What does it mean to be Latino in the U.S.? Broaden your knowledge about the largest ethnic minority in our state and country with a bachelor's degree in Chicanx/Latinx Studies at Portland State, the only degree of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.
The growing Hispanic population in the U.S. — 62 million and counting — brings urgency and relevancy to the study of Latinx communities who are actively shaping the social, economic, political, and cultural fabric of our country.
Our program is grounded in social justice and cultural empowerment. In your classes, you will examine issues of identity like race, gender, and class; explore migration, labor and civil rights movements; and appreciate the language, literature and creativity of Chicanx/Latinx communities.
No matter your career path, so many jobs will need and benefit from your deep and nuanced understanding of Chicanx/Latinx experiences, perspectives, and contributions. Our major will prepare you to become a better teacher, lawyer, entrepreneur, and more because it will empower you to know more about the cultures and people with whom you will work and serve.
Whether you want to learn more about your own cultura and see yourself represented in your coursework or be better prepared to enter the workforce, you will find a home in PSU's close-knit Chicanx/Latinx Studies program.
Portland State University is an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, with our current Latinx student population at just over 18%. As the first Oregon university to offer a major in Chicanx/Latinx Studies, our program provides a home to students who want to see their rich histories, cultures, experiences, stories and perspectives authentically represented in the classroom. We empower our students to see their communities as vibrant and beautiful even as systems of oppression erase their contributions and cultures as legitimate.
We approach our work from a variety of scholarly perspectives — linguistics, education, literature, social work, history — and center the lived experiences and knowledge production of Chicanx/Latinx communities. Our faculty examine how race, ethnicity, language, sexuality, gender and other social identities intersect in Chicanx/Latinx communities and within the larger U.S. landscape.
We regularly collaborate with the La Casa Latina Student Center and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) to offer programming and events on issues affecting Latinx communities, including cultural empowerment, racism and other topics of social justice. Plus, you will have opportunities to engage in research and service-learning opportunities within PSU and beyond.
Our students also benefit from our close ties with PSU's Heritage Spanish program, and from courses in related School of Gender, Race and Nations units in Black Studies, Indigenous Nations Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
The U.S. Latino population is young, diverse and growing — and demands a workforce that can meet its changing needs. Our program equips students with the historical context and nuance they need to work in a wide variety of fields, from education and health, to policy and advocacy, to business and industry. You'll graduate with the background and skills to help advance the social, cultural, personal and political wellbeing of the second-largest — and second-fastest-growing — demographic in the U.S.
Our alumni go on to become K-12 educators, counselors, social workers, nonprofit leaders, policymakers, government employees, community organizers and more. A bachelor's degree in Chicanx/Latinx Studies can also prepare you to enter graduate or professional school.