The creation of a new world—the Americas—is integral to understanding the Western Hemisphere and analyzing contemporary issues throughout the globe. Studying the Americas as a historical whole lends insight into the dominance of the most powerful empire in human history and the influence it wields over cultures, governments, and economies. Our Inter-American Studies major focuses on the interconnectedness of regions in the hemisphere—from Canada and the United States to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and Latin America—in terms of both their histories and their contemporary issues.
By employing an Inter-American lens of analysis through which to view economic, environmental, and socio-political issues, students learn that the dynamic history of the Americas is not a series of isolated, unrelated events, but a process growing from similar experiences and engaging diverse belief systems and distinct cultures.
Today, fundamental changes in what we value, how we interact, and the ways decisions are made and wealth is distributed are reshaping the structure of global society. Governments and transnational corporations and agencies are setting policies that affect economies, ecologies, cultures, and people throughout the globe. The political concept of nation states and regionalism and their individual and collective histories must be understood and analyzed. Only then can we prepare for the future.
Inter-American Studies makes contextual sense for students interested in understanding the mutually interdependent relationships between wealth, poverty, environment, and culture in the Americas and the world. The Inter-American Studies major is ideal for students wishing to obtain an interdisciplinary education with a strong emphasis in both humanities and social sciences. Students in this major often choose to pursue graduate programs and careers in diplomacy, international policy, and/or with nongovernmental organizations involved with humanitarianism or international development issues.
