Former Redwood City Mayor and Cañada College Professor Alicia Aguirre will discuss the rise of Latinos as a political force in California as part of the Topics of Interest Lecture Series at Cañada College.
Aguirre’s talk, titled “Latinos on the Rise: The Political Impact of Demographic Change in California,” will be held on Thursday, March 20 from 7:10 to 8:10 pm in Building 6, Room 102. It is sponsored by the Latin American and Latino/a Studies & the Social Sciences Department at Cañada.
The Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program at Cañada is a unique interdisciplinary program of special interest to Californians. This month, the Latino/a population in California is predicted to become the single largest ethnic group in the state.
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“We combine courses from multiple academic departments to give students a broad understanding of historical, political, social, geographic and cultural aspects of Latin America and Latino/a communities,” said Alison Field, Professor of History at Cañada. “Coursework in social sciences, literature, music, drama and Spanish language provides a uniquely comprehensive approach to historical and contemporary issues as well as questions of identity, heritage and creative expression.”
Yolanda Valenzuela, professor of English and Reading at Cañada, said the Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program opens the door to a range of career opportunities for students. “The continuing importance of Latin America for the U.S. and the growing Latino/a population have produced an increasing need for trained persons with a knowledge of Latin American and Latino/a communities to work in social service, government and foreign service, non-governmental organizations, law, teaching, business and other fields.”
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Valenzuela said students can transfer to UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, San Jose State, San Francisco State, Santa Clara, Notre Dame de Namur and other universities to pursue degrees in Latin American and Latino/a Studies.
Cañada’s Latin American and Latino/a Studies Program is the only one of its kind at a community college in San Mateo County. Students can also double major in Spanish.
For more information, contact Field at fielda@smccd.edu or Valenzuela at valenzuelay@smccd.edu.
