LALS integrates the study of Chicano/a and Latino/a communities in the United States with analysis of the histories, politics, cultures, and societies of Latin America and the Caribbean. LALS courses deal with changing political, social, economic and cultural realities, including immigration and transnational communities; gender, racial, sexual,and ethnic identities; social movements; diverse forms of cultural expression; ongoing political and economic restructuring in Latin America; and the challenges of political and economic empowerment for Latino/a communities in the United States. We draw from interdisciplinary perspectives to understand these processes, including the social sciences, the humanities and the arts.

In addition to academic knowledge, LALS also provides opportunities for students to acquire practical, "real-world" skills. Through program-related internship and field study experiences, students can acquire useful, pre-professional skills in any of the following key areas: community development/advocacy, public policy, education, journalism, media, performance, and research/writing (among others).

Graduates of the LALS major have made careers in a wide variety of fields, including teaching, community organizing, community and government service, journalism and the media, environmental science, global economics, health care, legal services, library science, music, publishing, and research. Many have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in the United States or abroad in anthropology, bilingual education, communications, cultural studies, ecology, economics, geography, history, law, literature, media, public health, and sociology to name a few.