Dr Sonja S Watson

[Dr Sonja Stephenson Watson]

Academic Staff

Last Updated: April 14, 2021

swatson1@uta.edu

about me

Biography

Dr. Sonja Stephenson Watson is Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the College of Liberal Arts, Director of the Women's & Gender Studies Program and Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Arlington. She received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Her areas of specialty are Afro-Panamanian Literature, Hispanic Caribbean Literature, and reggae en español. Dr. Watson has published articles in the Afro-Hispanic Review, Cincinnati Romance Review, the College Language Association Journal, the Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies Journal, PALARA, Callaloo, Hispania and alter/nativas. Her manuscript, The Politics of Race in Panama: Afro-Hispanic and West Indian Literary Discourses of Contention (University Press of Florida 2014, 2017) deals with the forging of Afro-Panamanian identity. Dr. Watson is also co-editor of the journal PALARA (https://journals.tdl.org/palara/index.php/palara).

Education

- 2005 PhD in Hispanic Literature/ Applied Linguistics
  University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Knoxville, TN
- 2000 MA in Spanish
  University of Tennessee - Knoxville, Knoxville, TN
- 1995 BA in Spanish
  College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Appointments

- Sept 2017 to Present Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
  College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX, United States)
- 2014 to Present Associate Professor of Spanish
  Modern Languages, University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX, United States)
  Graduate Courses: SPAN 5313: La diáspora negra y la literatura afro-caribeña hispánica/The Black Diaspora and Hispanic Afro-Caribbean Literature. (UT Arlington, spring 2008, fall 2010, spring 2012, spring 17) SPAN 5315: Literatura Latinoamericana y Caribeña contemporánea/Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Literature. (UT Arlington, spring 2014, spring 2016) Undergraduate Courses SPAN 4313 Reggae en español and Digital Humanities. (UT Arlington, fall 2017) SPAN 4334: Contemporary Hispanic Culture: Cuba. (UT Arlington, fall 2016) SPAN 4313: Hip-Hop in Latin America and the Caribbean. (UT Arlington, fall 2014) SPAN 4313: Literatura y cultura afro-caribeña hispánica/Hispanic Afro-Caribbean Literature and Culture. (UT Arlington, spring 2008, fall 2009, fall 2010, fall 2011, fall 2012, fall 2013) SPAN 4313: Afro-Latin American Cinema. (UT Arlington, Winter Intersession 2010/2011 and 2011/2012; spring 2013) SPAN 3315: Composition through Literature. (UT Arlington, fall 2007, fall 2008, spring 2009, fall 2009, spring 2010, fall 2011, fall 2012) SPAN 3312: Latin American Culture and Civilization. (UT Arlington, fall 2008, spring 2010, fall 2010, spring 2011, fall 2011, spring 2012, fall 2012, spring 2013, fall 2013, spring 2014, fall 2015) SPAN 3302: Hispanic Literature in Translation: Literature and Culture of the Afro-Hispanic/Brazilian Diaspora. (UT Arlington, spring 2009) WOMS 2310: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies. (UT Arlington, fall 2013) Online course development WOMS 2310: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (co-developed) WOMS/MAS/DIVR 3301: Introduction to Latina/Hispanic Feminism (co-developed) SPAN 3312: Latin American Civilization and Culture SPAN 5313: The Black Diaspora and Hispanic Afro-Caribbean Literature SPAN 5315: Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Literature
- July 2014 to June 2018 Director of Women's and Gender Studies Program
  University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX, United States)
- 2007 to 2014 Assistant Professor of Spanish
  Modern Languages, University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX, United States)
- 2005 to 2007 Post-Doctoral Fellow
  African and African American Studies, Washington University (SaintLouis, MO, United States)

Memberships

- 2002 to Present Afro-Latin American Research Association
- 2002 to Present College Language Association
- 2002 to Present International Association of Hispanic Female Literature
- 2002 to Present Latin American Studies Association
- 2002 to Present Modern Language Association
- 2002 to Present Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum

Awards and Honors

- Apr 2010 Panamanian Council of New York Award sponsored by Panamanian Council of New York
- 2003 Dissertation Fellow sponsored by Southern Regional Education Board
- 1998 Teacher of the Year sponsored by Denbigh High School

Support & Funding

This data is entered manually by the author of the profile and may duplicate data in the Sponsored Projects section.

- Sept 2019 to Sept 2020 Exploring Tribal Representation across American Indian-produced radio in US Reservation and Urban Contexts (TRR)- Visiting Scholar Dr. Katie Moylan sponsored by University of Leicester - $11684
  Sonja Watson (Funded)
- June 2019 to Aug 2019 National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Award-HSI Institutions sponsored by National Endowment for the Humanities-HSI Institutions - $50000
  (Funded)
- June 2019 to July 2019 Globalization, Transculturation, and Hybrid Identity in Panamanian Music: Reggae en Español sponsored by National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) - $8400
  Sonja Watson (Funded)
- Past to 2017 The Charles T. McDowell Center for Critical Languages and Area Studies Study Abroad Scholarship sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington, College of Liberal Arts - $2395
  (Funded)
- Past to July 2017 College Prep Grant sponsored by Jack and Jill of America Foundation - $3237
  (Funded)
- Past to 2016 COLA Endowment Research Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington, College of Liberal Arts - $839
  (Funded)
- Past to Jan 2016 Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington, College of Liberal Arts - $9618
  (Funded)
- June 2014 to Aug 2015 Panamanian Reggae en Espanol: Transculturation, Hybridity, and Identity sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington - $9903
  Sonja Watson (Funded)
- Past to July 2015 AAUW, Arlington Branch sponsored by AAUW - $353
  (Funded)
- Past to July 2015 BNSF Railway sponsored by BNSF Railway - $1000
  (Funded)
- Past to 2014 Research Enhancement Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington, College of Liberal Arts - $9903
  (Funded)
- Past to Oct 2014 Dallas Women’s Foundation Grant sponsored by Dallas Women’s Foundation - $3000
  (Funded)
- Past to 2012 The Charles T. McDowell Center for Critical Languages and Area Studies Study Abroad Scholarship sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington, College of Liberal Arts - $2000
  (Funded)
- Past to 2009 Innovative Teaching Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington - $4351
  (Funded)
- Past to 2009 Research Enhancement Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington - $8040
  (Funded)
- 2008 to 2009 Center of Mexican American Studies Research Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington - $1500
  (Funded)
- Sept 2008 to Aug 2009 The Cultural Politics of Race in Afro-Panamanian Discourse sponsored by - $8040
  Sonja Watson (Funded)
- Past to 2002 Research Grant sponsored by W. K. McClure Fund Scholarship, University of Tennessee - $2500
  (Funded)
- Past to 2002 Travel Grant sponsored by University of Florida - $750
  (Funded)
- Past to 1998 Study Abroad Scholarship sponsored by U.S. Embassy of Spain - $0
  (Funded)

Publications

In Process

Book
“Globalization, Transculturation, and Hybrid Identity in Panamanian Music: Reggae en Español”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. "University Press of Florida". In Preparation; Not Yet Submitted.

Book
“Transatlantic and Transcultural Dialogues on Identity, Culture, and Migration”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. In Preparation; Not Yet Submitted.

2014

Book
The Politics of Race in Panama: Afro-Hispanic and West Indian Literary Discourses of Contention
[Watson, SonjaStephenson].(1), Gainesville, FL: "University Press of Florida".

Book
The Politics of Race in Panama: Afro-Hispanic and West Indian Literary Discourses of Contention
[Watson, SonjaStephenson].(2), Gainesville, FL: "University Press of Florida".

In Process

Book Chapter
“‘Reading’ the Caribbean and U.S. in Panamanian reggae en español, a transcultural/transnational musical art form.”
Race and Transnationalism in Latin America
[Watson, SonjaStephenson, Bryce, Benjamin, Sheinin, David]. "University of Pittsburgh Press". Accepted.

2012

Book Chapter
“The Grandchildren of Felicidad Dolores and the Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel: A New Reading.”
Critical Perspectives on Afro-Latin American Literature
[Watson, SonjaStephenson, Tillis, Antonio]. 30-50. New York: "Routledge".

2017

Book Review
When the Devil Knocks: The Congo Tradition and the Politics of Blackness in Twentieth-Century Panama, Reneé Alexander Craft
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. New West Indian Guide. 91(1/2), 133-134.
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/22134360/91/1-2

2013

Book Review
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black Now, Touré
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. PALARA. 17, 83-86.

2010

Book Review
Antología del personaje negro en la cuentística de escritoras centroamericanas
[Watson, SonjaStephenson, Muñoz, WillyO]. Afro-Hispanic Review. 294-252.

2008

Book Review
“The ‘Failed’ Project of Blackness in Contemporary Afro-Puerto Rican Discourse.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. A Contracorriente: A Journal of Social History and Literature in Latin America . 243-51.

In Process

Journal Article
“’In Full Color:’ Rachel Dolezal’s Cultural Misappropriation of Blackness.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Callaloo. Submitted.

2016

Journal Article
“Expanding Definitions of Caribbean Identity in Melanie Taylor Herrera’s Fiction.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Cincinnati Romance Review. 40, 201-214. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22134360-09101028

2015

Journal Article
“La identidad afropanameña en la literatura desde el siglo XX hasta el nuevo milenio.” [Trans. “Afro-Panamanian Identity in the Literature from the Twentieth Century to the New Millennium.”]
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. LiminaR.: Estudios Sociales y Humanísticos . 13(2), 27-37. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v13i2.390

2014

Journal Article
“‘Reading’ National Identity in Panama through Renato, a First Generation Panamanian reggae en español Artist.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Alter/natives: Latin American Cultural Studies Journal.
http://alternativas.osu.edu/en/issues/spring-2014/essays1/watson.html

2013

Journal Article
“Teaching Afro-Latin American Culture Through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s guerrita de los negros.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Hispania. 96(1), 70-79. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/hpn.2013.0016

2012

Journal Article
“Poetic Negrism and the National Sentiment of Anti-West Indianism and Anti-Imperialism in Panamanian Literature.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Callaloo. 35, 459-474. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cal.2012.0067

2011

Journal Article
“Liminalidad, identidad y ‘conciencia doble’ en Gamboa Road Gang, una novela del Canal.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. PALARA. 15, 95-107.

Journal Article
“‘Double Bind/Double Consciousness’ in the Poetry of Carmen Colón Pellot and Julia de Burgos.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Cincinnati Romance Review. 30, 69-82.
http://www.mixedracestudies.org/?p=51324

2010

Journal Article
“Nationalist Rhetoric and Suppression of Black Consciousness: Literary Whiteness in Poems by Federico Escobar and Gaspar Octavio Hernández.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Afro-Hispanic Review. 169-186.

2009

Journal Article
“‘Are Panamanians of Caribbean Ancestry an Endangered Species’? Critical Literary Debates on Panamanian Blackness in the Works of Carlos Wilson, Gerardo Maloney, and Carlos Russell.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies. 231-254. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17442220903331605

2006

Journal Article
“Changó, el gran putas: Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Afro-Hispanic Review. 67-86.

2005

Journal Article
“The Use of Language in Melva Lowe de Goodin’s De/From Barbados a/to Panamá: A Construction of Panamanian West Indian Identity.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. College Language Association Journal. 28-44,

2014

Other
“Beleño, Joaquín, Hernández Gaspar Octavio, Lowe de Goodin, Melva, Wilson, Carlos Guillermo.”
Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography
[Watson, SonjaStephenson, Gates, HenryLouis, Knight, FranklinK]. "Oxford University Press".

2011

Other
“Changó, el gran putas.”
World Literature in Spanish [3 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia
[Watson, SonjaStephenson, Ihrie, Maureen, Oropesa, Salvador]. Santa Barbara, CA: "ABC-CLIO".
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23054704?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Other
“Entrevista con Carlos E. Russell.”
[Watson, SonjaStephenson]. Istmo: Revista virtual de estudios literarios y culturales controamericanos. 21,

Presentations

- April 2019
  Watson, Sonja (Author & Presenter), "Expanding Narratives of Panamanian reggae en español: The Story of Rude Girl (La Atrevida)", University of Texas at Arlington, Raleigh/Durham NC. (April 6, 2019).
- October 2018
  Watson, Sonja, "La palabra anda suelta: Reflexiones sobre el pensamiento afro en América Latina", University of Texas at Arlington, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. (October 4, 2018).
- August 2018
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“21 Years of PALARA: The Past, Present, and Future.” ", Afro-Latin American Research Association, Houston, TX. (August , 2018).
- August 2018
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Globalization, Transculturation, and Hybrid Identity in Panamanian Music: Reggae en Español.”", Afro-Latin American Research Association, Houston, TX. (August , 2018).
- April 2017
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Homenaje/Homage a/to Carlos ‘Cubena’ Wilson.”", College Language Association, Columbia, MO. (April , 2017).
- November 2016
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "The Urban Fiction of Panamanian Cuentista Melanie Taylor Herrera", Houston, TX. (November , 2016).
- August 2016
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Reading” the Caribbean in Panamanian reggae en español, a Transcultural/ Transnational Musical Art Form", Afro-Latin American Research Association, Curação. (August , 2016).
- April 2016
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Transracial Identity and Hip Hop Culture: from Rachel Dolezal to Iggy Azalea.” ", College Language Association, Houston, TX. (April 6, 2016).
- April 2015
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Short Stories by Melanie Taylor Herrera: Expanding Definitions of Black Female Panamanian Identity", College Language Association, Dallas, TX. (April 8, 2015).
- March 2014
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Forging Afro-Panamanian Identity: Past, Present and ", University of Florida at Gainesville. (March 21, 2014).
- March 2014
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Reading” National Identity in Panama through Renato, a First-Generation Panamanian reggae en español Artist.", College Language Association. (March 16, 2014).
- February 2014
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Forging Afro-Panamanian Identity: Past, Present and Future", University of Texas at Panamerican. (February 26, 2014).
- December 2013
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Transformations and Adaptations. Expanding Approaches to the Critical Analysis of Afro-Latin American Literature through Film.”", Modern Language Association Convention: “Avenues of Access.” , Boston, MA. (December , 2013).
- March 2013
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Teaching Afro-Latin American Culture through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s guerrita de los negros.” ", MODL, UTA, Arlington, Texas. (March 1, 2013).
- 2012
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Forging Afro-Panamanian Identity through reggae en españo", Afro-Latin American Research Association, Costa Rica. ( , 2012).
- 2012
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Revising the Canon: Historical Revisionism in Cubena’s Trilogy", San Francisco, CA. ( , 2012).
- 2012
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Teaching Afro-Latin American Culture through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s guerrita de los negros", . College Language Association, Atlanta, GA. ( , 2012).
- February 2011
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“Double Bind/Double Consciousness” in the Poetry of Carmen Colón Pellot and Julia de Burgos", Philadelphia, PA. (February 28, 2011).
- 2010
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "“New Narratives in Panamanian West Indian Discourse: Reading Panama from both Sides of the Atlantic.”", College Language Association. ( , 2010).
- April 2010
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Afro-Panamanian literature and culture", Panamanian Council of New York, Brooklyn, NY. (April 7, 2010).
- March 2010
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Poetic Negrism and the National Sentiment of Anti-West Indianism and Anti-imperialism", Dominican Republic. (March , 2010).
- November 2009
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Anti-West Indianism and Anti-imperialism in the Canal Zone", Midwestern Association of Latin American Studies (MALAS). (November , 2009).
- March 2009
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Mulatez and the Creation of a Feminine Poetic Space in the Works of Carmen Colón Pellot and Julia de Burgos", University of Maryland Eastern Shore. (March , 2009).
- November 2008
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Carlos E. Russell and the Discourse of Post-Nationalism in Twentieth -Century Panama", Purdue University. (November , 2008).
- March 2007
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Liminalidad, identidad y “conciencia doble” en Gamboa Road Gang, una novela del Canal", University of Texas at Arlington. (March 13, 2007).
- December 2006
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Changó, el gran putas: Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel.", Philadelphia, PA. (December , 2006).
- 2006
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Beyond the Nation-State: Carlos E. Russell and the Discourse of Post-Nationalism in Panama", University of Missouri-Columbia. ( , 2006).
- 2004
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "National Rhetoric and Negritude: The Invisibility of Blackness in the New Republic of Panama", Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures & African American Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. ( , 2004).
- 2004
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "The Social Protest Novels of Joaquín Beleño C.: A Study of the Inherent Conflicts and Contradictions of Anti-imperialism and Negritude in the Canal Zone", University of Tennessee-Knoxville. ( , 2004).
- 2004
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "The Use of Language in Melva Lowe de Goodin’s De/From Barbados a/to Panamá: A Construction of Panamanian West Indian Identity", Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN. ( , 2004).
- 2003
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Race, Class, and Gender in the Works of Carolina María de Jesus and María de los Reyes Castillo Bueno (Reyita)", University of Tennessee-Knoxville. ( , 2003).
- 2002
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Gamboa Road Gang and the Spanish-American Postboom: A Novel of Transition.", Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL. ( , 2002).
- 2002
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "La evolución de la figura del negro en la literatura medieval al Siglo de Oro.", Furman University, Greenville, SC. ( , 2002).
- 2002
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "La identidad múltiple en los ensayos de Nicolás Guillén", Panamá City, Panamá. ( , 2002).
- 2000
  Watson, SonjaStephenson, "Los desafíos de Susana San Juan", Veracruz, México. ( , 2000).

Students Supervised

- Present
  Master's Thesis Committee Member
  Spencer Evans, MFA Candidate
- 2016
  Master's Comprehensive Exam Committee Member
  (Modern Languages)

Courses

Service to the University

- 2015 to Present Committee Member
  
  ACTP Committee, MODL, UTA
  Member, ACTP Committee, 2015–Present. Served as a member of the department’s tenure and promotion review committee. As a committee member, I prepared reports for candidates under review in the area of teaching, research, and/or service.
- 2014 to Present Committee Member
  
  Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  Member, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, 2014–Present. Committee oversees issues of diversity and inclusion at a university-wide level.
- Dec 2018 to Aug 2019 Committee Chair
  
  CoLA Honors Plan
  Chaired a College level committee to develop a new CoLA honors plan that incorporated experiential learning.
- May 2019 to June 2019 Committee Chair
  
  Military Transfer Experience Ad hoc Committee
  Charged with leading an interdisciplinary committee to create a process to award military transfer credit to veteran students at UTA.
- 2016 to 2017 Committee Member
  
  Provost Search Committee
  Member, Provost Search Committee, 2016-2017. Appointed by the President to serve on the Provost Search Committee
- 2015 to 2017 Committee Member
  
  College of Liberal Arts Research Committee
  Member, College of Liberal Arts Research Committee, 2015–2017. Served on the College of Liberal Arts REP/FDL and Research Committee. Reviewed internal submissions for University wide research awards.
- Past to 2016 Committee Chair
  
  ACTP Committee, MODL, UTA
  Chair, ACTP Committee, spring 2016. Chaired the department’s tenure and promotion review committee. As Chair, I was responsible for assuring that all appropriate tenure and promotion guidelines were followed. I summarized reports for candidates under review in the area of teaching, research, and/or service and submitted them to the MODL Chair.
- 2007 to 2016 Library Representative
  
  Department of Modern Languages, UTA
  Library Representative, Department of Modern Languages, fall 2007–2014 and fall 2016. Served as a liaison between the department of Modern Languages and Jody Bailey, the subject library representative for our department.
- July 2015 to July 2016 Sub-Committee Chair
  
  Campus Climate for Women Task Force
  Sub-Committee Chair, Campus Climate for Women Task Force, July 2015–July 2016. Appointed by the President to serve on bi-weekly committee and chair the sub-committee on work/life balance. As sub-committee chair, I researched and prepared a report on work/life balance for the President.
- 2011 to 2015 Co-Sponser
  
  Sociedad Hispánica (Spanish Club), MODL, UTA
  Co-Sponsor, Sociedad Hispánica (Spanish Club), Spring 2011–2015. As co-sponsor, I helped students develop activities during Spanish Heritage Month, and coordinated bake sales and guest speakers. For instance, students frequently invite faculty members from the Spanish section to lecture on grammar topics such as the placement of written accent marks. The society also has an ongoing film series that highlights Latin American and Spanish culture, which I assist in organizing.
- 2012 to 2014 Faculty Fellow
  
  Center for African American Studies (CAAS)
  Faculty Fellow, Center for African American Studies (CAAS), 2012-2014. Participated in the development of all research and community-based activities for CAAS during the 2012-2013 academic year including the organization of the CAAS symposium, Critical Issues in Black Studies. Attended biweekly meetings and presented research on Afro-Hispanic identity at two brown bag workshops and a lecture series.
- 2008 to 2014 Committee Member
  
  Departmental Awards Ceremony Committee, MODL, UTA
  Member, Departmental Awards Ceremony Committee, Fall 2008–2014. Served on the awards ceremony committee for the department of Modern Languages, which included planning activities for the event, selection of the menu, and assisting with award letter preparation.
- 2008 to 2014 Committee Member
  
  Teacher Education Council
  Member, Teacher Education Council, 2013–2014 and 2008–2009. The Teacher Education Council provides a liaison between the Center for Professional Teacher Education and other academic departments.
- 2012 to 2013 Committee Chair
  
  UTA MODL Cultural Constructions Symposium
  Chair, UTA MODL Cultural Constructions Symposium, 2012–2013. Organized a one-day symposium on 21st century pedagogies, including organizing three panel sessions and inviting two guest speakers to present the feature film Maestra (Teacher) about the 1961 Cuban Literacy Campaign. Symposium held March 1, 2013.
- 2010 to 2013 Committee Chair
  
  Departmental Awards Ceremony, MODL, UTA
  Chair, Departmental Awards Ceremony, 2010–2013. Chaired the annual awards committee for the Department of Modern Languages. As chair, I coordinated and organized the ceremony for seven languages and secured talent and guest speakers.
- Past to Mar 2013 Judge
  
  ACES
  ACES Judge, March 27, 2013. Served as a judge of undergraduate and graduate student research at the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES). I judged nine student research presentations from the Department of Psychology and the Department of Communications.
- 2009 to 2012 Committee Member
  
  Undergraduate Assembly
  Member, Undergraduate Assembly, fall 2009–Spring 2012. Served on the legislative body of the University Faculty in undergraduate academic affairs.
- 2008 to 2012 Board Member
  
  Women’s Studies Advisory Board, CoLA
  Board Member, Women’s Studies Advisory Board, spring 2008–Fall 2012. Elected to be a member of the Women’s Studies Advisory Board for the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. I participated in the annual Lunafest Cinema project which showcases films that deal with issues in Women’s and Gender Studies. I participated in activities during Women’s History Month ranging from attending events to entertaining guest speakers by escorting them to the airport, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also selected scholarship recipients of our inaugural scholarship.
- 2008 to 2009 Research Associate
  
  Center for Mexican American Studies. CoLA
  Research Associate, Center for Mexican American Studies, spring 2008–Spring 2009. Participated in monthly faculty symposiums that dealt with current issues in Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean.

Service to the Profession

- 2017 to Present
  Co-editor
  Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum
  Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum
- 2009 to Present
  Board Member
  Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum
  Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum

Faculty & Staff Resources

Dr Sonja S Watson

[Dr Sonja Stephenson Watson]

Biography

Biography

Education

Education

Appointments

Appointments

Memberships

Awards and Honors

Support & Funding

Support & Funding

Publications

Presentations

Students Supervised

Courses

Service to the University

Service to the Profession