Article written by: Lluvia Gaucin, Summer Intern 2025, Lozano Media and Journalism Fellow

In fall 2003, the Institute launched the academic minor in Latino Studies to provide Notre Dame students with a deeper understanding of Latinos in the U.S. and prepare them to serve an increasingly diverse society. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating coursework, research, and community work as its three major facets. Fifteen credit hours of Latino Studies courses, including a required gateway and practicum course, comprise the minor. Two years later, the College of Arts & Letters approved Latino

Studies as a supplemental major, requiring an additional nine credit hours in 2005. Students in the program have the opportunity to do a thesis in Latino Studies during their senior year. Many students have conducted independent research and analysis on topics related to Latino Studies under the guidance of respected faculty members. Timothy Matovina, professor of theology and Institute fellow, points out that students produce high-quality work written at a graduate level and often become successful scholars themselves. Dr. Karen Richman has advised several theses over the past eighteen years as director of undergraduate studies at the Institute for Latino Studies. The program recently graduated the largest class of seniors with 30 graduates, a third of whom wrote a thesis — five times the ratio of the College of Arts and Letters.

As director of the academic program, Dr. Richman has been instrumental in its development and growth. As of May 2024, over 100 students are enrolled in the Latino Studies supplementary major and minor, marking the program’s largest enrollment to date, with 63 minors and 40 supplemental majors.

The growth in the number of students parallels the expansion of programs and courses offered by the Institute. With the support of 35 current faculty members, the Institute’s course offerings have increased to over 40 classes each semester within the past two years, serving a minimum of 650 students across various programs of study—double the amount of courses available in 2002. Dr. Richman actively promotes the program and maintains communication with every department in the College of Arts & Letters to ensure diverse courses are cross-listed and available to students in Latino Studies. he wide array of courses offered ranges from classroom seminars and lecture courses to community-based, service-learning courses in the local South Bend Latino community. Additionally, students in the program receive priority in the competitive application process for the Institute’s Cross-Cultural Leadership Program (CCLP), a three-credit summer service-learning course and internship program in South Bend, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Washington, D.C.

“We want to have a range of classes that really reflect the range of scholarly interests in Latino Studies. We’re really proud of being able to have courses in almost all the disciplines. Latino Studies is an interdisciplinary endeavor,” remarks the director of the academic program. Nonetheless, there is still work to be done. Dr. Richman underscores the importance of fostering cross-disciplinarity with colleges outside the College of Arts and Letters. The goal is to expand the Latino Studies course offerings to include more classes from the College of Science, Business, Architecture and Engineering, which house the primary majors of a considerable number of students with a program in Latino Studies.

A vital aspect of the program’s success is the mentorship students receive. As their program advisor, Dr. Karen Richman makes herself accessible to students, meeting with them individually every semester to monitor their progress and offer professional and personal advice. Many continue to keep in touch with her well after graduation.

Alumni of the program go on to attend some of the nation’s foremost graduate programs and work in a variety of fields. Matheo Vidal ‘22, Associate Director of Finance at the White House, says, “I would not be who I am today if I hadn’t studied Latino Studies.” His words resonate with the students and graduates who have called the Institute for Latino Studies their home for the past twenty years.

Originally published by Lluvia Gaucin at latinostudies.nd.edu on November 13, 2024.