New York City Consortium for Latin American Studies

The New York City Consortium for Latin American Studies (NYCCLAS) is a cooperative effort between the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) of Columbia University (CU) and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at New York University (NYU), both national leaders in teaching, research, and outreach activities in Latin American Studies. The Consortium-designated a Title VI National Resource Center in Latin American Language and Area Studies by the US Department of Education-is committed to combining our resources and expertise in order to expand the academic, cultural and community engagement opportunities available to our students, professors, and to the greater New York City community at large. Our activities are designed to continue and expand our Centers' record of excellence in area studies, foreign languages, and community outreach.

Both area studies and language courses continue to expand, giving rise to new interdisciplinary graduate courses tied to public outreach activities, as well as cross-listed courses which allow students from each university access to more area studies options. Furthermore, the Consortium is rapidly building LCTL programs in both Quechua (NYU) and Nahuatl (CU) languages.

Among the many activities the Consortium undertakes to improve learning about Latin America in New York City's universities and in the greater community is our annual conference. In April 2008 the Consortium Conference "Iberia and the Americas: Contacts and Migrations" was held at Columbia University, in Spring 2009 the conference was entitled "Ruth Cardoso: A Tribute" and in Fall 2009, the Consortium conference held at NYU was "After Truth: Justice, Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, and Related Aftermaths." The Consortium also sponsors Faculty Working Groups in which scholars from Columbia and NYU, as well as other area institutions, meet regularly to collaborate and dialogue on topics such as Latin American History, Political Economy, and Migration. Another important Consortium initiative is our outreach to New York City public school teachers, which includes our highly successful "Voces" series, including "Voces Mexicanas," "Voces Dominicanas" and "Voces de los Andes" conferences. These activities will continue in subsequent years, in collaboration with our respective schools of education.