APA Committee on
Hispanics

Why Teach Latin American Thought?

Some Reasons to Consider Incorporating Topics from Latin American Thought in Your Syllabus

Hispanics/Latinos, the fastest growing minority in the USA, are an emerging population on American college campuses, and these students may become interested in studying philosophy if they learn of the contributions of Spanish-speaking philosophers.
As registration records at US colleges show, many non-Hispanic students will sign up for courses in Hispanic culture because they are curious about Latin America.
If your college has a diversity requirement, incorporating some topics from Latin American thought in your syllabus may make your course eligible to fulfil that requirement - thus securing the needed enrollment to run a philosophy course.
Without special training, you'll be able to select topics that can introduce students to major social figures advocating clearly-defined ideologies, in which issues easily lend themselves to philosophical debate.
As you can see in the list of resources posted by the APA Committee on Hispanics, there are abundant films and videos about Latin America, available in most college libraries, that can be used to motivate class discussion of philosophical issues.
By incorporating topics that encourage discussion of controversies affecting Latinos, you'll be promoting cross-cultural understanding.
Issues in Latin American thought are often instances of larger, theoretical problems, and thus are plainly connected with ongoing disputes in other areas of philosophy.
The philosophical issues that arise in Latin American thought are fun to teach: questions such as whether the Spanish Conquest was morally justified, or whether liberal democracy is the political paradigm to which all nations must aspire, are questions that never fail to interest students.
Most issues in Latin American thought can be illustrated with vivid examples, such as those concerning fairness in distribution of wealth, the persistence of poverty, racism, and the liberation of women.
A list with some readily available materials on this topic, including textbooks and anthologies with original sources, has been posted by the Committee on Hispanics.
You could reach students and colleagues outside philosophy, by devising cross-listed courses with Latin American Studies, History, Romance Languages, Sociology, and other departments, thus bolstering philosophy-course enrollments.
If demographic trends persist over the coming years, "Latin American Thought" will become a niche that needs to be filled in many philosophy departments - and with some training, the person to fill it may be you. If you are determined to stay in the field during an era of academic down-sizing, this is an opportunity worth exploring.

APA Committee on Hispanics

Why Teach Latin American Thought?

APA Committee on
Hispanics