The Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies is one of the first of its kind in the nation! We are an interdisciplinary and transnational program of teaching, research, and public service that provides students with the opportunity to explore the history, politics, culture, and ethics of Chicana/o/x-Latinx communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Our mission is to develop interculturally aware 21st century leaders who engage in social-justice oriented community service and scholarship. We achieve our mission through our curriculum, research, and knowledge production, which explores race, gender identities, class, immigration, and ethnicity, and emphasizes the U.S.-Mexico borderlands (history, sociopolitical contexts, comparative and symbolic borders), expressive arts (art, cinema, music, theater), and community practices for social change (health, education, community organizing).

We are situated in one of the world’s most dynamic metropolitan areas characterized by the international border and the rich perpetual flow of people, culture, and goods in both directions. Our faculty members use our location as a laboratory for research, teaching, and service.

Give to the department

• CCS Alumnus, Jose Olague in the News: Chicano Park Mural
• Dr. Roberto D. Hernández, associate professor of Chicana/o Studies and the Centro Cultural de la Raza’s Board President, announces Mellon Grant awarded to a beloved community institution. Read more about the grant.

• Congratulations to Dr. Lilia Soto, recently selected as chair-elect of the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies.
• We are very pleased to welcome our newest faculty member, Dr. Natalie Santizo! ¡Bienvenida! Read more.

Department Chair 
Dr. María Ibarra 
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Undergraduate Adviser
Paola Martinez
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Administrative Coordinator
Bertha Hernández 
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