DePauw's Latin American and Caribbean studies program is now branching out to integrate a new framework that reaches beyond the classroom walls.
Latin American and Caribbean studies has been an interdisciplinary program at DePauw for 13 years, meaning students can declare majors and minors in the program, which comprises classes from many academic departments. However, according to the coordinator, history professor Glen Kuecker, the program will now be taking a different approach to further reach out the DePauw community.
"Part of what we're trying to do is look at new ideas, look at various ways of thinking through intellectual life discussions, and look at other programs like conflict studies or women studies," Kuecker said.
Chair of conflict studies and political science professor Brett O'Bannon performed a review on interdisciplinary studies. Such programs, the review said, should expand their resources outside the classroom and encouraged the change. From 2009-2011, the steering committee, faculty members that organize academic programs, held several meetings to formulate a new approach for Latin American and Caribbean studies. After ruling out the alternative of becoming a major, the committee decided to construct a "program without walls."
"We had to ask ourselves, ‘How do we better integrate with an approach that fits the liberal arts system and financial learning such as study abroad, Winter Term service or study during the summer?'" Kuecker said.
The answer lies in a reformed program that encourages its students to partake in international learning through study abroad programs to Latin American countries, as well as Winter Term and independent study projects. The plan is to integrate Latin American and Caribbean studies into intellectual commons by holding discussions and events and providing access to research information and scholarship projects. Furthermore, the program will incorporate Latin American and Caribbean studies into other courses such as black studies, environmental studies and political science.
Kuecker said the reason why Latin American and Caribbean studies avoided becoming a standalone academic department was because of resource scarcity. Like many other programs, the recession made it difficult for them to staff an entire department.
Nevertheless, many DePauw students have positive expectations for the new program.
Junior Cyndi Roman said the changes would make the campus more aware about Caribbean cultures.
"Right now I feel like a lot of Caribbean studies courses mainly reaches out the minority community," Garcia said, "So these … ideas will definitely be a positive way to broaden the horizons of Caribbean studies courses to the majority students in DePauw."
Sophomore Davinna Gonzalez said that expanding the program would help the program offer more to students both socially and academically.
"It's a good idea to expand upon it especially for people who are in different sociology and anthropology majors because that way it will open them to cultures they would most likely come into contact with." she said.