CLAS is in Session

October 31, 2022

Join us in celebrating Día de los Muertos

On Wed., Nov. 2, 10 AM - 3 PM in the Hagerty Hall Atrium, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese will host a celebration of El Día de los Muertos, a traditional native Mesoamerican, Mexican, and Latinx celebration of the lives of departed loved ones.

The celebration will be open to the general public and will feature an árbol de deseos, poetry readings, living altars performance, pan de muerto, and hot chocolate.

Other resources about Day of the Dead and related traditions throughout Latin America:
National Museum of the American Latino: Day of the Dead Resources
Abya Yala Student Organization: "El día de los difuntos en Latinoamérica"
History.com: "Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)"
Museum of Latin American Art: Día de los Muertos Resources
Spanish Mama: Day of the Dead Activities & Resources for Kids & Classrooms

Origins Lesson Plans for K-12 Teachers

Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective offers a host of "plug and play" lesson plans for K-12 teachers, complete with materials (handouts, PowerPoints, source packets, etc.) designed for various grade levels and covering a variety of topics.

Topics with significant attention to Latin America include:
The FARC: A Road to Rebellion for 4th-8th grade
Walls and Barriers to the World for 4th-8th grade
Black Activism, Cuba, and Anti-racism for 10th grade
Comparison of Imperialism & Globalization for 9th-12th grade
US & Cuban Relations for 9th-12th grade

The Origins "Teach in the Moment" repository also includes dozens of lesson plans related to US and world history, which pair with companion articles, multimedia, etc.

Portuguese Courses for SP23

In Spring 2023, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese will be offering several exciting courses in Portuguese language, literature, and culture.

In particular, Dr. Isis Barra Costa will teach three courses which meet requirements for FLAS, the new GE, and/or the Portuguese major or minor:

PORT 2330: Introduction to Brazilian Culture (TuTh 3:55 - 5:15 PM)
PORT 5502: Portuguese for Spanish Speakers II (TuTh 12:45 - 2:05 PM)
PORT 5650: Afro-Brazilian Literature & Orature (Wed 2:30 - 5:15 PM)

Other Portuguese course options include:
the basic language sequence (1101, 1102, 1103);
2331: Portuguese Culture & Society (Pereira);
3401: Advanced Grammar;
5510: Literatures & Cultures in Portuguese, Middle Ages to Neoclassicism (Pereira);
5611: The Portuguese Language (Schwenter).

Mershon Roundtable:
What is the Global Periphery?

On Monday, November 7, 2 - 3:30 PM in Derby 1039, the Centering the Global Periphery research cluster will be hosting a roundtable discussion with Ohio State Faculty on "What is the Global Periphery?"

This thematic area prioritizes perspectives from allegedly peripheral state and non-state actors to foreground marginalized voices on the global security order. Exploring political crises, violence against states and individuals, environmental challenges, migration dynamics, and polarized responses to current social issues and historical legacies, we center peripheral perspectives and their cutting-edge research interpretations.

The roundtable will feature CLAS Faculty Affiliate Jennifer Eaglin (History), as well as Madhumita Dutta (Geography), Ben McKean (Political Science), and Ila Nagar (NESA).

CLAS & the DICE Certificate Program

Did you know that many CLAS events count toward the Diversity, Intercultural & Community Engagement (DICE) Certificate Program through the Center for Belonging and Social Change?

For example, this Thursday's presentation "Coca & the Amazon: The Photographic & Community Work of Alexandra McNichols-Torroledo" is a DICE-eligible event. The talk will be held from 11:30 AM to 1 PM in the Barnett Center Collaboratory (Sullivant Hall 141), and all are welcome to attend!

Center for Ethnic Studies: Student Travel and Research Grants

The Center for Ethnic Studies' Spring 2022 cohort of Student Travel and Research Grants included several scholars working on Latin American topics.

CLAS FLAS Fellow Anais Fernandez Castro studied the Qoyllur Rit'i pilgrimage in the Sinakara Valley of Qosqo. Jackie Courchene created an installation and performance at Urban Arts Space to challenge Latinx stereotypes. And Justin Salgado conducted dissertation research on the history of public health at the US-Mexico border. Learn more about the projects of these and other Spring 2022 grant recipients here.

CES is currently accepting Student Travel and Research Grant applications for the 2022-2023 academic year. Learn more here. Application deadline: Thurs, Nov. 10.