Tulane University

The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs promotes all facets of Latin American studies nationwide. CLASP fosters global competency, language proficiency and cultural awareness of Latin America and the Caribbean, drawing upon interdisciplinary and area expertise. Tulane’s Stone Center for Latin American Studies is a member of this organization.

This year, CLASP will bring exciting outreach programs for all during the 2017 Hispanic Heritage month. CLASP will celebrate Latin America in some of the country’s most important libraries. From the Library of Congress to George Washington’s library at Mt. Vernon, CLASP engages educators and the community in the diversity of Latin America this fall. Read more about our programs below.

September 20 – 22, 2017

International Baccalaureate Educator Workshop
CLASP will co-sponsor a professional development workshop day for International Baccalaureate teachers in Fairfax County, Virginia on September 20, 2017. Organized by Julie Kline (Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) the workshop features presentations by three outstanding historians: Paula Alonso (George Washington University); Bryan Mc Cann (Georgetown University); and John Tutino (Georgetown University). The presenters will highlight three different historical periods (independence, late nineteenth-early twentieth century, post-WWII) each viewed through a different country lens (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil).

The workshop, to be held at the Fred W. Smith Library for the Study of George Washington adjacent to Mount Vernon, will also include sessions on the Smith Library‘€™s resources and on resources for teaching Latin America and the Caribbean by outreach professionals from Title VI National Resource Centers, including UW-Milwaukee, Tulane University, and Vanderbilt University). In addition to Fairfax County IB teachers, IB educators from throughout Virginia are invited, as well as from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Organizers anticipate approximately 35 educators.

Américas Award Educator Workshop
On Thursday, September 21 CLASP will hold its annual Américas Award K-12 educator workshop this year hosted by American University’s School of Education. The workshop will highlight three Américas Award books that portray different perspectives of migration. Award winner, Alexandra Díaz will present her book, The Only Road, Honorable mention author, Reyna Grande will share her story of migration from the book The Distance Between Us, and Nadia Hohn will highlight a different story of migration from the Caribbean in her honorable mention book, Malaika’s Costume. In addition, curriculum specialist, Rebeca Gamez will integrate unique strategies to incorporate these themes into the classroom. Teaching for Change will help to sponsor this program. Fayette Colon from this non-profit educational organization will be part of our program to help share additional teaching resources for participants. Print the workshop flyer here.

Américas Award Ceremony
This year’s Américas Award ceremony will be held in the Whittall Pavilion in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress on Friday, September 22. We will award the 2017 award winners and honorable mention authors. The ceremony will be held at 2:30 pm and will be followed by a light reception. Please join us and celebrate this year’s award with winners Susan Hood, and Sally Wern Comport for their book Ada’s Violin (Simon & Schuster) and Alexandra Díaz for The Only Road (Simon & Schuster). We will also highlight Honorable Mention authors, Nadia Hohn for Malaika’s Costume (Groundwood Books) and Reyna Grande for The Distance Between Us (Simon & Schuster).

The Américas Award is sponsored by CLASP and coordinated by Denise Woltering-Vargas (Tulane University) and Colleen McCoy (Vanderbilt University) with generous support provided by Florida International University, Stanford University, University of Florida, University of New Mexico, University of Utah, and the “University of Wisconsin ‘€Milwaukee.

Follow the latest updates on the Américas Award on Facebook.

This Hispanic Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), make sure to check out CLASP’s Outreach page to discover teaching materials you can use in your classroom to teach about Latin America. If you are interested in attending any of these programs or being involved in CLASP, please email CLASPprograms@gmail.com.