The Central American Studies Program has a tri-fold 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 to promote an understanding and appreciation of the diverse Central American cultures, ethnicities, experiences, and worldviews from an interdisciplinary global perspective.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Central American Studies Program has identified five learning outcomes:

1. Students will develop critical thinking, writing, and reading skills.
2. Students will acquire an awareness of the complexity of the historical, social, and cultural developments in Central America as well as an understanding of the diverse Central American cultures, ethnicities, experiences, and worldviews.
3. Students will expand their understanding of the transnational Central American community’s experience, and its economic and cultural contributions to the US and Central America.
4. Students will develop the intellectual and social foundations, and leadership skills necessary for promoting social change in US society, especially, in relation to Central American peoples in the US.
5. Students will recognize, understand, evaluate, and change the culture of exclusion that has been prevalent in Central America and the US.