Category Archives: Hispanic Studies

CofC and The Citadel Announce 14th Annual S.C. Spanish Teacher of the Year Contest

Posted on by
Reply

The College of Charleston’s and The Citadel’s chapters of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, are proud to announce their 14th annual South Carolina Spanish Teacher of the Year Award for 2018. The three finalists will be recognized and the awardee announced during a ceremony on Thursday, November 15, 2018 in Alumni Memorial Hall at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. Click here for nomination details.

Inaugural Hispanic Studies Career Seminar Series, Spring 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Hispanic Studies Career Seminar Series
Spring 2018

 

“Highlighting the career advantages of language study and cultural proficiency” 

Thursday, February 22, 2018
4:00-5:00pm, Addlestone Library 227

“Language Studies: Critical Skills in Modern Industry”

Louis Richard Doelling
General Counsel, MDK Hospitality, LLC

A 2009 graduate of The Citadel where he earned his B.A. in Spanish, as an undergraduate Mr. Doelling studied abroad in Sucre, Bolivia and Valencia, Spain.  In 2008 he received The Citadel’s prestigious Star of the West Scholarship, which afforded him yet another study-abroad opportunity in Mérida, Venezuela where he examined Chávez-era literature, culture and politics. While at The Citadel, he served as the student body representative to the International Studies Committee, and as president of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. Mr. Doelling also earned a fellowship at the University of Colorado at Boulder  where he earned an M.A. in Spanish literature in 2011, and in 2015 he received his J.D. from the Washington and Lee School of Law.  In addition to his current role as an attorney, Mr. Doelling is the founding Chair of the College of Charleston’s Hispanic Studies Advisory Board.

—

Thursday, April 12, 2018
3:30-4:30pm, Addlestone Library 227 

“Manager Advantage: Understanding Hispanics in the Workplace”

 

Meredith Ritz Shay
Co-owner and Chief Operations Officer, InCord, Ltd.

A 2011 graduate of the College of Charleston where she double majored in International Business and Spanish, Mrs. Ritz Shay applied her degree-skills to progress from an entry-level position to her current role as Chief Operations Officer.  Currently she co-owns InCord, a manufacturing business that employs over 125 people, 40% of whom are Hispanic.  Recognizing that resolving issues in such an environment requires effective communication with employees in their native language, Mrs. Ritz Shay has managed to gain workers’ trust while fostering their professional growth.  With numerous vendors in South America and Spain, she has developed strong working relationships through her language and cultural competencies.  In addition to her position with InCord, she is a Board Member of the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Association.

For questions about the Hispanic Studies Career Seminar Series, contact Dr. Mark P. Del Mastro, Chair of Hispanic Studies at delmastromp@cofc.edu

Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus, February 2018

Posted on by
Reply

Jolie Hiers, Spanish and Foreign Language Education ’18, is a student of the Honors College, a William Aiken Fellow, a College of Charleston Presidential Scholarship recipient, and a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the College of Charleston’s national-award-winning chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.  In addition to her academic achievements at the College, she is currently a peer teacher for the Department of Hispanic Studies, and she served as a tutor for the Center for Student Learning, Co-Coordinator/Liaison for the Honors Engaged program, and College Ambassador, among other activities.  She has also studied abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica and Trujillo, Spain.

In Jolie’s own words:

My experience as a Spanish major here at CofC has been amazing. Through this major I was able to study abroad in Spain and Costa Rica, which were both experiences of a lifetime. The professors in the department have been amazing mentors and educators, and I feel well-prepared to for my future career as a Spanish teacher. After graduation, I have applied to teach English in Spain through a Fulbright grant, but I am still waiting on the final notification. The following year, I plan to teach high school Spanish in South Carolina. 

Jessica Latham, Spanish ’12, Receives 2018 SCFLTA Teacher of the Year Award

Posted on by
Reply

Jessica Latham, Spanish ’12, has been awarded the 2018 Teacher of the Year Award by the South Carolina Foreign Language Teachers’ Association.  Jessica graduated magna cum laude from the College of Charleston with a major in Spanish and minors in both Secondary Education and Russian Studies.  She was also a Fulbright Scholar at Moscow State University in the summer of 2014, and she earned her M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2016.  Currently, she is a faculty member of both Spanish and Russian languages at Lexington High School (Lexington, SC / Lexington School District One) where she teaches Spanish 1, 2, 3 and 3 honors, and Russian 1 honors, 2 honors, and 3 honors.  Beyond the classroom, she is Lexington High School’s Sponsor of the Russian Club and the SLAVA International Honors Society, among other distinguished professional activities.

HISP Faculty Focus, February 2018: Professor Allison Zaubi

Posted on by
Reply

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…

Hispanic Studies Launches Inaugural Advisory Board

Posted on by
Reply

The inaugural meeting of the newly formed Hispanic Studies Advisory Board was held at 3:00pm on December 7 in the President’s Board Room of Randolph Hall and began with an address by the College of Charleston President Glenn McConnell.  Board members will assist the Department of Hispanic Studies with funding objectives, recruitment and extra-curricular program development.

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

Posted on by
Reply

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

Posted on by
Reply

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.