Teaching Philosophy

My teaching approach centers on respect for students. I consider students to be intellectual equals capable of teaching me as well as learning from me. I believe that the classroom should be a comfortable setting where students are free to speak in Spanish, commit errors, and learn from their mistakes. I also think that the Spanish language classroom has the added benefit of allowing students to explore topics that have to do with their own lives. With this in mind, I like to provide them with the opportunity to talk about themselves in Spanish. In literature courses I talk with students individually about their interests and suggest Latin American authors they would like to read for class or even after the semester is over.

Scholarly Interest

Latin American Women Filmmakers
Latin American Cinema
Latin American Literature
Contemporary Mexican Novel

SPAN 11A Elementary Spanish First Semester
SPAN 11B Elementary Spanish Second Semester
SPAN 23 Intermediate Spanish First Semester
SPAN 25 Intermediate Spanish Second Semester
SPAN 103 Introducción a la literatura hispanoamericana [Introduction to Hispanic American Literature]
SPAN 114 Cine hispano [Hispanic Film] (Cross-listed with Film Studies and Gender Studies)
SPAN 122 Literatura mexicana [Mexican Literature]
SPAN 135 Literatura Hispanoamericana del Siglo XX [Hispanic American Literature of the 20th Century]
SPAN 140 Traducción [Translation]
SPAN 191 Novel del Cono Sur [Novel of the Southern Cone], Independent Study
SPAN 191 Traducción Avanzada [Advanced Translation], Independent Study
SPAN 191 Mexican Women Filmmakers, Independent Study
LANG 89 Practicum, Spanish Pedagogy
LANG 195 MLL Capstone
PACS I [freshman seminar]: What is a Good Society?
PACS II [freshman seminar]: Ecology and Latin America 
PACS III [senior seminar]: What is an Ethical Life?
GEND 011 Introduction to Gender Studies
GEND 191 The Ideal Genderless Society, Independent Study