Dr. Claudia Costagliola graduated with her Ph.D. from SPS in 2015 and currently works as a Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor at Western Oregon University (WOU). Together with Dr. Maureen Dolan (Professor of Sociology, WOU), they have launched an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Social Justice and Service Learning with the Latino Community at WOU. Through this 11-12 credit program, students gain an awareness of social justice issues to bridge the Latino community and the various institutions which participate with the university.
The interdisciplinary nature of the certificate, connecting students of Spanish and Sociology, makes it a pioneer in its field. It primarily benefits students of Spanish heritage, who constitute 30 percent of the WOU student population. The certificate offers students experiential learning opportunities that help them develop their empathy, their cultural awareness and their communication skills in Spanish. Along with the advantages that this certificate provides in terms of students’ employability, they also grow as leaders and mentors.
More details on the certificate can be found in the Western Oregon University course catalog.
Dr. Claudia Costagliola is the author of El sida en la literatura cuir/queer latinoamericana (Cuarto Propio, 2017). In addition to coordinating the certificate, she teaches a course on Latin American queer culture and literature, where students explore issues related to LGBTTQI communities.