HISP Faculty Focus, April 2018: Professor Lauren Hetrovicz

Professor Lauren Hetrovicz

An Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Hispanic Studies since 2015, Professor Hetrovicz completed doctoral coursework at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she also earned her M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics and her B.A. in Spanish and Linguistics.  She is a faculty-favorite among students at the College of Charleston where she has taught all levels of basic Spanish language, Spanish Composition and Conversation for Spanish majors and minors, and curriculum in the Linguistics program.  Outside of the classroom, Professor Hetrovicz has also collaborated in various capacities at both the departmental and campus-wide levels, to include the Hispanic Studies Distance Education Committee and as faculty panel member for newly admitted students, among other activities.  In her own words:

Working at the College has been such a pleasure these past three years; I have been surrounded by exceptional students and colleagues who have inspired me to continue growing and learning. Campus involvement opportunities have also enriched my experience, such as being a member of the Linguistics Studies committee, Linguistics Club Advisor, Adjunct Senator and Global Scholar.  

The Department of Hispanic Studies congratulates Professor Lauren Hetrovicz for her admirable commitment to students, her academic unit, and the College of Charleston, and for being selected for our April 2018 “Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus.”

Stay tuned for May 2018’s feature…

HISP Faculty Focus, March 2018: Dr. Lola Colomina-Garrigós

Dr. Lola Colomina

A faculty member in the Department of Hispanic Studies since 2003, and a full professor in the department since 2016, Dr. Colomina earned her B.A. in English from Spain’s University of Alicante, and both her M.A. and Ph.D. at Michigan State University.  Since 2015 she serves as the Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS), a program that has enjoyed a resurgence under her tireless and creative leadership with the revision of the LACS curriculum, the overhaul of the study abroad program in Cuba, the addition of a post-doc faculty position, and extra-curricular event planning, among many other activities.

In addition to her impressive academic leadership, Dr. Colomina is an accomplished scholar whose research focuses on discourse, power, globalization and cultural mediatization in contemporary Spanish American narrative.   The results of her work appear in several internationally-esteemed, peer-reviewed journals in her field to include Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispánicos, Bulletin of Spanish Studies, and Hispanófila, among others.  She has also presented her research in numerous scholarly venues across the globe to include Argentina, Austria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain.

Despite her impressive accomplishments with academic leadership and research, one of her primary loves is the classroom and her students.  In addition to directing student study-abroad programs in Chile and Spain, she has taught a countless variety of courses at all levels–both undergraduate and graduate–to include basic Spanish language and Spanish American literature, culture, history and film, and she has directed multiple student internships.   In her own words:

Whether in the classroom, by watching students lead intellectually stimulating discussions, or outside of it, when I hear my Hispanic Studies and Latin American & Caribbean Studies mentees speak about how a specific study abroad or an internship experience helped them shape their professional and personal focus in a positive way, being part of the students’ intellectual as well as their more personal journey continues to be the most fulfilling part of my profession.  

The Department of Hispanic Studies congratulates Dr. Lola Colomina for her broad work on so many levels for the benefit of her students, her academic unit, and the College of Charleston, and for being selected for our March 2018 “Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus.”

Stay tuned for April 2018’s feature…

Dr. Emily Beck’s Essay Published in Collection

Professor Emily Beck’s essay “Religious Medievalisms in RTVE’s Isabel,” has been published in a collection of essays entitled  Premodern Rulers and Postmodern Viewers: Gender, Sex, and Power in Popular Culture. Eds. Janice North, Karl C. Alvestad, and Elena Woodacre. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.

Professor Daniel Delgado Díaz also collaborated with editing the published images.

Essay Co-Authored by Dr. Pérez-Núñez and Student Bethany Blamphin to Appear in _Southern Journal of Linguistics_

The article Intercultural Competence in the Language Classroom: What Do Foreign Language Teachers Actually Do?” co-authored by Professor Antonio Pérez-Núñez and student Bethany Blamphin has been accepted for publication in the Southern Journal of Linguistics.

HISP Faculty Focus, February 2018: Professor Allison Zaubi

Professor Allison Zaubi

An Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Hispanic Studies for nearly a decade, Professor Allison Zaubi is also a double graduate of the College of Charleston with both B.A. and M.Ed. degrees.  Her passion and dedication in the classroom have distinguished her as a persistent student-favorite, and she also thrives as one of the department’s highly successful SNAP (Students Needing Access Parity) Spanish instructors.  Such outstanding teaching earned her the school-wide Adjunct Professor Award in 2012. In her own words:

Although there are many wonderful aspects to being involved in Hispanic Studies and most of all, teaching both SNAP and non-SNAP Spanish at College of Charleston, I continuously find myself most fulfilled every day in the classroom. Turning the lesson over to the variety of different learners I encounter and watching them exchange meaningful ideas in Spanish is truly the most rewarding part of my position at College of Charleston. Honestly, its magical and I thrive on it professionally!

Professor Zaubi’s notable contributions also go beyond the class through her work as past Coordinator of SNAP Services and member of the Basic Spanish Language Program Steering Committee, the Basic Languages Textbook Adoption Committee and current Mentor to newly-hired faculty, among other activities.

She has also given generously to the community as a volunteer teacher of English in the Fields to Families program, and an interpreter/translator for Hispanics with multiple charitable organizations in the Charleston area.

The Department of Hispanic Studies congratulates Professor Allison Zaubi for her many contributions to the College of Charleston and its Spanish program, and for being selected for our February 2018  “Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus.”

Stay tuned for March 2018’s feature…

Dr. Weyers’ Essay to Appear in Fall 2018 Issue of _Southern Journal of Linguistics_

Professor Joseph Weyers’ study “Quechua in the linguistic landscape of Cusco, Peru: Showcasing culture and boosting pride” has been accepted for publication in the fall 2018 issue of the  Southern Journal of Linguistics.

Dr. Del Mastro Named Secretary-Treasurer of MIFLC

Professor Mark P. Del Mastro of the Department of Hispanic Studies has been appointed Secretary-Treasurer of the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC) effective January 1, 2018, which makes the College of Charleston the new legal seat of the organization.  Founded in 1951 and with an annual conference each October, MIFLC is is an organization of teachers, scholars, and graduate students dedicated to the advancement of literary, linguistic, and pedagogical scholarship in foreign languages.  The College of Charleston hosted past MIFLC conferences in 2003 and 2015, and Dr. Del Mastro is past President of the same organization.

Dr. Viñas-de-Puig Presents Research at 2017 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium

On October 27, 2017, Professor Ricard Viñas-de-Puig presented his single-authored paper “Evidence for a typology of epistemic modality in Spanish and Catalan: Restructuring clitic climbing,” and the co-authored paper (in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Fafulas, University of Mississippi) “Leísmo in monolingual and bilingual varieties of Spanish in the Peruvian Amazon” at the 2017 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium, held at Texas Tech University.