Experiences & Opportunities

3 Ways to Experience Your Education

1. Use what you learn to explore big issues.
Learn something in class that you want to pursue further? You'll find many opportunities to pursue advanced research, and for Latin American Studies students, that research often leads to off-campus study. A few projects explored by Knox students include a College Honors project based on a study of paramilitary groups in the Mexican state of Chiapas; a study of education and liberation theology in several Central American countries; and an independent study and fieldwork in Peru on the Shining Path movement. Other recent projects include:

• "Environmentalism in Costa Rica," Zoe Marzluff '15.

• "Colombian Guerrilla Groups," Juanpablo Ramirez '15.

• "Drug Policy Reform," Luke Albrecht '14.

• "Women and Revolution in Cuba," Lucie Clarke '13.

• "International Solidarity and Muralism in the Sandinista Revolution," Rosie Worthen '11.

• "American Expansion into the Tropics: A Comparison of Fordlandia and the United Fruit Company," Lawrence Povas '10.

2. Take what you study out into the world.
Among the more than four dozen off-campus programs offered by Knox, some of specific interest to students studying Latin America include:

• Guatemala: Socio-Cultural Field Research in Guatemala examines issues of cultural continuity and resource management in Guatemala and Chiapas. 

• Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy and the Media compares perspectives on youth issues and the youth cultures of Nicaragua and Cuba. 

• Panama: Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies examines the island systems of Bocas del Toro, home to biologically diverse marine and terrestrial ecosystems. 

3. Gain serious professional experience.
There's no better way to explore the possibilities of life after Knox than through internships (many found with the assistance from the Bastian Family Career Center). For Lizzie Wisdom '16, teaching citizenship classes through her summer internship at the International Institute in St. Louis, Missouri, has led her to consider a career in education, an option not previously on her post-Knox radar.