Immersion
CLACX Immersion Experiences
Immersion offers an exciting opportunity to explore one’s passion, satisfying a thirst for knowledge that expands upon focused study toward degree completion.
An immersion sequence includes courses and the development of projects that will foster critical thinking about contemporary and historical problems, stimulate and inspire cultural production, engender a national and international lens on a culture that is indelibly changing the face of this country, and to develop in-demand professional skills and connections, while providing an enriching and transformative intellectual experience.
While students can design their own immersion experiences as three-course sequences that culminate in development of an individual project within a supportive workshop environment, below are some immersion opportunities designed by CLACX faculty that may prove helpful:
Provides a service-learning experience connecting students to Latinx communities in Nashville.
- LATS 2201: Introduction to Latino and Latina Studies
- LATS 3880/3881: Internship or LATS 3831: Service Learning Course
- LATS 4691: Capstone Experience in Latino and Latina Studies—Immersion Project
Fosters individual expression through creative writing, studio art, theatre, film, or music.
- LATS 2201: Introduction to Latino and Latina Studies
- Approved creative writing, studio art, film, theatre, music, or other art/performance workshop
- LATS 4691: Capstone Experience in Latino and Latina Studies—Immersion Project
Includes critical study in a pertinent field, for example: literary studies, history, sociology, political science, or education.
- LATS 2201: Introduction to Latino and Latina Studies
- ENGL 3658: Latino and Latina American Literature; ENGL 1111.19: FYWS-Growing up Latinx; HONORS 1840W: College Honors Seminar in History and Culture of the United States-Latinx Caribbean Literature in United States; or approved course offering in affiliated field, pertinent to the immersion project
- LATS 4691: Capstone Experience in Latina and Latino Studies—Immersion Project
Travel abroad to Latin America or the Spanish Caribbean contextualizes and affords a more comprehensive perspective on the Latinx presence in this nation.
- LATS 2201: Introduction to Latino and Latina Studies
- Topical Course: approved course offering preparation in history, politics, and/or culture of host country or region of study
- Study abroad in the Spanish Caribbean, Central America, or Latin America
- LATS 4691: Capstone Experience in Latina and Latino Studies—Immersion Project
For more specific information about immersion opportunities through CLACX, contact Gretchen Selcke.
Immersion Spotlight: Jaime Pérez, Class of 2022
Major: Medicine, Health, and Society
Minor: Business
September 10, 2020
Hello everyone! My name is Jaime Pérez and I was born and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. I am currently a junior at Vanderbilt, where I am majoring in medicine, health, and society and a member of the school’s Association of Latin American Students (ALAS). Because of my fluency in Spanish (I am a native speaker) and English, and my dedication to service and to the Latinx community, I volunteer at the Shade Tree Clinic (STC) in Nashville. The STC is a Vanderbilt University Medical Center-run clinic that provides free care to people without health insurance in Tennessee. A significant percentage of those who receive care are members of the Latinx community who have come to the United States in search of a better life, but are not proficient in English and may have difficulties communicating with healthcare providers; this is where I come in.
As a volunteer translator, my role is to facilitate communication between the doctors and medical students providing the service and the non-English dominant patient receiving care. I serve as the patient’s voice for everything they want to say and I share the medical care providers’ thoughts; I work as the in-between for some very important conversations. I also help patients check-in, move around the facility, and complete any other requests that are asked of me.
For this school year, I hope to give you all a glimpse into what I do and all the great work that goes on at the Shade Tree Clinic. I hope to write a blog once month when I am at the clinic. Finally, I also want to shine a light on those we serve at the Shade Tree Clinic.
Read more about Jaime’s Immersion Project here.