This year, the Latin American Studies program is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The program was founded by Professor of Romance Languages and Latin American Studies León Narváez and former professor Michael McBeth, who both felt that the Spanish-speaking world was underrepresented in the St. Olaf curriculum. In 1974, they proposed an interdisciplinary Latin American program which was passed unanimously by the College faculty. 50 years later, Narváez serves as co-director of Latin American Studies.
The program’s learning outcomes provide students with a foundational knowledge in Latin American culture and the ability to critically analyze those topics. The program also aims to give students written and oral proficiency in Spanish.
“We want students to be prepared to work in Latin America and with people who have roots in Latinx cultures with knowledge, linguistic, and interdisciplinary skills, and confidence,” said Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of Latin American Studies Kris Thalhammer in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger. “This has been possible because we have had faculty over the decades representing multiple disciplines.”
Students have felt the benefits of the Latin American Studies program.
“For me, this program has encouraged me to take classes outside of my typical Spanish and Environmental Studies courses,” Solange Conlon ’26 said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger. “I took a SOAN class and a history class while I was abroad, which I don’t think I would have without this program.”
The program has grown significantly over the years, now home to 18 faculty members across disciplines.
“[This] is evidence that St. Olaf students have good opportunities to interact on campus with faculty members who have a strong interest in Latin America,” Narváez said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger.
The culmination of the program’s celebration took place Sept. 26-27 with the annual meeting of the North Central Council of Latin Americanists (NCCLA). At the meeting, Associate Professor of Romance Languages Kristina Medina-Vilariño received an NCCLA Award of Merit for her work creating and editing CaribbeanStudiesNetwork.org, a platform that unites researchers and members of Caribbean communities.
Latin American Studies will continue to make its mark on the St. Olaf curriculum.
“I feel really lucky to be a part of the program during [the 50th anniversary],” Conlon said. “This program has been around for about a third of St. Olaf’s history, and it’s really wonderful to see how strong it still is.”