How Students Can Engage with Latin American and Caribbean Studies Through CLACS at UC Berkeley

CLACS (the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies at UC Berkeley) is a research unit rather than a degree-granting department, so students engage with it through three main channels: academic resources listed under its Academics section (CLACS Seminars, Degrees & Programs, K-14 Outreach, and Library Resources), funding through its Opportunities programs, and public programming such as events and publications. The right entry point depends on whether you are looking for coursework and degree paths, research money, or community and events.

Start with the Academics section if you want coursework or a program

The center describes UC Berkeley as offering "a wide range of paths to engage with Latin America and the Caribbean," and its Academics overview points to four resources:

• CLACS Seminars — seminar offerings connected to the center.
• Degrees & Programs — the university's degree paths related to the region.
• K-14 Outreach — resources aimed at educators and students before university level.
• Library Resources — library support for regional research.

A practical approach: open Degrees & Programs first to identify which department actually houses the degree you want (CLACS itself is a research unit, so advising and enrollment sit with the degree-granting unit), then use CLACS Seminars and Library Resources to deepen the work. If you are a K-14 educator rather than a Berkeley student, the K-14 Outreach page is the relevant starting point instead.

Use the Opportunities section if you need funding or affiliation

CLACS states that it "offers funding for research and study in Latin America and the Caribbean, with ongoing grant programs for students, faculty, and visitors." The programs named on the site are:

Two conditions are worth noting before you apply. First, several of these are explicitly for graduate-level work (the Summer Dissertation Writing Fellowship and Graduate Affiliation), so undergraduates should check Conference Travel Grants and Working Groups first. Second, the site lists Co-sponsorship Policies alongside the cosponsorship opportunity — read that policy page before pitching an event, since it sets the terms for support.

Follow events, publications, and the newsletter to stay connected

The center frames its public programming as connecting "the best of Latin America and the Caribbean to our educators, students, and community members at Berkeley and around the world." Concretely, you can:

• Check Upcoming Events for lectures and programming (the homepage carries a rotating events banner).
• Read CLACS Blog, Revista Pihhy, and the Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies under Publications, and browse CLACS Publications or CLACS on YouTube for recorded material.
• Sign up for the Newsletter via the signup link in the site's navigation to receive updates.

Recent stories give a sense of the center's current activity — for example, a September 2026 item on UC Berkeley forming its first Central America research group, and a welcome message from Faculty Director Tianna Paschel. Following these is the lowest-effort way to hear about grants and events before deadlines.

A quick decision guide

• You want a degree or courses: go to Academics → Degrees & Programs, then cross-check with CLACS Seminars.
• You need research funding: go to Opportunities and match your status (undergraduate, graduate, faculty, visitor) to the program list above.
• You want affiliation as a graduate student: review Graduate Affiliation and the People section (Graduate Affiliates) to see who is already connected.
• You are an educator or community member: start with K-14 Outreach and the ORIAS Speakers Bureau.
• You just want to keep up: Newsletter signup plus Upcoming Events and the Blog.

One caveat: the site does not publish eligibility rules, deadlines, or award amounts on the pages summarized here, so treat the program names as a map rather than a deadline calendar — confirm specifics on each program's own page or by contacting the center through the Contact Us link before you plan around a grant.