Jessi Aaron
Jessi Aaron, Ph.D., has achieved significant milestones this year, with her recent publication, “Quantifying transitivity: Uncovering relations of gender and power” in Language Variation and Change. She will also lead an engaging virtual exchange project titled “Bilingüismo y Cosmovisiones” (Bilingualism and Worldviews) and has been selected to teach an Honors UnCommon Reads/Arts course next semester. Additionally, Aaron earned UF’s Great Teaching Certificate from the Center for Teaching Excellence, underscoring her dedication to teaching excellence.
Su Ar Lee, Antonio Sajid López, and Sonia San Juan
Su Ar Lee, Antonio Sajid López, and Sonia San Juan are collaborating with the Collaborative Online International Learning Program, facilitated by the International Center. COIL connects students and faculty globally through virtual exchanges and cross-cultural projects, enhancing learning across borders.
Sonia San Juan and Su Ar Lee’s COIL project links UF students with peers from the University of Valencia in Spain, providing a platform for linguistic immersion. Students meet regularly via Zoom, discussing cultural topics in Spanish and English, guided by the Seagull platform. This exchange promotes collaborative learning, where students refine each other’s language skills through feedback.
Antonio Sajid López’s project, Comunidades y Emprendedurismo, partners UF students with Costa Rica’s Universidad Estatal a Distancia. Students collaborate on interviews about entrepreneurship in Costa Rica, gaining media skills and cultural insights.
Overall, the COIL program expands students’ global competencies, allowing them to develop academic and professional skills in a multicultural environment.
Joanne Britland
Joanne Britland’s article, “From Print to Netflix: The Fariña Adaptations and Transmedia Storytelling during Times of Crisis,” is set to appear in the latest issue of Hispanic Research Journal this November. Additionally, her chapter “Netflix and ‘España Global’: Promoting Spain through Television Streaming in La casa de papel, Las chicas del cable, and Élite” has been published in Crisis TV: Hispanic Television Narratives after 2008 by SUNY Press. Joanne will chair a panel on “Television and New Media” at the upcoming MLA National Convention in January, underscoring her leadership in media studies. Congratulations, Joanne, for your scholarly and professional contributions!
Analiz Faife Casas
Please join us in celebrating Analiz Faife Casas, a recipient of Phi Kappa Phi’s Love of Learning Award, one of only three awarded at UF this year. Analiz’s dedication to scholarship and leadership in teaching Spanish has also been recognized with the Cooperative Leadership in Teaching Spanish Award (Spring 2024). In addition to these recognitions, Analiz recently published an article titled “Un rizoma latinoamericano: la mujer indígena” in Revista Iberoamericana.
Libby Ginway
This fall, Libby Ginway, Ph.D., has been actively engaged in multiple academic events and publications, highlighting her expertise in Latin American speculative fiction and Portuguese language proficiency.
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- On Nov. 8, Ginway participated in a book panel at Northwestern University to discuss “Tropical Time Machines: Science Fiction in the Contemporary Hispanic Caribbean” by Emily Maguire, recently published by the University of Florida Press. She joined a distinguished panel including Justin Mann, Emily Maguire, and Guillermina De Ferrari.
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- In September, Ginway was invited to the University of Oslo to serve on the dissertation defense committee for Patrick Brock, whose research focuses on Latin American speculative fictions. Other committee members included Bodhi Chattopadyay, Elnar Wigen, and Edward King.
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- On Oct. 3, Ginway welcomed acclaimed author Giovanna Rivero to UF, providing students an opportunity to engage with Rivero’s work firsthand. Additionally, in early October, Ginway, along with colleague Mariana Oliveira, completed certification training to administer the oral section of Brazil’s Celpe-Bras exam, a Portuguese proficiency test managed by Brazil’s Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais. This certification aligns with Ginway’s teaching objectives in her intermediate Portuguese course (POR 3243), where students work toward proficiency in preparation for the Celpe-Bras exam, which UF will now host biannually.
Beyond her involvement in events and language certification, Ginway has also contributed to academic literature. She is currently co-translating Gabriela Rábado Palafox’s “La Voz de la Sangre” (1990), a collection of vampire stories, with Enrique Muñoz-Mantas for the University of Tampa Press. Over the summer, she published two articles:
- “Ecozumbis e Revenants de Trauma: Gabriela Damián Miravete’s ‘Espanto del mundo nuevo’” in Zanzalá, exploring themes of eco-horror and trauma. Read the article
- “The Posthuman Body and Climate Crisis in Latin American Science Fiction Written by Women,” featured in Revista de Estudios Hispánicos, examining representations of the posthuman body in the context of climate change.
Ginway’s recent work underscores her commitment to advancing studies in speculative fiction, environmental themes, and Portuguese language proficiency, enriching the academic community at UF and beyond.
Josh Higdon
Josh Higdon co-authored an article with David Giancaspro, Ph.D., from the University of Richmond, titled “First things third? The extension of canonically third-person singular inflections to first-person singular subjects in adult heritage Spanish.” Published in Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, this paper sheds light on linguistic patterns in heritage Spanish. Kudos to Josh for his collaborative contributions to this research! You can find the article at this link.
Emily Hind
Emily Hind has been awarded the Elizabeth Wood Dunlevie Honors Term Professorship for 2024-2025 at UF. She has also contributed a thought-provoking chapter, “Carmen Boullosa, Driver’s License, and the Energy Gratitude Test,” to “Carmen Boullosa: In Between Brooklyn and Coyoacán,” edited by María R. Matz and María del Mar López Cabrales. Hind continues to teach innovative courses with historian Meg Woods, including a Quest course on the history and politics of caretaking, and she also supports Antonio Sajid López’s groundbreaking course on Latin American fictions and realities. Congratulations, Emily!
Diego Pascual y Cabo
We are delighted to highlight the recent accomplishments of Diego, who continues to make significant contributions to the field of linguistics and language education.
- Awards and Recognitions
Diego has been named the Colonel Allen R. and Margaret G. Crow Term Professor for 2024-2027. This prestigious title honors his dedication to teaching, research, and service, recognizing his impact within the Department and beyond. - New Publication
Diego has co-authored a new book, “Language Ideologies and Linguistic Identity” in Heritage Language Learning, alongside Rachel Showstack (Wichita State University) and Damian Vergara Wilson (University of New Mexico). This publication provides valuable insights into the complex identities and ideologies shaping heritage language learners and is an important addition to studies in this field. - Grants and Funding
In collaboration with colleagues from UF’s linguistics and anthropology departments, Diego has secured a major grant from the National Science Foundation, totaling $598,444. The project, titled “Measuring the Dynamic Impact of Personal Social Networks on Language Learning Outcomes,” aims to explore how personal social networks influence language acquisition. Collaborators include Eleonora Rossi (PI), Steffi Wulff, Chris McCarty, and Zoey Liu.
David Pharies
Congratulations to David Pharies and Erica Fischer-Dorantes on the recent publication of “Diccionario etimológico e histórico de los prefijos de la lengua española” with De Gruyter! This extensive dictionary delves into the origins and historical development of Spanish prefixes, offering an invaluable resource for scholars and students in the field.
Outstanding Students: Carolina Rojas and Isabela Esin
We proudly acknowledge Carolina Rojas and Isabela Esin, recipients of the Outstanding Spanish Heritage Student Award for Spring 2024. Their achievements reflect exceptional dedication to their studies and our program’s values of academic and cultural engagement.
Paola Uparela
We are thrilled to celebrate Paola Uparela for receiving the 2024 Best Collaborative Project Award from GEMELA (Grupo de Estudios sobre la Mujer en España y las Américas pre-1800) for the dossier “Yo llana estoy”: Hierarchies, Transgressions, and Gender Expressions in Colonial Hispanic America (1492-1898) in Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, 48.1 (2022). Paola’s contribution to the volume, “‘Yo llana estoy’ o el despliegue de una virginidad queer,” explores gender dynamics in this historical context. Paola was also awarded the CHPS Publication Subvention Award to support her upcoming book, “Colonial Invaginations: Gaze, Genitality and (De)generation in Early Modernity” (forthcoming 2024).