SCOLAS, The Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, is one of the oldest regional Latin American studies organizations in the United States. Formed in 1966, at about the same time as the national Latin American Studies Association (LASA), it serves all serious students of Latin America. The purpose of SCOLAS is to provide a professional association to foster the interest and enterprise of scholars and students of Latin America, to encourage more effective teaching and research, to promote a continuing dialogue among scholars and interested individuals both within and outside the organization, and to communicate by conferences, publications and other means with those concerned with Latin American life and culture.
SCOLAS holds an annual meeting, alternating usually between a major Southwestern city and a major Latin American city. All members in good standing may participate in panels offered at the annual meeting, planned generally for the month of March. A newsletter, the SCOLAS Bulletin, is distributed to members two or three times per year. SCOLAS gives two annual awards to its members, a book prize for a monograph and an article prize for publications relating to any topic on Latin America or U.S. Hispanic matters. A cash scholarship is awarded annually to graduate students to help with their research expenses. Any SCOLAS member who is also on the faculty of an accredited college or university may nominate one student per year.
Membership is included in the Registration for this year’s conference. To remain a member, you need only pay dues and participate in the affairs of the organization.