Learning Abroad in Chicano-Latino Studies

This advising resource highlights some of the study abroad programs that fit well for the Chicano & Latino Studies major or minor. Many options are open to you.

Consider a study abroad program that includes structured experiences outside the United States. While our curriculum focuses on the Mexican American experience within the US borders, we have always had a transnational perspective. Our history is filled with stories of conquest, colonization, and migration. Chicanas/os came into being through US empire-building processes. Because the wealth and power of this nation is in part the result of socioeconomic exploitation, the Chicano Studies curriculum values experiential knowledge, community engagement, and critical thinking. Students who study abroad often gain insights into cultural dynamics, social and political processes, and the historical significance of diverse peoples’ unequal relationships to (and within) the US.

Academic Planning

Review the following suggestions from the Department of Chicano & Latino Studies before beginning your study abroad research.

Align study abroad with your personal, academic, and professional goals

• Foster a critical worldview & increase your commitment to social justice issues.
• Enhance analytical and critical thinking skills through real world experiences.
• Globalize your worldview and expand your problem-solving skills.
• Deepen your respect for diversity and your understanding of your role in a diverse world.
• Improve your language and research skills.
• Begin to imagine ways to turn theory into actions that are specific, concrete, individualized, and unique.
• Experience language, media, and popular culture within their social and historical contexts.
• Prepare yourself for a life of engagement as an effective global and local citizen. Gain confidence in yourself personally and professionally. Forge international friendships.

Choose your study abroad experience wisely

• No program is “best” for everyone. Selecting the best program for your needs and interests is important, and it can take time. The trick is to find the right learning abroad option for you.
• Study abroad will challenge your assumptions, deepen your knowledge, and broaden your understanding of the US and the world.

Work on your Chicano & Latino Studies major or minor

The Chicano & Latino Studies program focuses on the particularities of Mexican American experience, history and culture. But it also has a transnational component as well as a central interest in social justice issues. 
Many universities and study abroad programs in other countries offer courses that may be used to complete your major requirements even though they do not focus on life within the US borders. The key is to identify courses that have a historical, social, political, economic, cultural, or media content that would allow us to count them as part of your major. Though each course is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, consider the following recommendations before starting your research:

• Learning abroad courses are most commonly approved as electives toward the Chicano & Latino Studies degree. You might also find a course that fulfills the following upper division courses: Chic 3352, Transnational Theory; Chic 3770, Latino Social Movements; or Chic4275, Theory in Action. 
• The Department of Chicano & Latino Studies encourages border-studies projects and can help you locate sources for these.
• Learning abroad internships or service-learning courses may also be applied toward a Chicano & Latino Studies major with pre-approval from the Department Chair.

• Only upper-division coursework will fulfill elective requirements in the Chicano & Latino Studies major.

Consider timing and length

• There is no “best” time for everyone, Chicano & Latino Studies students can study abroad anytime during their four years.

• Prepare academically. You may need to take language or other prerequisite courses for your chosen program.

• Senior-year study abroad, although common, may require additional planning. When are graduate school applications due? Do you need to take exams given only at particular times of year, or only in the US? Will the grades from your study abroad arrive in time for graduation?
• Consider more than one learning experience abroad.

Seek cultural immersion

• Deep involvement in the host culture leads to personal growth and instills the cross-cultural skills that are so important to success in the workplace and community.
• Consider a program that houses you with a family or host-country roommate.
• Be realistic. Not all students are ready for the same amount of cultural immersion.

Pay special attention to program type

Format and teaching approach are every bit as important as location and length. Consider your learning style, your educational and personal goals, and department advice.

Field Study programs

Learn through doing. Programs built around internships, service-learning, field research, interview projects, etc., may work especially well for experiential learners.

University Study programs

Become a temporary foreign student at a host university. Seek locations offering indigenous studies methodologies, theoretical perspectives, or courses different from ours.

Study Abroad Centers

Take classroom courses tailor-made for non-native students. Many such centers also offer opportunities to engage in field study and/or to take courses as a local university.

Fulfill Liberal Education requirements

• Advance planning can help you apply study abroad credits to many of the University’s Liberal Education requirements.
• Decide early which requirements you want to satisfy through courses taken abroad and plan your coursework accordingly.
• Consult the U Credit Abroad Search to find classes that have been approved for Liberal Education.

Once You Have Selected a Program

• Use the Academic Planning for Study Abroad (APSA) form to structure your academic planning.
• Once you have chosen the courses that you want to take abroad (always choosing more courses than you intend to take), meet with the Academic Adviser in Chicano Studies—preferably at least 3 months before departure. Bring course descriptions for classes you would like to take abroad and your Academic Planning Form.
• Meet similarly in other departments for additional majors or minors.
• To complete the APSA process you will also need a signature from a college adviser.

While You Are Abroad

• Once you are in country, if you become interested in a course that was not included on your APSA but might be pertinent to your major or minor, gather as much information as you can about the course and then consult by email with the department Academic Adviser before committing yourself.
• Hold onto course materials (e.g., syllabus, exams, papers, reports, and at least a photocopied table of contents of any key textbook) and bring them home with you.

After You Return

• Make an appointment with the Academic Adviser in Chicano Studies to review overseas courses for which you wish to obtain final approval for use toward the Chicano Studies major or minor. If you have other majors or minors you will need to do the same in those departments as well.
• Bring to that appointment the course materials from the study abroad courses you want to petition, plus a brief explanation of why you think the course should be counted towards your Chicano Studies major or minor.
• Check to see if your study abroad coursework has been posted to your UofM transcript. If your study abroad courses were evaluated and approved for liberal education requirements and completion of these requirements is not reflected on your APAS report, contact the Learning Abroad Center.
• Be aware that courses taken abroad may require many weeks, or even months, to get accepted and posted at the University of Minnesota. Times vary with programs. Let the Learning Abroad Center know well in advance if impending graduation or other special circumstances lend particular urgency to your case.

College/Department Scholarships for UofM Students

• CLA students can apply for CLA Study Abroad Scholarships in addition to other Learning Abroad Center scholarships.

Note

Although most Chicano & Latino Studies students are likely to choose Mexico, or at least a Spanish-speaking country, for their study abroad, there can be good reasons for studying in a different region. For instance, one student may wish to do a comparative senior paper on countries with similar colonial experiences or immigrant histories; another might seek a program that works well for both Chicano & Latino Studies and a second major (consult the advising page for that major as well.) Each sample program listed here has at least one of the following characteristics: it includes relevant course options; it focuses on cultural diversity or ethnic relations or social justice; or its price is especially attractive.

In addition to the recommendations in the Academic Planning section on this page, consider general factors in Choosing a Program when selecting a study abroad program.