Professor Vicki Garrett’s article “Precarious Bodies, Precarious Lives: Framing Disability in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Cinema” has been published in the Journal of Disability in the Global South.
Author Archives: Mark Del Mastro
HISP Faculty Focus, April 2019: Dr. Luci Moreira
Photo courtesy of Daniel Delgado
After obtaining her B.A. in Portuguese from the Universidade Estadual de Maringá in Brazil, Dr. Luci Moreira went on to earn her M.A. in Linguistics from the Universidade Fedederal de Pernambuco, completed doctoral coursework in Portuguese at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and then she earned her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign here in the U.S.
Since joining the College of Charleston in 2000, Professor Moreira has taught a myriad of courses for the Portuguese, Spanish, International Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Linguistics programs. She also pioneered the online offering of Portuguese language in the spring of 2019, and she is co-author of the Portuguese language textbook Ponto de Encontro, which has enjoyed widespread adoption across the U.S.
In addition to her constant work with the Portuguese program, Dr. Moreira has also collaborated in various projects both locally and nationally, to include co-founding the Department of Hispanic Studies’ newsletter HispaNews in 2001, and her ongoing role as Editor of the Portuguese Newsletter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Also in 2001, she initiated the department’s Portuguese Club, Bate-Papo Conversation Table, and the Portuguese Peer-Teacher program, which she still oversees today. In the fall of 2017, she was also instrumental with the launch of her department’s newest program: the Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Minor.
With her colleague and loyal companion Jose, she has directed 11 study abroad programs in Brazil. During these memorable trips to the Amazon, students remember sleeping on a boat in hammocks, swimming with dolphins, visiting and dancing with indigenous groups, and snorkeling with baby sharks and green turtles in coral reefs of paradisiac Fernando de Noronha.
In Professor Moreira’s own words:
I chose to study Portuguese when I was 17 years old and it has always been my passion. I have always taught Portuguese, and I don’t see myself in a different profession or field. I am a firm believer that both language and culture can be taught at any level, and that they complement each other. I could not be happier than when the minor in Portuguese was established. This was not a work done alone, and started from writing petitions, committee proposals; a great deal of merit is due to the support of the Department Chair. This minor is the legacy that will be passed to the future.
Each year students from diverse backgrounds and expectations come to study Portuguese. We never repeat things because we don’t duplicate human souls and hearts. Whoever chooses the teaching career never does exactly the same thing and is always invigorated with the energy and the dreams of the most important ones—the students—those who inspire us. It is a good feeling to see the fruits of our labor in what we do.
Stay tuned for May 2019’s feature…
Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus: April 2019
A double major in Spanish and International Studies with a minor in Linguistics (’19), Jenna McLaughlin is also a member of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and she served as a Spanish Peer Teacher (2016), a CofC Spanish Tutor (2016-17), Secretary for the Special Needs Peer Helper (2015), and Team Captain for Relay for Life (2015), among other activities. In the spring of 2018 she studied abroad in Seville, Spain, and in 2016 she traveled to Honduras and Mexico to volunteer as a Spanish/English Interpreter with Torch Missions and Campus Church respectively. Jenna also worked as a Spanish/English Medical Interpreter at Cahaba Valley Healthcare in Birmingham, AL in 2015.
In her own words:
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a Spanish Major at CofC. Spanish has always been one of my favorite subjects, and the professors here at the College really helped me refine my skills and feel completely prepared to study abroad in Seville, Spain. Studying abroad is an enjoyable, empowering, and enlightening experience that I would recommend to any younger student, especially those who are interested in learning about language and culture!
One of my favorite parts about being a Spanish major is the freedom it allows me in my post-grad plans. In these past four years as a Spanish major at College of Charleston, I have had the ability to cultivate a skill that I can take with me in all of my future occupations! Coming into college, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as an occupation, so I’m really thankful that my Spanish major has provided me with the flexibility to take the skill of bilingualism into a variety of areas.
Hispanic Studies Launches Inaugural Trujillo Scholarship
Due to the exemplary generosity of the Hispanic Studies Advisory Board, the inaugural Hispanic Studies Trujillo Scholarship for spring 2020 is now open for applications. See the official website:
http://spanish.cofc.edu/Hispanic-Studies-Trujillo-Scholarship/index.php
This latest initiative in the Department of Hispanic Studies is made possible by the vision and hard work of the very active and dedicated Hispanic Studies Advisory Board members, guidance from the School of Languages, Cultures & World Affairs Dean’s Office, feedback from faculty in Hispanic Studies, and input from the scholarship selection committee members.
The scholarship webpage provides the downloadable application form with a September 15, 2019 submission deadline.
HispaCasts: Episode 4, Ryan Morris (CofC 2008)
Click the link below to hear the 4th episode of HispaCasts created in collaboration with Dr. Mike Overholt from the Teaching and Learning Team.
Episode 4 – Mr. Ryan Morris – March 2019
Dr. Mark P. Del Mastro, Chair of Hispanic Studies, interviews CofC alumnus (2008) Ryan Morris to discuss his undergraduate experience at the College of Charleston as a major in Spanish, his time studying abroad in Trujillo, Spain, and his current profession as Corporate Sales Recruiter for Blackbaud.
Dr. Del Mastro’s Essay Appears in _Hispania_
Professor Mark P. Del Mastro’s essay “Sigma Delta Pi and the AATSP: A Shared Century of Leadership and Collaboration” has been published in the March 2019 issue of Hispania. This “Special Note” connects to Dr. Del Mastro’s ongoing research for his book Sigma Delta Pi: Rediscovering a Century (1919-2019) that will be published by Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs in 2020.
HispaCasts: Episode 3, Dr. Raúl Carrillo Arciniega
Click the link below to hear the 3rd episode of HispaCasts created in collaboration with Mike Overholt from the Teaching and Learning Team.
Episode 3 – Dr. Raúl Carrillo Arciniega – March 2019
Mark P. Del Mastro, Chair of Hispanic Studies, interviews Dr. Raúl Carrillo Arciniega, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, to discuss Professor Carrillo’s views and experiences as an accomplished novelist, poet and literary critic.
HISP Faculty Focus, March 2019: Professor Fenner Hoell
Professor Fenner Hoell
As an undergraduate student at East Carolina University, Professor Hoell spent his fall 2011 semester in the Bilateral Student Exchange/Spanish Immersion Program at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, and then completed his B.A. in Hispanic Studies with a minor in Anthropology. He then attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he earned his MAT with a specialization in Spanish. During his time in Wilmington he taught for the Spanish Department at Hoggard High School (2017), and he worked as a graduate assistant for UNCW’s Department of World Languages and Cultures (2015-16). Since joining the Department of Hispanic Studies at the College of Charleston in August 2017, he has taught full time in the Basic Spanish Language Program, earned his Distance Education certification (spring 2018), and served on the Department of Hispanic Studies’ Distance Education Committee.
In Professor Hoell’s own words:
Working with the College for the past two years has been a marvelous experience which is difficult to summarize in a single paragraph. From the social atmosphere of the department, to the professional development opportunities that abound, we must remember this is one of the best positions we can be in within our field of expertise. I relish in the fact that each day I am given the chance to bestow on my students the gift my past instructors bestowed on me: the understanding and ability to communicate with others around the world.
The Department of Hispanic Studies recognizes Professor Hoell’s fine contributions to students, his department and the College, and for being selected for our March 2019 “Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus.”
Stay tuned for April 2019’s feature…
Hispanic Studies’ Student Focus: March 2019
A double major in German and French with minors in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies and German Studies (’19), George Gabriel is also a Portuguese peer instructor in the Department of Hispanic Studies, an organizer for the German conversation group (Stammtisch), and he was treasurer for both the French Club (2016) and Portuguese Club (2018). He also studied a semester abroad at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina in Florinaopolis, Brazil (2017), he was awarded a scholarship to study Polish at the Universitaet Viadrina in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany in 2016, and he is a recipient of a Huguenot Scholarship from the Charleston Huguenot Society. George has interned in both Brazil (2017) and France (2018), and he is currently a translator for Mercedes-Benz.
In George’s own words:
After graduating from the College of Charleston, I intend to continue constructing a career as an inspiring translator and plan to work for a European institution such as the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union in Luxembourg. As I desire to utilize my knowledge of German and French in addition to Portuguese and Spanish, the European Union functions as an ideal relocation due to its linguistic diversity and constant need for trained, talented translators and interpreters. I currently work as a contracted German-to-English translator at Mercedes-Benz Vans in Ladson, South Carolina, therefore I have the most translation experience in German, but I have researched professionally oriented masters degrees in conference interpretation and translation at the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland, which offers the possibility to become certified translating and interpreting from three languages into a desired target language. I aspire to undertake this program to receive professional training in German, French, Portuguese-to-English conference translation and interpretation to achieve my future career goal of becoming a translator / interpreter certified to work in the EU.
HispaCasts: Episode 2, Emily Williams, CofC Alumna (2012)
Click the link below to hear the second episode of HispaCasts created in collaboration with Mike Overholt from the Teaching and Learning Team.
Episode 2 – Emily Williams – February 2019
Dr. Del Mastro, Chair of Hispanic Studies, interviews CofC alumna (2012) Emily Williams to discuss her undergraduate experience at the College of Charleston as a double major in Spanish and Latin American & Caribbean Studies, her time studying abroad, and her professional activities following graduation. At the time of this podcast, Emily works as a State Recruiter, Title One Part C (Education of Migratory Children and Youth) for the South Carolina Department of Education.