Report 2002-2003

Program: Latin American and Iberian Studies      

Director: Alberto Julián Pérez              Phone: 806 742 1562

Address: Foreign Languages 254        Mail Stop 2071

Email: julian.perez@ttu.edu         website: www3.tltc.ttu.edu/perez


Program Mission:

Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS) opens up a vast new world to the student--a world extending six thousand miles from the southwestern United States to the tip of South America, and also to the western-most European countries of Spain and Portugal. These areas encompass more than twenty countries and over 400 million people. Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula have always been of great significance to the United States.  Their importance for business, politics, diplomacy, education, and tourism is constantly increasing.  Whether the student interest lies in teaching, travel, law, graduate studies, or international affairs, LAIS could be an important step in the right direction for the future. 

     LAIS is an interdisciplinary program that can be tailored to the interest of the individual student. An undergraduate major or minor in Latin American and Iberian Studies allows the student to learn about Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries.  These areas of study may include anthropology, art, geography, economics, history, political science, theatre, literature, Spanish and Portuguese cultures and literatures.  This wide variety of course work affords LAIS students an opportunity to diversify their knowledge and interests in Spanish - and Portuguese - speaking countries. The flexibility of the program and the variety of courses offered permit the student to tailor a LAIS major or minor to his or her interest and needs.

Goal I: To grow at every level and extend our presence on campus, and in the scholarly community, in the USA and abroad.

Strategies

·    To organize and support interdisciplinary conferences involving LAIS interests on campus and at other Universities.

·    To keep an office space on campus to coordinate interdisciplinary work and to fund the work of a student assistant.

·    To develop the LAIS program and plan a strategy for competitive growth, in relation with other Universities.

·    To promote the Sevilla Center in Spain, and other Off-Campus programs.

Assessments

 ·   Information about the Texas Tech Off-Campus programs is included in our website.

·    Student Assistant- the student assistant works at our office 15-20 hours a week, maintaining the web site, writing letters and documents. Shaundra Whitfield worked during the spring.  CMLL and the work-study program sponsored the student assistant.

 Goal II: To encourage interdisciplinary discussion and expand the intellectual horizon of inquiry of TTU students

Strategy

·    To invite outstanding lecturers from other Universities and Institutes of higher learning.

·    To incorporate new learning tools to our program.

Assessment

·    Cycle of Lectures 2002-2003:  The following speakers were invited to campus by our program:  Professor Nicolas Shumway, University of Texas-Austin, “Pierre Menard:  Historian of Argentina,” Dr. Rex Koontz, University of Houston, “Americas’ First Sport:  Games and gods on the Gulf Coast,” Professor Cathy L. Jrade, Vanderbilt University, “Modernismo’s Female Voice:  The Poetic Journey of Delmira Agustini,” and Professor Jeffrey Lesser, Emory University, “Rethinking Armed Struggle During Brazil’s Military Dictatorship:  An Ethnic Perspective.”

·    Movie critic Celeste Avendaño from Argentina contributes weekly to our movie review section in Spanish, posted in the web.

Goal III: To promote understanding of Hispanic issues in campus and in the Lubbock community

Strategy

·    To cooperate with students and local organizations that work with the Hispanics.

Assessment

·    LAIS sponsors Juan Riera, a graduate Spanish student.  Mr. Riera will be the new teaching assistant for 2003-2004.

·    LAIS students participate in Rotaract, a student organization sponsored by Rotary International. They participate in community welfare that benefits Hispanics. Dr. A. Julian Perez is the Faculty advisor for Rotaract.

Goal IV: To maintain innovative and challenging course offerings, reflecting interdisciplinary interests.

Strategy

·    To extend the number of courses of LAIS taught by the program every year.

·    To revise the program curriculum to reflect new professional developments.

·    To collaborate with the Honors College.

Assessment

·    Courses: The Departments collaborating with LAIS (Spanish, Portuguese, History, Anthropology, etc.) offered more than twenty courses every semester.   In addition, LAIS offered their own courses:
* Fall, 2002:  3 sections of LAIS 2300 and 1 section of LAIS 4300.

      * Spring 2003:  1 section of LAIS 2300.

* Fall 2003:  2 sections of LAIS 2300 and 1 section of LAIS 4300 and 1 section of  LAIS 5300.   

       This year there will be no summer courses offered.  However, we would like to offer courses in the summer, on campus and in the Hill Country, in the future.

 Goal V.  To promote the interdisciplinary professional development of our faculty.

Strategy

·    To help our faculty to travel to conferences to present papers and carry out their research.

·    To have adequate communication and consultation with the faculty.

Assessment

·    We could not support travel to conferences for faculty who contributed to the program, due to the termination of our state account.

·    We had faculty meetings and kept the faculty informed of the activities of the Program.

·    We invited our own faculty to present their research in the cycle of LAIS lectures.

Goal VI.  To contribute with new ideas to the scholarly community and project an accurate image of our ideas.

Strategies

·    Update website with future plans of LAIS

·    Bulletin and memos with upcoming events

·     Brochure to inform prospective students

Assessment

·    We maintained the community informed of our activities through our mail list.

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