program, Sycamore Hall 046, ardiaz@indiana.edu or 812-856-1795.
About Latino Studies at IU
The Latino Studies Program is the fruition of more than three decades of student activism and faculty engagement at Indiana University. The mission of Latino Studies is to empower individuals with skills and concepts to better understand Latino communities; to advance innovative research and scholarship on Latino cultures, histories and social conditions; and to engage students, scholars and the larger community in collaborative projects, civic programs and service learning. Latino Studies courses introduce students to the nation's diverse, growing Latino populations, including their histories, cultures, social conditions and aspirations.
