Writing and Communication
I am committed to helping students of diverse backgrounds and abilities and at different stages in their academic development become stronger writers and communicators. I facilitate the use of writing and communication as essential skills in students’ academic and professional careers.
Georgia Tech
- I lead first-year students in predominantly STEM fields to develop Written, Oral, Visual, Electronic, and Non-verbal (WOVEN) communication skills.
- In my courses, students develop individual and collaborative multimodal communication projects, like oral presentations, video essays, infographics, digital exhibits, StoryMaps, and websites.
Explore this sample StoryMap on Mexico in The Merchant of Venice and other texts here:
Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature
The early modern period may seem, at first glance, to be removed from the present experience. This is why my research and teaching are dedicated to showing the resonance of this time of rich cultural production in light of current issues. I also highlight the relevance of canonical texts to readers from various cultural backgrounds.
- For my upcoming course “Maps, Graphs, Drama: Shakespeare and Data Visualization” at the Georgia Institute of Technology, I have developed assignments to engage mostly STEM majors with Shakespeare and the early modern period through data visualization.
- By creating an ArcGIS StoryMap, students will build an argument that integrates data visualization with literary analysis of Shakespeare in historical context.
ESL
In my role as English as a second language and English literature instructor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), I contributed to creating connections between Mexico’s present academic and cultural context and English-Speaking cultures. I also furthered the English language instruction of university students from beginner to proficiency level ESL courses.
Beyond Higher Education
Boston Pre-Release Center School of Reentry
I designed a college credit-bearing course for incarcerated individuals of diverse backgrounds and academic histories. In this course, titled “Monstruos, Demonios y Sueños. Latin-American Fantasy in Short Stories and Films,” participants discussed social issues Spanish-speaking countries through fantasy narratives. Students produced analytical and creative writing texts and oral presentations on social questions they were invested in, like macho culture or racism in Latin America.
Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative
As Instructor and Workshop facilitator for the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative, I designed and led workshop sessions and created a handbook to guide participants through their educational paths, as part of the Partakers Empowerment Program, which fosters community reintegration of previously incarcerated individuals.
Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI)
Teaching Shakespeare and other literature and film courses to age fifty and above adults in the Boston area at Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI) was a wonderful experience that posed interesting challenges. Participants had not read Shakespeare for many years, and they found the language and poetry of the plays intimidating. In response, I presented literary works like Shakespeare’s as part of a broader cultural landscape to show the relevance of the plays to students who may initially feel culturally or temporally removed from them. I also contrasted scenes from different film adaptations, so that the class could discuss the aspects that each director emphasizes.
Selected Courses
Georgia Institute of Technology
English Composition II: “Whose Side of the Story? Narrative and Point of View”
English Composition II: “Maps, Graphs, Drama: Shakespeare and Data Visualization”
Brandeis University
University Writing Seminar: “Monstruos, Demonios y Sueños. Latin-American Fantasy in Short Stories and Films”
University Writing Seminar: “Whose side of the story? Narrators and Perspective on Page and Screen”
School of Reentry, Boston Pre-Release Center
Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
“Monstruos, Demonios y Sueños. Latin-American Fantasy in Short Stories and Films”
“The Remains of the Day: history, memory and emotion in Ishiguro’s novel and Ivory’s film”
“Henry V and Hamlet in Words, Pictures, and Human Life”
“The King is Dead: Macbeth in Renaissance England”
Shakespeare, Elizabethan and Jacobean Literature, English Literature of the Seventeenth Century, Writing and Composition in English, English as a Second Language (Beginner to Advanced), and Nineteenth-Century English Literature.