Center for Latin American Studies

Founded in 1962, the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) has developed and organized a large number of instructional, research, and outreach activities focusing on Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. More than 120 faculty members are involved in the program, 30 from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the rest distributed among 14 academic units. Economic linkages between the U.S. and Latin America are becoming more important, and those from the US familiar with the region will see increased possibilities for work in both the government and the private sector. The fundamental mission of the CLAS is to ensure that students at The Ohio State University (OSU) are well prepared to take advantage of those opportunities. The program is accomplishing this mission by fostering high-quality research by faculty members and graduate students, increasing the Latin American content of courses, and facilitating study abroad and exchange programs.

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at The Ohio State University has a primary mission of serving, facilitating and stimulating the intellectual needs of the faculty and students involved in Latin American studies, in order to foster cutting edge instruction and research on Latin American languages, cultures, societies, histories, politics, economics, and the arts. In addition, the CLAS promotes the dissemination of knowledge about Latin American throughout the OSU campus and the local community, in order to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of Latin America.