First established in the 1970s as “Hispanic Civilizations,” the Program in Latin American and Iberian Studies (LAIS) at UC Santa Barbara is the oldest interdisciplinary program on our campus, and the only one in the UC system that offers an Iberian component. LAIS provides training both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, offering Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Masters of Arts (M.A.) degrees. At the undergraduate level LAIS can also be taken as a minor.
LAIS is devoted to the study of the histories, languages, literatures, and cultures of the peoples of Latin America and Iberia, from antiquity to the present day, and of their diasporas in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This encompasses not only Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, but also Angola, Mozambique, the Philippines, Macao, and Chicano, Puerto Rican, and other Latino populations in the U.S.
LAIS is thoroughly interdisciplinary. Our affiliated faculty, researchers, and students examine a diversity of themes and issues — including history, religion, politics, gender, language, literature, music, and performance — from a variety of disciplines across the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and more.
This rich and engaged scholarly community allows us to offer our students thorough interdisciplinary training in our undergraduate major and minor and in the MA in Latin American and Iberian Studies, and to support PhD students engaged in the study of Latin America and Iberia across campus. Join us!