Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus, February 2022: Dr. Colleen Moorman

Dr. Colleen Moorman is Hispanic Studies’ Faculty Focus for February of 2022.

Dr. Colleen Moorman—who graduated from the prestigious Georgetown University with a Ph.D. in Spanish Applied Linguistics in 2017 (completing a dissertation on Individual differences and linguistic factors in the development of mid vowels in L2 Spanish learners) and a Master of Science in Spanish Linguistics from the same in 2012—first joined HISP in a visiting capacity during fall 2020, before becoming a permanent member of the department beginning fall 2021.

From her very first days at the College of Charleston, Dr. Moorman has been a central part of the Hispanic Studies team, developing and teaching classes both within HISP and extra-departmentally—e.g., her “Multilingualism and Multiculturalism around the World,” conducted as a First Year Seminar.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Moorman has also lent her time and talents, as a faculty mentor for Bachelor’s Essays, as an advisor to the Linguistics Club, and in the context of many other departmental doings.

For those with an interest in matters linguistic, be sure to check out some of Dr. Moorman’s recently published scholarly collaborations, e.g., her “Can perception training improve the production of second language phonemes? A meta-analytic review of 25 years of perception training research” (2018), published in the journal, Applied Psycholinguistics.

In her own words…

“One of my favorite parts of teaching at CofC is helping students develop their skills, confidence, and curiosity about language, whether it is improving their language skills in Spanish or gaining a deeper understanding of linguistics.  It brings me such satisfaction to see my students have those ‘lightbulb moments,’ as they connect concepts they are learning in the classroom with their own observations and experiences outside the classroom. I also love working with such a wonderful, collaborative group of colleagues that inspire me to continuously improve my teaching and incorporate new ideas and technologies into the classroom.”