Visiting associate professor Susanne Jonas will help explain Latino immigrant rights - a hot topic in the United States and New Mexico - today at noon at the Latin American and Iberian Institute.
Jonas' lecture, which is being sponsored by the Student Organization for Latin American Studies, is titled "Latino Immigrant Rights, Organizing and Legalization Strategies in a Time of War and 'Anti-Terrorism.'" She will also speak at 3 p.m. at the UNM Law School, Room 2404.
Monica Delgado, the organization's president, said that Jonas will be speaking about laws that affect a large segment of the population.
"It's right on with what we are all thinking about and concerned about," Delgado said. "A lot of laws have changed and how do people who are marginalized anyway deal with making sure they still have rights?"
She said the presentation's topic was not what she originally expected.
"I thought she was going to talk about Central America and the democratization process in Central America, but she came up with that title about Latino immigrant rights, and I thought it was great because it's a lot more contemporary," Delgado said.
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She added that Jonas also was eager to re-visit the state.
"She had been to New Mexico before and she wanted to come back, so we really pushed for her to come," Delgado said.
Jonas earned her political science doctorate in 1974 at the University of California at Berkeley. She has taught numerous subjects, including Latin American and Latino Studies, Comparative Politics and Societies and International Relations.
Her teaching honors include a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Social Science Division at the University of California at Santa Cruz, a grant for the National Science Foundation's March 1998 conference, "Guatemalan Development and Democratization: Proactive Response to Globalization" and a Chicano/Latino Research Center sub-grant from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Delgado said she is very excited about Jonas' visit to UNM.
"Mostly, since I'm a student, I think about how students can benefit," she said. "It's cool to have a published author and pretty well-known scholar because we can ask her questions directly and get answers right away."
Delgado added that Jonas' presentation also will benefit UNM faculty.
"It's important for professors to continue networking and keeping up with the issues as well," she said. "Everyone really benefits just by sharing information."
Delgado said she wants the UNM community to be aware of Jonas's qualifications and credentials.
"We want them to know that she is a well-known and respected scholar and that she is in political science and has tons of publications," she said. "It's an honor for us to have her here."
The International Law Students Association and the Women's Law Caucus also are sponsoring the event.
