About the Program
Students who enter the LAIS Program emerge with the linguistic and analytical preparation necessary to understand the literatures and cultures of Latin American and Iberian countries; the history of Latin America in the pre-Columbian, colonial, and national periods; the formation of social and economic structures throughout the Latin American and Iberian worlds; the history and ethnography of Mesoamerica and the Andes; contemporary Latin American and Iberian politics; and the Latinx experience in the United States.
Coursework
Courses in these and related areas provide a framework in which to explore a wide range of compelling issues, including the “boom” in Latin American literatures; the reinterpretation of Iberian colonialism in the Americas; the politics of democratization and redemocratization in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America; economic crisis and reform in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula; and the integration of Latinx communities into the United States artistic, literary, and political scenes.
Current Events
- 9/23Wednesday4:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4 Massena CampusWíhaŋble S’a Center Fall Open House
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
We hope you will join us on the land for an afternoon of shared practice, learning, and exchange.
Massena Campus 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Wíhaŋble S’a Center’s Fall Open House at the Massena Campus is a bi-yearly event for all of our Bard community that brings together collaborations with nonhuman beings through hide work, shared meals, and conversation on the land. We are an American Indian-led research center grounded in Lakȟóta knowledge systems, where learning happens through relation, responsibility, and community. These practices form the root of our approach to developing ethical AI tools, grounding rigorous technological research in land-based knowledge.
Our Open House supports our college community by providing structured student training and a site for faculty engagement with Wíhaŋble S’a Center’s ongoing initiatives, including, but not limited to, the development of Lakȟóta Dream Language, a neuro-AI storytelling platform that enables interactive exploration of dream narratives.
This year’s events center on a symposium with scholars and artists who consider present-day realities of technological entwinement and advance new modes of ethical engagement within the context of Indigenous methodologies. The Fall 2026 program features practitioners such as Nathan Young, Antoine Bellamare, Mikhel Proulx, Olivia Camfield, Wills Brewer, Bradley Dry, asinnajaq, and more.