Hispanic Studies

Professor Nadia Avendaño presented her study “Viet Nam and the Chicano/a Casualties of War in Names on a Map” at the XI International Conference on Chicano Literature and Latino Studies in Salamanca, Spain, May 28-30, 2018.

Professor Edward Chauca’s article “La disciplina de lo visual y lo sonoro: tomas aéreas en el cine argentino” has been published in the spring 2018 issue of A Contracorriente.

Dr. Joseph Weyers (3rd from left), Co-Director of Global Scholars, with new members from Hispanic Studies.

On March 10, 2018, Professor Joseph Weyers, Co-Director of the College of Charleston’s Global Scholars Program, recognized three new Global Scholars members from the Department of Hispanic Studies: (left to right in photo above): Professors Lauren Hetrovicz, Antonio Pérez-Núñez and Ricard Viñas-de-Puig.

Sigma Delta Pi Honor Cords Ceremony

On Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 4:00pm, The College of Charleston’s Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, held its 6th annual Honor Cords Ceremony for graduating members.  Congratulations to the following students for receiving their honor cords:

Marissa Bamonte
Maitland Barton
Olivia Drabiak
William Foody
Bradley C. Harrison
Jolie Hiers
Edwin Hille
Hannah Huizenga
Erin Hynd
Katelynn Joiner
Erin McBrady
Jessica McGorty
Katherine Murchison
Audrey Owensby
McCathern Painter
Sommer Peterman
Julie Robinson
Madison Sherwood
Margaret Queen
Fred West
Haley Womack

At the 71st Kentucky Foreign Language Conference held at the University of Kentucky on April 19-21, 2018, Professors Raúl Carrillo Arciniega and Mark P. Del Mastro collaborated in numerous venues:

Drs. Carrillo and Del Mastro were panelists in the session “Strategies for Academic Journal Publishing” that was hosted by  Hispanic Studies Review, the international refereed journal of the College of Charleston’s Department of Hispanic Studies. Professor Del Mastro organized and chaired the session.

Professor Del Mastro also organized and chaired two other sessions: the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society’s Graduate Research Symposium and Special Informative Session.

Ana Camila Bailey, a double major in Spanish and Communication ’18, is a member of Global Scholars, Delta Gamma Sorority, and she is an Operations Assistant for the tech startup Casa.  She has also served the Department of Hispanic Studies as a Spanish conversation peer instructor, and she studied abroad twice: in Lisbon, Portugal in fall 2016, and in Córdoba, Argentina during the summer of 2017.  She also worked as a Marketing Intern for Bedkin and Sycer in 2017.

In Camila’s own words:

I attribute so much of my growth as a student to the Hispanic studies department at CofC. The Spanish major is made up of rigorous courses that focus on literature, language, and culture and has shaped my knowledge of the Hispanic world while improving my language and writing skills both in Spanish as well as English. The professors in the department push their students to go beyond merely learning the material, to instead develop a genuine understanding that can be applied to both past and present real world situations. My experience in the Hispanic studies department has re-inspired my love of the language and has given me the drive and confidence to continue this practice in future endeavors. 

Dr. Marianne Verlinden

Before joining the College of Charleston in 1999, Professor Verlinden earned her Ph.D. in Latin American Studies at Tulane University, and her M.A. at Louisiana Tech University.  Currently a Senior Instructor in the Department of Hispanic Studies since 2009, Dr. Verlinden has taught at every level in the Spanish curriculum to include basic language through graduate courses, and almost everything in between to include Hispanic literature, culture, translation and Medical Spanish, among others.  Besides her work for the Department of Hispanic Studies, she has taught for the Honors College, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, the M.Ed. in Languages program and the past M.A. program in bilingual interpreting.

In addition to her vast teaching experience, she has served the department, the School of Languages, Cultures & World Affairs, and the College in countless ways through several departmental ad hoc committees on policy, co-direction of the study abroad program in Spain, the Latin American & Caribbean Studies Program Steering Committee, the Graduate Council, as Global Scholars Mentor, on the First Year Experience Committee, Faculty Senate, and Faculty Welfare Committee, among numerous other activities.   In her own words:

I feel fortunate to work closely with our students, and, through both teaching and advising, encourage them to communicate in another language, and open their eyes to other cultures. Whether they are at the beginning of the journey, like in SPAN 101, or eager to develop their language skills and cultural competencies in professional contexts, such as in SPAN 316, students keep me on my toes, challenging me to constantly reexamine my teaching practice, and that is how it should be! Likewise, I greatly value the opportunity my service work affords me to hear and learn from the diversity of views and approaches to teaching and learning represented among colleagues on campus.

The Department of Hispanic Studies is grateful for Dr. Marianne Verlinden’s many ongoing contributions to students, her academic unit, and the College of Charleston, and for being selected for our May 2018 “Hispanic Studies Faculty Focus.”

HISP Faculty Focus will resume in August 2018 following the summer break, so please stay tuned …

Le’ah Griggs, a double major in Music Theory/Composition and Spanish ’18, is a member of the College of Charleston’s Concert Choir, the Latin American Ensemble Otro Sur, the Spanish Club, and she serves as Librarian-Student Team Leader for Addlestone Library.  She has also served as the Assistant Director of the Children’s Choir at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, and she is a private piano instructor.  Le’ah spent her spring 2017 semester studying abroad in the College of Charleston’s program in Trujillo, Spain, with support from the Jean and Tap Johnson Study Abroad Award courtesy of the School of the Arts.

In Le’ah’s own words:

The Spanish language and Hispanic studies department at the College of Charleston is a close-knit, engaging, and welcoming community that I am proud to be a part of. Thanks to the dedicated professors and rigorous course work offered by this department, I have drastically improved my Spanish language skills, broadened my knowledge of Hispanic culture on a global scale, and have grown immensely as a person. The most rewarding experience I have gained as a student of Hispanic studies comes from my time abroad in Trujillo, Spain. So much so in fact, that after graduation this Spring, I will be returning to Spain to pursue a Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at the University of Alcalá where I have received a full scholarship. I plan to be a music teacher in a Spanish language immersion school in the future.  

Professor Antonio Pérez-Núñez’s article “The Acquisition of Spanish Gender Marking in the Writing of Heritage and Second Language Learners: Evidence from the Language Classroom” has been accepted for publication in Heritage Language Journal.

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…