PhD Student Mayra Flores studies colonial-era persecution and resilience of indigenous midwifes and healers from Peru
PhD Student Mariana Romero engages the richness of Colombian folk music to develop more respectful pedagogies for choral teachers
PhD Student Angie Valbuena Rojas explores how science educators in Colombia navigate between scientific knowledge and Indigenous and folk knowledges
Graduate researcher Dominick Stoops studied Portuguese to support research in tropical conservation. Through immersive programs and scholarships, he developed language skills to collaborate with Brazilian communities and scientists, strengthening his path towards graduate studies in environmental science.
Ph.D. student Estela Gonçalves delves into how Black men navigated the transition from slavery to emancipation, developing their identities amidst systemic oppression. Drawing from criminal records and historical archives, it sheds light on their lived experiences and the complexities of asserting manhood in a society marked by racial and patriarchal challenges.
MSU's Brandt Endowed Professor of Environmental Communication and Research Director of the Knight Center in Environmental Journalism, Bruno Takahashi, talks about a project that approaches communications about environmental issues with a decolonial lens.
Ph.D. student Rafael Lembi explores energy access in the Brazilian Amazon where millions still live without electricity. His research compares top-down and community-led solar projects in remote Indigenous communities. The findings highlight how local engagement strengthens autonomy and long-term sustainability.
Interview with Assistant Professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz about his painting, "Light Amidst the Darknews," an abstract denunciation of the gun violence epidemic in the United States. Based on his experience surviving the mass shooting that took place at MSU, which began in his classroom on February 13, 2023, the painting was first unveiled as part of the exhibition "Art in the Aftermath: Healing Gun Violence Through Activism," held at MSU's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in February 2025. Originally from Costa Rica, Dr. Díaz-Muñoz reflects on how his experiences there contrast sharply with surviving a mass shooting in the U.S.
Amalia Suarez shares the impact of studying Portuguese in Brazil with a FLAS fellowship.
Leilane Rodriguez investigates the role of the media in violence against Afro-descendant people in Brazil since the end of slavery and the response by "Black media."
Ana Ponce researches the representation of women and gender issues in Mexican horror films for her PhD dissertation.
Marialina Antolini studies Brazilian girls' use of social media for activism for her Ph.D. dissertation.
Abigail Bennett was awarded $1.6 million NSF grant for research in Mexicao in collaboration with Carmen Pedroza and Jorge Lopez Rocha from UNAM.
With support from CLACS, Professor Rocio Quispe Agnoli has been working on the Engaged Pedagogies project which is discussed in this article and in this video.
Associate Professor in the Department of History, David Wheat, received a fellowship from the National Endowment for Humanities for his research about Catalina Dos Santos.
Maria Alejandra García is a Ph.D. candidate in Community Sustainability at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She studies the complexities of programs to empower women in Latin America.
MSU Latin American students tell us why coming to MSU was their best decision.
Current students from Latin America reach out to welcome and support the incoming class
Monarch Butterfly Project (Proyecto Mariposa Monarca)
MSU Researches at the Departments of Entomology and Forestry describe the importance of understanding Monarch butterfly overwintering grounds in Mexico.
[Investigadores de los Departamentos de Entomología y Forestales de MSU describen la importancia de entender los lugares de hibernación de la mariposa monarca en México.]
MSU Assistant Professor Abigail Bennett from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources talks about her research on sea cucumbers, socioecological systems, and the importance of studying when such systems reach their limits.
Master's Student in Fisheries and Wildlife Armando Dans studies how deforestation, hunting, and forests fires are affecting the survival of Tapirs in Nicaragua and why is that a problem for the entire ecosystem.
MSU alumni Arturo Massol shares how his community in Puerto Rico successfully confronted the energy crisis after Hurricane Maria.
Spartan studied how an indigenous community successfully fought drug cartels and took back control over their forest.
PhD student Leonardo Ziccardi is using unique equipment developed at MSU to compile evidence on the effects of climate change in the Amazon rain forest.
Maritza Medina created a set of tactual cards that combine with a website to facilitate the teaching of English pronunciation to visually impaired learners.
PhD Student in Forensic Anthropology, Kelly Kamnikar, studies craniums from cemeteries in Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Find out how such work will help families find the remains of their loved ones who immigrated to the US and never came back.
Joel Betts' master research on the impact of illegal chemical fishing and deforestation is helping the Rama and Kriol people protect their environment in Nicaragua.
Alum Rowenn Kalman analyzes the complex relationships among rural Andean communities, NGOs, and mining companies over management of water resources in Peru.
Ph.D. student Laura Castro studies the impact of dams on rural fishing communities in Brazil and how they affect men and women differently.
Marissa is one of our 2018 undergraduate scholarship recipients. Watch Marisa share her experiences living in the Peruvian Andes while participating in the Community-Based Research and Engagement Program. Learn why she believes all students should study abroad. Apply for the CLACS Undergraduate Scholarship to study abroad in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020. The Application deadline is October 10, 2020.
Granddaughter and grandfather meet at MSU to share their thoughts about studying at the University. Marlene graduated in spring 2018 and her grandfather came back from Panama for the first time in half a century to see her walk in her commencement ceremony.
Dr. Keisha-Khan Perry looks into the importance of black women's political work in Latin America, political movements across borders, and creating diasporic community.
CLACS has prepared this video to celebrate the lifework of Romelia Widders as she retires from Michigan State University. As Assistant Director of the Office of Admissions, Romelia not only recruited and inspired thousands of Latin American students to pursue higher education at MSU, she also supported them throughout their education to overcome the many difficulties international students face.
PhD student Kiana Gonzalez-Cedeno talks about her dissertation research on Puerto Rican Popular Culture. She focuses on Lamentations as way to record histories for those without access to hegemonic power and a way to fight against colonization.
These guidelines will be disseminated around the world to organizations, governments, and all groups that do ecosystem restoration. The focus of the guidelines is improving livelihoods and food security of those communities that depend on those ecosystems.
StudentBookClub
Begins Jan 26 in-person
Faculty/Staff BookClub
Begins Jan 26 - virtual meetings
Summer FLAS Fellowships
Applications due: Feb 1
A Tribute to Emily Holley
CLACS Associate Director
