Teaching

I am an Associate Professor of Spanish at The Pennsylvania State University, DuBois campus. I received my Bachelors of Arts degree in Spanish from California State University, Los Angeles and my Master of Arts and Doctorate degrees in Spanish (with an emphasis in Hispanic Linguistics) and a Certificate in Foreign Language Teaching from the University of Southern California.

In addition to offering basic language courses (Spanish 1-3), also offer:

• Spanish 100
  
• Spanish 110
  
• Spanish 120
  
• Spanish 130 (Iberian Civiliazation and Culture)
  
• Spanish 131 (Ibero-American Civilization and Culture)
  
• Spanish 200

Spanish 130 and Spanish 131 both meet general education and diversity focus requirements and are therefore taught in English. Both courses focus on art, culture, literature, and civilization from the early periods to present day.

In addition to Spanish, I also teach Women's Studies 003 (Women in the Arts and Humanities), Women's Studies 420 (Women in Developing Countries), and L.A. 497 (the capstone course for the four year Letters, Arts, and Sciences degree).

During the Summer (as funding permits), I am in charge of the Summer in Spain program, offered to students throughout the Commonwealth College campuses of the Pennsylvania State University. This program is a four-week program in which students study language, culture, art, etc., and have the option of living with a Spanish family or renting an apartment.

Campus Diversity Activities

In addition to the courses I offer, I actively involve the community through a number of Cultural Diversity Events. These include National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations (late September), Day of the Dead Celebrations (October 31-November 2), and Foreign Language Week Celebrations (mid-March). I am also in charge of "Spanish Tertulia" (Conversation Round Tables) and the "Foreign Language Film" series.

Each year I organize and lead a group of students, faculty, and staff on an International trip during Spring Break. In past years we have visited Spain, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Research Interests

I have diverse research interests. These include:

• the placement of object pronouns within double verb constructions
  
• morphological development of compound words
  
• code-switching
  
• second language learning and acquisition
  
• technology in the classroom

Please see the "Professional" tab for more information on these topics.

Important People

Many people have had an impact in my life, but there are three people for whom I hold a special place in my heart. The first person is Domnita Dumitrescu. Domnita is a Professor of Spanish (Linguistics) at California State University, Los Angeles. As an undergraduate and questioning whether or not I could succeed in what I wanted to do, Domnita said to me, "Querer es poder." With this, I entered into my Masters and Doctoral programs, where she continued to be a dear friend and mentor. Through the years, Domnita and I have continued our friendship as well as presented and participated in professional conferences together.

Domnita Dumitrescu

Ramón Araluce is an Emeritus Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Southern California. Ramón was Director of the Summer in Spain Program and a person who is loved by all. Ramón showed me his never-ending support while I was a graduate student at USC, we worked together in the Summer in Spain program, and to this day when I travel to Spain for vacation, research, or with groups of students, he is still there for me.

Ramón Araluce

Finally, Gayle Vierma also holds a very special place in my heart. Gayle is the Director of Basic Languages in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Southern California. Gayle and I worked closely together while I was a graduate student, from test development, web page development, to putting technology-enhanced Spanish basic language components in place at a time when this was cutting-edge. Gayle always has a listening ear, great ideas, and is a pleasure to work with.

Gayle Vierma