University of Illinois - Urbana Champagne
Availability / Marketing of Content
The Latina/Latino Studies site offered by the University of Illinois-UC is one that seems well thought out and well executed. It features a dual navigation system that make it easy to get to the information you are looking for fairly quickly. One thing that stand out from the other sites is the inclusion of a Opportunities link. This section includes information about student positions, scholarships, assistantships and various other subjects that truly serve as an example of the university's pursuit of giving opportunities to those in their program. The site also lists the possible courses that can be taken, which can also be viewed by quarter, a nice feature to help student plan out schedules. It also showcases their faculty and various events that have happened and are upcoming in the year.
Courses Offered
The Latina/Latino Studies program offers 35 courses in total. Many of these courses are cross-listed in other departments as well. These courses offer a wide variety of content ranging from "Latin Am & Latino Migration" to "Latina/os on the Bronze Screen" to "Gender & Sexuality Latina/o Lit". It s clear from the course titles and brief descriptions that the University of Illinois-UC are really giving their students a wide breadth of knowledge and given the structure of the minor, they are encouraging their students to take advantage of these possibilities.
Program Structure
While the University of Illinois-UC does not currently offer a major, it does offer an interdisciplinary minor. This minor consists of at least 21 hours of coursework chosen in consultation with a Latina/Latino Studies Program advisor. Of these 21 hours, all student must take an introduction to Latina/Latino Studies course and three courses must be taken in the Humanities and 3 courses in the Social Sciences. The student has the flexibility to choose exactly what class they would like to take, but there are guidelines to follow. No more than 2 classes may be taken from the same department and all courses must be approved by the Latina/Latino Studies department. Also, Of the required 21 hours, no more than 4 hours may be at the 100-level and at least 6 hours must be at the advanced level (300 and approved 200-level courses). Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.75 (A = 4.0) in Latina/Latino Studies courses".
City Demographics
The city of Urbana has a high African-American population of 14.3%. This is in sharp contrast to its "Hispanic/Latino" population which stands at a low 3.5%. This is somewhat shocking given that the state of Illinois has a "Hispanic/Latino" population of 12.3%.
University Demographics
The largest minority group at the University of Illinois-UC is the African-American population at 5.8%. Latino/a is the next largest group at 5.2%. These numbers are striking given the large disparity between these two groups in the city as a whole. In comparison to the city, the University has less African-Americans and much more Latino/as.