About Me

My teaching aims to show that learning Spanish implies much more than just becoming proficient in another language. It also involves the study and appreciation of diverse perspectives and experiences from many different cultures and peoples. In my classes, we gain access to these voices through literature, film, and other forms of cultural production. Likewise, I see the study of Spanish as an invitation to develop clearer communication abilities as well as critical thinking and cultural analysis skills.

My courses therefore have a strong focus on cultural analysis and individual reflection. To facilitate this type of learning, I rely on inclusive teaching strategies to constantly engage students, such as the incorporation of many different daily activities in class that target many learning styles as we approach speaking, listening, reading, writing, and deeper cultural analysis together.

This approach to teaching is largely influenced by my research interests in 20th- and 21st-century Central American literary, cinematic, and other cultural production. The critical questions with which I most frequently engage in my scholarship center on issues of social equality, marginalization, climate change, and the reimagining of the future of humanity as expressed, primarily, in contemporary works of science fiction. To that end, I am currently working on a book-length project that would be the first of its kind to explore Central American science fiction in depth.

Courses Taught