Librarian: LOZANO

For thirty years, the University of Pittsburgh has been committed to a Latin American Studies Program of unique depth and richness. Its Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), established in 1964, has become internationally recognized for excellence in undergraduate, graduate, and professional education. In 1979, the U.S. Department of Education designated CLAS as a comprehensive National Resource Center (NRC) on Latin America. In 1983, the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University combined their resources to form a consortium on Latin American Studies which has been awarded an NRC since its formation.

CLAS' programs cover all of the Latin American and Caribbean region. The expertise of its 140 faculty members clusters around the Andean countries, Mesoamerica, Brazil, and the Caribbean Basin. About 70 faculty members, most of whom are in the social sciences and humanities, form the center's core teaching and research nucleus; they offer approximately 150 courses in 18 departments and schools each academic year. The other faculty, many of whom are in the health professions, natural sciences and engineering, have broad interests and experience in the region

Graduate Student Support
Each year, the University of Pittsburgh grants a limited number of awards to graduate students enrolled in, or applying for admission to, departments and professional schools associated with the Center for Latin American Studies. These include Andrew Mellon, Owens, and Provost's Humanities and Development Fellowships. Other financial assistance is available in the form of teaching and research assistantships, teaching fellowships, and work-study programs. The Department of Anthropology's archeology fellowships, funded by The Howard Heinz Endowment, provide funding for unusually promising Latin American students to undertake graduate study in the archeology program. The Heinz Endowment also provides fellowship support for advanced graduate studies in various dimensions of social and public policy in Latin America; these fellowships are open to all nationalities. CLAS annually awards four U.S. Department of Education National Resource Fellowships for Latin American Language and Area Studies. Prospective students should apply for such financial assistance at the same time as they apply for admission to the department or school in which they plan to major. Mention should be made on the application of their interest in Latin American Studies.

Graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh also have been highly successful in obtaining national competitive grants and fellowships such as those offered through Ford, Fulbright, National Science Foundation, OAS, Rockefeller, SSRC-ACLS, and Tinker. Latin American students residing in their home countries should seek financial assistance for graduate study at the University of Pittsburgh through as many sources as possible and at least a year in advance of the beginning of their studies. CLAS annually supports a limited number of Latin American students through partial or full tuition scholarships. First priority is given to students from institutions with which the center has formalized exchange agreements or students recommended by LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas or by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Short-term Field Research Grants: A major goal of CLAS is to provide opportunities for its students to travel to the Latin American/Caribbean region for research and study. Each year, CLAS awards grants to graduate students enrolled in the certificate programs for short-term field research. From 10 to 20 grant recipients are selected through the annual competition. This program makes it possible for CLAS graduate students to acquire a profound and intimate knowledge of language, culture, and geography; to gather research data; and to develop contacts with scholars and institutions in the field.

Travel to Professional Meetings: CLAS supports graduate students who are invited participants in national conferences on Latin America by providing funds towards travel expenses. Special efforts are made to assist students in attending the Latin American Studies Association meetings.

Candidates for Latin American Studies certificates can focus their studies in any of the academic departments and professional schools listed below. These units offer courses that provide area competence on Latin America and the Caribbean. Spanish and Portuguese language courses at all levels are offered by the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures. Amerindian languages--Quechua and Aymara--may be studied through the Language Acquisition Institute operated by the Department of Linguistics.

Graduate students interested in Latin America who are enrolled in one of the departments and schools with which the center is associated normally select a CLAS faculty member as their advisor. They are encouraged to register with the center early in their graduate programs in order to be eligible for CLAS fellowships, travel and research grants, and to receive the monthly calendar of events on Latin America.

Students completing a Latin American Studies Program through CLAS have been very successful in obtaining employment that utilizes their area expertise. Recent graduate certificate recipients have found jobs in international organizations; as teachers in public and private schools, colleges, and universities; in government service; and in business.

Certificate Requirements
The graduate certificate in Latin American Studies is awarded after completion of all requirements for the master's degree, or after the student has passed the comprehensive examinations for the doctorate. Certificate requirements consist of area courses, language proficiency, and research. Completion of a Latin American program need not lengthen the amount of time required to obtain a degree. Optional courses in one's major can be used to complete the requirements for Latin American area specialization.

Course Work for Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies: Six Latin American Area Studies courses: two courses in the student's major department or school and four courses in at least two departments/schools other than that in which the student is receiving the advanced degree (18 credits).

Course Work for Graduate Certificate in Latin American Social and Public Policy: PIA 2096 Capstone Seminar (Latin American Social Policy), in addition to five Latin American Area Studies courses: two courses in the student's major department or school and three courses in at least two departments/schools other than that in which the student is receiving the advanced degree (18 credits).

Language proficiency: Three years, or the equivalent, of college-level Spanish or Portuguese or an Amerindian language of the area. Students must have adequate proficiency to converse and conduct research; a standardized examination is given to each candidate through the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures.

Interdisciplinary Research Paper: A research paper on Latin America that reflects competence in at least two disciplines. The master's thesis or a revised research paper may be used to fulfill this requirement.

Additional Programs
Brazilian Studies Program: A unit within the Center for Latin American Studies, the program faculty develop and coordinate resources on Brazil from disciplines throughout the University of Pittsburgh and promote initiatives in research, education, and public outreach focusing on Brazil and its integration with the Americas. The resources on Brazil include 25 faculty; 25,300 volumes and 845 periodicals in Portuguese in the Eduardo Lozano Latin American Library Collection; 13 titles on Brazil published by the University of Pittsburgh Press' Latin American Series; and an enthusiastic group of students from Brazil, the United States, and other countries who focus their research on Brazil.

Department of Anthropology: With 16 faculty members involved in research and teaching on Latin America, anthropology represents a major component of CLAS' instructional program. Within the Department of Anthropology, the Latin American Archeology Program is, by numerous measures, the strongest such program in the United States. Through fellowships (funded by The Howard Heinz Endowment), unusually promising Latin American students are sponsored for graduate study in the archeology program.

Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures: Ranking among the top graduate programs of its kind in the U.S., the department counts among its faculty 13 scholars involved in teaching and research on Latin America. The department has special strengths in Latin American literature and culture and Hispanic linguistics, houses the International Institute of Iberoamerican Literature, and publishes several journals including the Revista Iberoamericana. The quantity and quality of its course offerings is especially important because it is the source of instruction in the two primary languages of the region-Spanish and Portuguese.

Department of History: An exceptionally strong area of Latin American expertise at the University of Pittsburgh, faculty and students in the Department of History have worked in and on almost every country of the region. Most of that work falls within the general area of social history, with particular emphasis on labor history, agrarian history, and Black history. The range of methodological and topical interests pursued by members of the department is quite broad, however, and in recent years has included state/society issues, cultural history, and Latin America's long-term participation in an evolving Atlantic world.

Department of Linguistics: Linguistics offers a program in American Indian languages, with a major focus on Central and lowland South American languages. Through this program, students may receive an MA or PhD in Linguistics with a specialization in American Indian languages. The program has led to the development of a number of courses in American Indian languages, such as the Amazonian language Pirahã. The Journal of Amazonian Languages is a recent addition to the publications of the department. Quechua and Aymara are regularly offered through the department's Language Acquisition Institute.

Department of Political Science: The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Political Science offers a rich program in Latin American politics. Students will find exceptional senior faculty resources in the fields of U.S.-Latin American relations and Brazilian and Central American politics.

Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA): GSPIA is the professional school with which CLAS has its closest ties. Students may focus within GSPIA on international affairs, economic and social development, and public management and policy. New affiliations with several outstanding Latin American institutions are expected to lead to collaborative research and training programs focused on restructuring, as well as on the process of decentralization.

Additional information may be obtained by writing to the Assistant Director; Center for Latin American Studies; 4E04 Forbes Quadrangle; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260; phone: (412) 648-7392; fax: (412) 648-2199.

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