Hello my name is Carlos , I am 19 years old. I am from Chicago like actual Chicago not a suburb near Chicago. I live in Albany Park one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the U.S. My nationalities are Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican. I am a theater major and an ensemble member at Albany Park Theater Project (APTP). APTP does a lot of ethnography based work and Theater for the Oppressed. APTP takes real life issues and social issues weather it be in politics or life and interview people based on those issues or have connection to it and we take those interviews and turn them into theatrical productions. I have been doing professional theater for 6 years and have performed over 100 shows. Fun Fact I also have preformed at the Goodman Theater in downtown Chicago.

The reasons why I choose this class was this was one of the first classes that I sat in when I was applying for colleges. I fell in love with Holt’s class and I told her if I attend Wooster I want to take her class. I also like history, in a way I love the stories within history. I also want to learn the history of my heritage so I can better understand where I come from. These are more of my main reasons. Last Fun Fact I want to study abroad in Cuba.

Hi! I’m Tristan, I’m a sophomore and I plan to major in Spanish and minor in CSD. I sing in the Chorus and two a cappella groups here, and I live in the Spanish Suite over in Luce. I work in APEX as a Global Envoy for Off-Campus Studies.

I’m taking this class because I think the abuse that Latin American has sustained from colonial powers should be much more well known than it is know. I feel that often when we think of colonialism in the “New World”, we forget about the peoples affected outside of the continental US, and I want to do better to expand my knowledge of their history. This summer I’m looking to do a volunteer work exchange in Bolivia for a month, and I hope that this class will give me a better appreciation of the history of the area.

My name is Jacob. I am a Junior and history major from Illinois. I am most interested in learning about the silver trade in Latin America, as well as how silver functioned as a resource for the native populations in comparison with the Europeans.

This topic mainly interests me as my general area of interest is East Asia, and during the late 18th and 19th centuries, silver trade was a major part of commerce in that part of the world, and I am curious as to how the colonization of Latin America contributed to that.

Hello I am Fred. I am a second-year student here with an undecided major of some combination of history and political science. I’m from West Virginia and I enjoy seeing new places. A few summers ago I traveled to Ecuador and the Amazon rainforest and was exposed to the intriguing Latin American culture in the flesh. In this class I hope to expand on my understanding of this culture through the study of the continents history as a whole.  I am most excited to learn about the dynamic clashes and interactions between European explorers with the native peoples.

Hi! My name is Kate Atwell. I am Sophomore from Seattle Washington. I plan on majoring in either Anthropology or Sociology, with a minor in Spanish. At the college, I am a tour guide, part of the Woo Sang a cappella group, a member of Delta Theta Psi, and I recently joined the blue grass group on campus. Fun fact, I also made my own album of original songs this summer, and am hoping to perform my music around the Wooster community this year.

I enrolled in this class partially because it was recommended to me by a history major, but also based off my own personal desire to understand more about the roots of the America’s as whole. In my high school Spanish class, we learned a lot of 20th century Latin American history. I was honestly a little overwhelmed about all the information, and feel that it might make more sense if I could start from the roots of the history and culture. Additionally, I am considering studying abroad preferably in Argentina next year, and feel that having a little historical background would not be a bad thing.

Hello! My name is Alberto Peralta and I am a second-year. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, but I grew up in Atlanta, GA. Currently I am undecided on my major. I would have liked to major in Latin American studies here at the college, but Latin American studies are only offered as a minor. I am going to decide this semester between political science or history as potential majors. I am involved around campus as a member of club soccer, alumni liaison for the Men of Haramabee, and I am co-president of the First Generation Student Organization here at Wooster.

This semester I am interested in learning more about the pre-Columbian Americas because although I feel I have a good grasp on contemporary Latin America, I am not as strong in colonial Latin America. I don’t just want to learn more about the governing systems of the Americas, I want to know how these systems of government transcended into what Latin America is today. I also want to learn more about my history. For a long time through out high school, we were taught various misconceptions about the people of Latin America.