(2001) Professor of Central American and Transborder Studies. B.A. 1993, California State University, Fullerton; M.A. 1996, Ph.D. 2003, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Comparative, historical introduction to political, cultural and socioeconomic aspects of the Central American experience both in Central America and in the United States. Considers the question of whether there can be a single Central American identity in light of the great variety of experiences of race, gender, ethnicity and social class in the Central American …

Introduction to the political, economic, social and cultural realities of Salvadoran life in El Salvador and in the U.S. Emphasis is on various aspects of the institutional and private life of Salvadoran communities. The course is framed by historical and contemporary comparisons with other Central American national groups with respect to their experiences of race, …

Prerequisite: Placement in a supported GE subarea A2 Written Communication course. Corequisite: UNIV 061. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax …

Prerequisite: Successful completion of 113A. Corequisite: UNIV 062. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the …

Prerequisite: Placement in a supported GE subarea A2 Written Communication course. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well …

Prerequisite: Successful completion of 114A. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements of prose …

Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing. Expository prose writing with a focus on both content and form. Specific emphases include the exercise of logical thought and clear expression, the development of effective organizational strategies and the appropriate gathering and utilization of evidence. Includes instruction on diction, syntax and grammar, as well as the elements …

Prerequisite: Multiple Measures Placement in GE-level writing, or completion of 113A or 114A, or completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of public speaking and verbal communication, with particular emphasis on issues related to the Central American experience. Lectures and class assignments will focus on intensive practice …

Analysis of literary traditions throughout the history of Central America from pre-Hispanic times to the present. The course will focus on 20th and 21st century literary movements, with the main emphasis placed on the historical and political elements and the ideological proposals of these works. It includes a discussion of the relationship between literary creation …

Analysis of artistic traditions throughout the history of Central America from pre-Hispanic times to the present. The course will focus on the cultural and sociopolitical construction of Central American identities through historical and contemporary artistic creation and representation. The main emphasis will be placed on the historical and political elements, Central American ethnic and cultural …

Corequisite: CAS 270F. Preparatory: CAS 100 or CAS 102. Field study in a selected Central American community. By reflecting on their work experience, students learn how the needs of the community can best be met and how the well-being of the community is impacted by its relationships to state and local governments, community organizations and …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. History of the development of Central American cinema and analysis of film and video production by Central Americans. The course will focus on 20th and 21st century film and video production, with the main emphasis placed on …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of the history of Central Americans from pre-Hispanic times to the pre-Independence days. Major topics include: Indigenous cultures (complex and single societies); Indigenous and European (Spanish and Anglo) relations; religion, family and land tenure; language and education; disease, labor and population; local and global trading; Indigenous …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of the history of Central Americans from Independence times to the present. Major topics include: Independence movements; 19th and 20th century dependency; state-nation and identity formation; politics of mestizaje; indigenous resistance; imperialism and economic growth; relations with the U.S. and Europe; politics of development; contemporary social …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Comparative survey of the socioeconomic conditions and cultural life of Central American peoples in the U.S. today, particularly in California. Issues of immigration, employment, income, education, gender, family, language, national identity, acculturation and political participation will be examined. Discussion of Central American diaspora communities in other parts …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. During the second half of the 20th century the Central American societies were transformed from an agrarian to an urban-based service economy. As a result of this process and the political instability in Central America, the Central …

Preparatory: Completion of lower division writing requirement and either CAS 100 or CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. The focus of this interdisciplinary course will be the origins and ramifications of environmental degradation that stems from developmental policies which have historically impoverished Central American peoples. It examines the socio-cultural, demographic, economic, political, and environmental problems …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. This interdisciplinary course examines the history of colonization and racism, as well as the socioeconomic, political and religious conditions that Afro-Caribbean peoples in Central America have endured since the time of their arrival as part of the …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. This course will provide students with a basic theoretical and practical understanding of the relationship between culture and violence in Central America and the historical and socioeconomic conditions that have generated a culture of violence in the …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Either CAS 100 or CAS 102. Comparative examination of the shifting cultural, political, economic and sex/gender roles that have shaped the lives of Central American women, including women’s roles prior to and after the revolutionary movements. Also includes discussions of women activists and women’s movements in …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. Designed to provide students with a basic theoretical and practical understanding of the contemporary religious movements that shape Central American life in both Central America and the U.S. Emphasizes the transnational nature of Central American religious movements, …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Either CAS 100 or CAS 102. Examines the historical and socioeconomic conditions that have shaped the Central American revolutionary movements. Major topics of discussion include the history of Central America leading up to these movements, the role of U.S. policy in the region before and during …

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Preparatory: Either CAS 100, CAS 102 or permission of the instructor. Designed to provide students with a basic theoretical and practical understanding of the contemporary social movements that shape Central American life in both Central America and the U.S. Emphasizes the transnational nature of Central American social …

Preparatory: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the educational experience of the Central American child within the context of immigration in the U.S.. At the same time, it compares the educational experience of the Central American child with that of children from other ethnic groups. This perspective provides insight into the …

Examines Central American literary traditions with emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries. Focuses on the aesthetic proposals, the historical and political context in which Central American literature is produced, the Central American transnational experience and the ways in which literary production contributes to the construction of a contemporary version of Central American identity. Emphasizes …

Preparatory: Upper division standing; 6 units in Central American Studies, including CAS 201. Techniques and practice of the critical analysis of culture. Develop and implement a comparative research project that explores in-depth some aspect of Central American cultures. Variable content. Possible topics include the role of literature in the construction of national identity, the creation …

Preparatory: Upper division standing; 6 units in Central American Studies, including CAS 201. The purpose of this seminar is to acquaint students with the techniques and practices of theoretical research. Students will develop and implement comparative research projects that explore in-depth some aspect of the Central American political experience. Variable content. Possible topics include Sandinismo …

The Department of Central American and Transborder Studies has a trifold mission: to empower the large and growing Central American community in the United States by promoting academic excellence, community involvement and cultural diversity; to open spaces of global citizenship and dialogue between academia and society that contribute to the construction of a Central American …

A minor in Central American Studies consists of 18 units.

The Central American Studies Program has a trifold mission: to empower the large and growing Central American community in the United States by promoting academic excellence, community involvement and cultural diversity; to open spaces of global citizenship and dialogue between academia and society that contribute to the construction of a Central American transnational identity; and …

The Central American Studies Program has a trifold mission: to empower the large and growing Central American community in the United States by promoting academic excellence, community involvement and cultural diversity; to open spaces of global citizenship and dialogue between academia and society that contribute to the construction of a Central American transnational identity; and …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2023 Central American Studies, B.A. 2024 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Global Studies as listed below. Refer to the Catalog Archives for General Education requirements. Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS 100 …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2025 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Global Studies as listed below. Refer to the Catalog Archives for General Education requirements. Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2023 Central American Studies, B.A. 2024 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Social Justice Studies as listed below. Refer to the Catalog Archives for General Education requirements. Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2025 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Social Justice Studies as listed below. Refer to the Catalog Archives for General Education requirements. Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 (if …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2023 Central American Studies, B.A. 2024 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Spanish as follows: Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 (if not completed prior to transfer) …

This ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2025 Central American Studies, B.A. All lower division GE completed. Requirements with completion of an AA-T in Spanish as follows: Transfer Year 1: First Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 (if not completed prior to transfer) 3 CAS 201 (if not …

This 4-Year Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2021 Central American Studies, B.A. 2022 Central American Studies, B.A. 2023 Central American Studies, B.A. 2024 Central American Studies, B.A. Refer to the Catalog Archives for General Education requirements. YEAR 1: 1st Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 (meets GE F Comparative Cultural Studies) …

This Transfer Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2023 Central American Studies, B.A. 2024 Central American Studies, B.A. 2025 Central American Studies, B.A. The Transfer Degree Road Map on this page presumes the completion of lower division General Education, the United States History and Government requirements, and lower division core requirements for …

This 4-Year Degree Road Map applies to the following catalog year(s): 2025 Central American Studies, B.A. YEAR 1: 1st Semester Course Units CAS 100 or CAS 102 (meets GE CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies) 3 GE Basic Skills: Area 1A English Composition (Written Communication) 3 GE Basic Skills: Area 2 Lower Division Mathematical Concepts …

(2024) Department Chair of Central American and Transborder Studies;  Associate Professor of Central American and Transborder Studies. B.A. 2007, M.A. 2009, California State University, Northridge; Ph.D. 2019, Arizona State University.

(2024) Associate Professor of Central American and Transborder Studies. B.A. 2012, Universidad Diego Portales; Ph.D. 2018, Tulane University.