"The Legacy, and the Role of the Catholic Church,

and Spirituality, in Latin America" 

The North Central Council of Latin Americanists, in collaboration with the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP - a national organization supporting teaching, outreach, and program development), is pleased to invite its members, and Latin Americanist faculty from all disciplines, to participate in the Fifteenth Teaching and Learning Workshop. The Teaching and Learning Workshop is intended to build on the cross-disciplinary nature of the NCCLA Conference by bringing together Latin Americanists from a variety of different fields to talk about a particular topic or pedagogical tool in an informal, roundtable type of format.

This year, we are excited to be talking the Catholic Church. Few institutions span the entire history of the region, from colonization to the present day, like the Catholic Church. And the Church’s impact is felt everywhere – from economics to politics, from education to culture. In addition to addressing the role of the Church, and how to engage students with the unique role of the church, this Workshop will also provide an opportunity to talk about spirituality in Latin America in general, whether in looking at the Pentecostal movement or at the role of indigenous spirituality in the region.

This is not an event where participants will share papers or give presentations. Instead, participants will simply share with each other their challenges and successes in dealing with the subject of the Catholic Church and spirituality in classes on Latin America, in readings, assignments, and other activities. Our goal is for participants to be able to take direct action in their own courses based on what they’ve learned at the Workshop.

Registration Deadline: March 13, 2026

The workshop is hosted by the UW-Milwaukee Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), a Title VI National Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Registration fee (including Friday dinner and Saturday lunch): $25 (NCCLA members, CLACS members or RFAs) / $40 (non-member fee includes 1-year NCCLA membership).

To register, please contact: Monica VanBladel (UW-Milwaukee) at vanbladeuwm.edu

For further workshop details, and local arrangements: Pedro dos Santos at PDOSANTO001@CBSJU@edu or Eduardo Magalhães III at eduardo.magalhaes@simpson.edu