Hispanic-Serving Institutions in U.S. Higher Education

Catalog description

This course will provide an overview of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), their challenges, and opportunities. Focus will primarily be on HSIs within the continental United States; however, there will be opportunities to discuss HSIs in Puerto Rico. Students will review the HSI as an organization and the systems that constitute this particular type of institution. Students will review the foundations/origins and historical purposes of HSIs within the U.S. higher education system, explore the contemporary landscape of HSIs, examine the roles that internal and external forces play in shaping HSIs and their systems, investigate the experiences of key actors with respect to students, administration, faculty, and staff who are attending or working at an HSI, and consider how variations across HSIs can affect those within this organization. The emphasis will be on understanding and appreciating the scope, complexity, and diversity of Hispanic Serving Institutions and its stakeholders. The course will also consider how the COVID-19 pandemic might impact our understanding of HSIs and their role in higher education. Open to Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs students; others with Marxe School permission.