The faculty of the Department of Latin American and Latina/o Studies are engaged in cutting-edge research on such topics as youth, violence and gangs; the historical memory of indigenous populations in Latin America; the advancement of international human rights standards; women in Latin American societies; drugs, crime and law in Latin America; war and its legacy in Latin America; U.S.-Latin American relations; and culture and politics in the Caribbean. The Department of Latin American and Latina/o Studies is also the venue for innovative research and academic programs including the Summer Pre-Law Program at St. John’s University School of Law, the Historical Memory Project, the Street Organization Project, the Palenque Youth and Family Program and the department’s project on Faculty Resources for Teaching Non-Native English Speaking Students at John Jay College.