Iowa State’s Latino Studies program will triple its course offerings next semester with two new classes.

Sociology 332X, “The Latino Experience in U.S. Society,” will focus on the socioeconomic and cultural experiences of Latino sub-groups in the United States. Religious Studies 338X, “The Latino/a Religious Experience,” will study how the religions of the sub-groups affect their cultures.

Since spring semester 1994, the only Latino studies course has been LAS 211, “Introduction to Latino/a Studies.” Beginning as an experimental course, it had an enrollment of 15 students, said Hector Avalos, chairman of the Latino studies program and an assistant professor of religious studies.

Avalos said he expects more students to enroll with the addition of the two courses.

“Latinos are the fastest growing group in the country,” he said. “The main problem is that students don’t know anything about it [the classes].”

Last spring, the Faculty Senate passed a diversity plan that requires students to take six credits of diversity classes to complete a bachelor’s degree at ISU. Avalos said he expects these requirements, listed in the 1997-99 course catalog, will result in further growth of the Latino studies program.

“The program is probably going to expand even more when the diversity requirements kick in,” he said. “It may be that Latino studies is looking for a more dramatic expansion come ’97 to ’98.”

Avalos said students often confuse Latino studies with Latin American studies. He said Latin American studies is about people living in Latin America while Latino studies is about ethnicities that trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Avalos said he hopes enrollment in LAS 211 increases next semester as well. The course will be offered at 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, instead of at 1 p.m. as was listed in the course catalog.