With a myriad of courses, centers, and programs, Tulane University is committed to cutting-edge research on Latin America. Students can enroll in a variety of courses about Latin America—ranging from geography to communication, art history, political science, and anthropology—and also visit special collections, gain hands on experience, and attend programs and events centered on Latin America through the university’s many resources. On average, more than 700 students enroll in courses with Latin American Studies content across all schools. Here are just a few of Tulane's Latin American centers and programs.
Middle American Research Institute (M.A.R.I.)
Founded in 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (M.A.R.I.) strives to promote greater understanding of the vibrant and diverse cultures of Middle America. It stewards an extensive collection of textiles, artifacts, and an archive of letters, field notes, maps, and photographs from the scores of field projects it has sponsored and continues to sponsor, and strives to make these accessible to researchers and the general public through a variety of exhibitions, workshops, and symposia.
Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies
The Stone Center coordinates the research and teaching activities of more than 120 affiliated faculty, 70 of which are core faculty, in schools and departments across several Tulane campuses. In addition, the center’s students and faculty benefit from a network of contacts with public officials, non-governmental organizations, and academic leaders in Latin America. The Stone Center also has very strong regional expertise in Brazilian Studies and Cuban & Caribbean Studies.
Latin American Studies Program, School of Liberal Arts
The Bachelor of Latin American Studies curriculum focuses on achieving an interdisciplinary understanding of the region relative to an increasingly globalizing world. Students also have the opportunity to pursue graduate degrees in this field, for which curriculum in Latin American Studies is dependent upon the student’s particular research interests. While all areas of interdisciplinary research on Latin America are welcome, Tulane has developed significant faculty strengths in Economics, Politics, and Society and Arts, Media, Culture, and Politics.
Latin American Library, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library
The Latin American Library (LAL) works to generate scholarly community, building on the historical connections between New Orleans and the Americas. By responsibly collecting, preserving, and providing access to historical and contemporary resources on Latin America, the Caribbean, and diasporic communities, LAL strives to be central to the processes of discovery and dissemination of knowledge at Tulane University.