BA, Universidad de Navarra (Pamplona, Spain). Certificate of Research Qualification, Universidad de Jaén (Jaén, Spain). Ph.D., The Graduate Center (CUNY). Studied emotional education at CMPS (Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies). Taught at Hunter College, Baruch College, and Instituto Cervantes in New York City. Interest areas include Hispanic poetry and songs from Spain and Latin America, Hispanic culture in general, and the role of emotional intelligence in the study of culture and in language teaching. SLC, 2019-
Undergraduate Courses 2019-2020
Spanish
Intermediate Spanish II: Songs from the Hispanic Worlds
Intermediate , Seminar—Fall
The course will be taught entirely in Spanish. Eligibility is based on placement test and on an interview with the instructor.
This course is intended for students who have had at least one year of college-level Spanish or the equivalent and who wish to review and expand the fundamentals of the Spanish language. After reviewing the basics of Spanish grammar, we will study more complex structures as we refresh, consolidate, and grow our Spanish vocabulary. The aim is to improve both oral and written Spanish communicative skills and to gain some knowledge of the different Hispanic cultures. Focusing on music, we will listen to songs from the different Hispanic countries and from diverse genres, such as tango, flamenco, and Cuban hip-hop and pop music. The music will serve as both listening and reading material for the class. We will study it in a cultural context, identify and discuss the poetic devices, observe the relationship between the lyrics and the music, reflect on the messages and learn about their reception, among other tasks. As part of the work for the course, students will write a cultural project on the Hispanic song, song artist, or song genre of their choice. Students will meet with a language assistant once a week in order to support their speaking and oral comprehension and their Hispanic cultural knowledge.