Bachelor of Arts in
CHICANA/O STUDIES

Consider this startling statistic:Latinos comprise 44% of the population in Los Angeles County. With a major in Chicana/o Studies at LMU, you could be part of the focus on multiculturalism that is shaping our nation today. You could be a teacher, bringing into the classroom sensitivity toward the diversity prevalent in our educational system. You could go into the business world with an understanding of the Chicana/o contribution to our modern society. If social work or community planning interests you, imagine having a background in the social and political development of the U.S. Chicana/o community.

If you major in Chicana/o Studies, you’ll be a part of the LMU's Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. The College is more fully described in other publications but here are a few essentials:

The Liberal Arts –Education that liberates your mind, nourishes your spirit, and cultivates your creativity for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

•Develop your ability to communicate
–Write dynamically
–Speak effectively
–Think clearly
–Build career skills
•Cultivate your critical and analytical thinking
–Dissect ideas
–Bring literature to life
–Critique social and economic problems
–Comprehend political systems and ideas
–Live the importance of social justice
–See the “bigger picture”
•Become aware of what influences you
–Explore the role of religion and values in society
–Seek a deeper understanding of faith
–Understand human behavior
–Discover multiple cultures and languages
–Examine the mosaic of American life
–Experience international education
•Energize your creativity
–Find innovative solutions
–Think “out of the box”
•Kindle your desire to serve
–Inspire others
–Know leadership as service

The College

FACULTY
Liberal Arts faculty – including those with worldwide reputations – are directly involved with students and their potential development. A majority of the faculty have terminal degrees from prestigious universities and are active in on-going scholarly investigations in their discipline. All are involved in undergraduate teaching and all academic counselors are drawn from their ranks.

MULTICULTURAL FOCUS
The College curriculum challenges students to explore ways to live more fully and to act more responsibly within our culturally diverse nation. While each department offers courses with a multicultural focus, African American Studies, Chicana/o Studies, and the Asian Pacific American concentration offer a greater depth of study in this area. Additionally the American Cultures core requirement enriches the curriculum with a strong comparative approach.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
The College of Liberal Arts promotes an educational environment rich in contact with the issues facing our world today. It especially encourages language study as a basis for its international courses and for the various study abroad opportunities. The College recruits international students and a globally-sophisticated faculty.

THE “What can I do with…?” QUESTION
Graduates of the College of Liberal Arts have made their marks in a wide variety of careers – education, government, public health, social service, business, communications, science and the arts. Some pursue doctoral studies in their major or attend law schools, business schools or medical schools. Among our alumni are corporate managers, entrepreneurs, university professors, high school and elementary teachers and administrators, editors, elected and appointed federal, state and local officials, lawyers, clergy, and community leaders.
The answer to “What can I do with a liberal arts degree?” is one full of variety and opportunity. Its answer may be sought after the more important question: “What kind of person can I become?”

The Chicana/o Studies Major

If you major in Chicana/o Studies, you will take a sampling of courses from four different areas:
•Political science
•History
•Cultural Anthropology
•Chicana/o Literature
You will discover the considerable literary contributions of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os. You will follow the historical and political journeys that have led Chicana/o communities to have an indelible influence on life in the United States. And your learning experience is not limited to the classroom. Through field work in culturally rich Los Angeles, you will work and conduct research in a part of the Chicana/o community which interests you. You might choose governmental work, endeavor in social services, or a project in the religious sector. This combination of coursework and hands-on experience will leave you well prepared to take on the job of your choice after graduation.

Meet the Faculty

Karen Mary Davalos
Assistant Professor
B.A., Stanford University, 1987; M.A., 1987; Ph.D., Yale University, 1993.
Dr. Davalos is the author of a recent book, Exhibiting Mestizaje: Mexican (Americans) in the Museum Diaspora. Her areas of expertise lie in cultural anthropology, American Studies, and feminist theory.

Deena J. Gonz?lez
Professor and Chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies
B.A., New Mexico State University, 1974; M.A., 1976; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1985.
Dr. Gonz?lez is the author of Refusing the Favor: The Spanish-Mexican Women of Santa Fe, 1820-1880. She has helped create and establish the field of Chicana history and sustains an interest in ethnic studies, gay/lesbian studies, and women’s studies.

Fernando J. Guerra
Associate Professor
B.A., University of Southern California, 1980; M.A., University of Michigan, 1982; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1990.
Dr. Guerra is a scholar in Political Science and is Director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

Careers in Chicana/o Studies

Bicultural graduates are more sought-after than ever before. A student with a major or minor in Chicana/o Studies might secure a position with career advancement because of special preparation.
Graduates with expertise in multicultural studies are at the forefront of a number of careers, including those in business, health, education, law, and government. Chicana/o Studies prepares students for admission into graduate and professional schools. Careers that encourage graduate degrees, including social work, public administration, bank management, or librarianships, as well as universities, seek students knowledgeable about diversity and biculturalism. A degree in Chicana/o Studies makes students leaders in these arenas and inspires service to others.
This is also an excellent major in preparation for postgraduate study in various professional schools. For example, students can continue their studies for a master’s degree and other advanced degrees in medicine or law; social work, with careers as caseworkers, or social workers in a minority community; public administration; librarianship; and business administration, with careers in accounting, marketing, bank management and insurance.

Visit our website at http://bellarmine.lmu.edu
For more information or to arrange a campus tour, call (310) 338-2750.