Latin America 101 Vanderbilt University Center for Latin

Latin America 101 Vanderbilt University Center for Latin American Studies August 10, 2010 MNPS Inservice

A little bit about CLAS… • Designated NRC on Latin America in 2006 by US Dept. of Education, funding renewed in 2010. • CLAS goal is to educate teachers, businesses and community about Latin America • K-16 Outreach program offers workshops, institutes for all teachers. Teachers receive professional development credit and curriculum materials.

Why Does Latin America Matter? Immigration Drugs Trade Energy Resources - Brazil world’s leading producer of ethanol - US imports more oil from Latin America than from the Middle East

Where is Latin America? 44 countries in all Countries where romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and French) are spoken 568 million people

What does latin america sound like? Tremendous linguistic diversity Hundreds of indigenous languages spoken Indigenous languages co-official languages with Spanish in several countries

Languages of Latin America Portuguese is most commonly spoken language in South America (193 million) 6 th most commonly spoken language; 3 rd most widely spoken European language Brazil larger than continental United States (land area)

What does Latin America look like? Fusion of European, Indigenous and African heritage Guatemala & Bolivia indigenous majorities Argentina – 86% of European descent Haiti – 90% Afro. Caribbean

Diversity in Art

Art of Latin America

Music

Film

Sports

Food Mexican Rice & Beans ≠ Caribbean Rice & Beans!

Tortilla (España) Tortilla (México)

Food in Latin America • Argentina eats more beef per capita than any country in the world (150 lbs. person per year) • Leading exports include coffee, bananas, sugar, fruits

CLAS Teacher Workshops Fall 2010 • 15 September “What Moves Them: Immigration and the Push Factor” • 13, 16 October “A Celebration of Remembrance: Exploring the Historical and Cultural Traditions of Día de los Muertos” • 10 November “The Maya: Language, Culture and History” • For registration and more info go to www. vanderbilt. edu/clas/outreachopportunities/

Claire P. González Outreach Coordinator, CLAS 615. 343. 1837 claire. p. gonzalez@vanderbilt. edu www. vanderbilt. edu/clas