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Sonja S Watson

Name

[Watson, Sonja S]
  • Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts
 701 Planetarium Place, Arlington, TX
Last Updated: January 13, 2019

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).

Professional Preparation

    • 1995 BA in Spanish ,  College of William and Mary
    • 2000 M.A. in Spanish ,  University of Tennessee
    • 2005 Ph.D. in Modern Languages (Spanish) ,  University of Tennessee

Appointments

    • Sept 2017 to Present Associate Dean
      UTA
    • Sept 2014 to Present Associate Professor of Spanish
      University of Texas at Arlington
    • July 2014 to Present Director of Women's and Gender Studies
      University of Texas at Arlington
    • Jan 2007 to Present Assistant Professor of Spanish
      University of Texas at Arlington
    • Jan 2005 to Jan 2007 Postdoctoral Fellow
      Washington University in Saint Louis

Memberships

  • Membership
    • Aug 2002 to Present Modern Language Association (MLA)
    • Aug 2002 to Present College Language Association
    • Aug 2002 to Present Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama

Awards and Honors

    • Apr  2016 COLA Endowment Research Award sponsored by COLA Dean's Office
    • Jan  2016 Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant sponsored by COLA Dean's Office
    • Apr  2014 $10,000 UTA research enhancement grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington
    • Jul  2012 Center for Critical Languages and Area Studies sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington
    • Apr  2010 Innovative Teaching Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington
    • Apr  2008 Research Enhancement Grant sponsored by University of Texas at Arlington

News Articles

    • Oct 2016 Lunafest Short Film Festival Preview

      UT Arlington's Director of the Women's & Gender Studies Program, Dr. Sonja Watson, shares what we can expect this year at LUNAFEST. The annual film festival shows short films by women and about women. This year's event is Thursday, October 20 at the Maverick Activities Center. 

    • June 2014 Florida Press Twitter

      Annoucement about the publication of the manuscript The Politics of Race in Panama: Afro-Hispanic and West Indian Literary Discourses of Contention (2014).

Research and Expertise

  • Afro-Panamanian and Hispanic Caribbean Literature and Culture

    I am a scholar of Afro-Panamanian literary and historical culture.  Specifically, my research on Panama examines the effect of nation-building on black Panamanian discourse.  My research on Panamanian literature has led to an interest in the development of reggae en español (Panamanian Spanish reggae) which gave rise to the international phenomenon of reggaeton. In addition, I am co-editor of the journal PALARA, Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association which can be found at https://journals.tdl.org/palara/index.php/palara/index.

Publications

      Journal Article 2016

      • "Expanding Definitions of Caribbean Identity through Contemporary Panamanian Fiction by Melanie Taylor Herrera". Cincinnati Romance Review 40 (Spring 2016): 201-14

        {Peer Reviewed }

      Journal Article 2015

      • "La identidad afropanameña en la literatura desde el siglo XX hasta el nuevo milenio"

        Abstract: Black Panamanian identity in Panama is both complex and problematic becauseof the coexistence of two groups of blacks in the country: afro-colonials and black West Indians. While afro-colonials are the product of race mixing and identify by their Panamanian nationality, West Indians are immigrants and follow the racial model of their native countries-Jamaica and Barbados- which are racially constructed around blackness. Therefore, they identify as black. As a result, in Panama it is difficult to talk about Afro-Panamanian identity because it is marked by fluidity and racial, cultural and linguistic hybridity. The afro-Panamanian writers, Juan Urriola, Gaspar Octavio Hernández, Carlos Cubena Guillermo Wilson, and Melva Lowe de Goodin represent these two ethnic groups. As a result, their works manifest the problematic of identity which is a reflection of the African diaspora.

        {Peer Reviewed }
        1 Link
      Journal Article 2013

      • "Teaching Afro–Latin American Culture through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s Guerrita de los Negros" Hispania March 2013

        {Journal Article }

      Journal Article 2012
      • “Poetic Negrism and the National Sentiment of Anti-West Indianism and Anti-Imperialism in Panamanian Literature” Callaloo 2012 (35): 459-74.
        {Journal Article }

      Book Chapter 2012
      • Watson, Sonja. ""The Grandchildren of Felicidad Dolores and the Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel: A New Reading."." Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Literature.. Ed. Antonio D. Tillis. Routledge Press.
        {Book Chapter }

      Compact Disc(CD) 2011
      • “Entrevista con Carlos E. Russell.” Istmo: Revista virtual de estudios literarios y culturales centroamericanos 21
        {Compact Disc(CD) }

      Journal Article 2011
      • Watson, Sonja Stephenson. "“Double Bind/ Double Consciousness” in the Poetry of Carmen Colón Pellot and Julia de Burgos." Cincinnati Romance Review 30 (2011): 69-82.
        {Journal Article }
      2011
      • Watson, Sonja Stephenson. "Liminalidad, identidad y 'conciencia doble' en Gamboa Road Gang, una novela del Canal". PALARA 15(2011): 95-107.
        {Journal Article }

      Book Review 2010
      • "Antologia del personaje negro en la cuentistica de escritoras centroamericanas." Rev. of Antologia del personaje negro en la cuentistica de escritoras centroamericanas, by Willy O. Munoz. Afro-Hispanic Review 2010: 249-252.
        {Book Review }

      Journal Article 2010
      • Watson, Sonja. ""National Rhetoric and Suppression of Negritude: Literary Whiteness in the New Republic of Panama."." Afro-Hispanic Review 29.1 (2010): 169-186.
        {Journal Article }

      Journal Article 2009

      • Watson, Sonja. "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." Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies (2009): 231-254.

        {Journal Article }
        1 Link
      Book Review 2008
      • Watson, Sonja. "The Failed Project of Blackness in Contemporary Afro-Puerto Rican Discourse." Rev. of Escritura afropuertorriquena y modernidad, by Eleuterio Santiago-Diaz. A Contracorriente: A Journal of Social History and Literature in Latin America 2008: 243-51.
        {Book Review }

      Journal Article 2006
      • Watson, Sonja Stephenson. "Changó, el gran putas: Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel." Afro-Hispanic Review (2006): 67-86.
        {Journal Article }

      Journal Article 2005
      • Watson, Sonja Stephenson. "The Use of Language in Melva Lowe de Goodin's De/From Barbados a/to Panamá: A Construction of Panamanian West Indian Identity." College Language Association Journal (2005): 28-44.
        {Journal Article }

      Journal Article Submitted

      • "The Cultural (Mis)appropriation of Blackness: from Rachel Dolezal to Iggy Azalea"

        {Journal Article }

Presentations

    • April  2017
      Homenaje/Homage a/to Carlos “Cubena” Wilson
      Carlos “Cubena” Guillermo was one of the most important Panamanian writers of the 20th and 21st century.  His writings redeem the literary image of the West Indian who was excluded from the Panamanian nation-building project.  Wilson was committed to telling the untold story, revising history, and changing the perception of the West Indian that has been presented in Panamanian literature.  Thus, he challenged national myths propagated during early twentieth-century Panama by presenting the West Indian as the central protagonist. In turn, he re-signified the national myth of Panama as Hispanic, Catholic and Spanish-speaking.  Wilson’s primary mission to write was to bring awareness to the historical and cultural contributions of afro-descendants in Panama because they have been excluded from literary and historical texts; an oversight that he made known in his review essay “Sinopsis de la poesía afro-panameña” (“Sinopsis of Afro-Panamanian Poetry”). The purpose of this panel to discuss the importance of the literary works and the historical significance of Afro-Panamanian writer Carlos “Cubena” Guillermo Wilson who passed on June 5, 2016. The panel will be comprised of scholars in the field of African Diaspora Studies who have published extensively on his works.
      1 Event
    • November  2016
      The Urban Fiction of Panamanian Cuentista Melanie Taylor Herrera.
      In a 2013 interview, Afra-Panamanian short story writer and poet Melanie Taylor Herrera revealed: “Soy una mujer urbana, hija de los logros del feminismo del siglo XX, afro y consciente de serlo pero no circunscribo mi escritura a temas afros ni a temas de denuncia social ni siquiera a temas exclusivamente panameños” [I am an urban woman, daughter of the achievements of twentieth-century feminism, black and aware of it, but I do not restrict my writing to black themes or themes of social criticism or even exclusively Panamanian topics] (Watson, “Entrevista a Melanie” 2013). Indeed, Taylor Herrera is a modern urban woman. In fact, the characters who populate her fiction display concerns of modern women such as motherhood, divorce, isolation, solitude, and suicide.  The common thread that unites her literary repertoire includes female protagonists who struggle with contemporary themes that plague the 21st century: identity, suicide, silence, and solitude. Her short stories announce issues that women living in an urban, isolated, and enclosed society face such as solitude, silence, alienation, and suicide. On the one hand, these themes are universal ones that populate the texts of women writers.  On the other, Taylor Herrera’s works “question femininity and women’s traditional roles in patriarchal societies;[and] examine the effect that silence, isolation, and invisibility have on female agency and creativity…”, a tenet also common in works written by Hispanic writers of African descent (DeCosta Willis, xxv).  Themes of silence, isolation, and invisibility are not only inherent in Afra-Latin American literature but also populate the fiction of Latin American women writers of non-African descent. Thus, Taylor Herrera’s fiction dovetails with that of female writers throughout the Diaspora.  The following analysis proposes to assay Taylor Herrera’s short story collections Tiempos acuáticos (Aquatic Times, 2000), Amables predicciones [Friendly Predictions, 2005], and Camino a Mariato [Walk to Mariato, 2009] as emblematic of modern urban Hispanic Caribbean fiction by female writers.
      1 Event
    • April  2016
      "Transracial Identity: Changing Definitions of Blackness in the 17th Century, the Harlem Renaissance Era, and the New Millennium""Transracial Identiy and Hip Hop Culture: from Rachel Dolezal to Iggy Azalea"

      I chaired the panel "Transracial Identity: Changing Definitions of Blackness in the 17th Century, the Harlem Renaissance Era, and the New Millennium" and  presented the paper,"Transracial Identiy. Cultural Misappropriation and Hip Hop Culture: from Rachel Dolezal to Iggy Azalea"which deals with the history of racial passing and the recent phenomenon of Rachel Dolezal.

      1 Event
    • January  2013
      Chaired Conference and Panel and Presented. “Teaching Afro-Latin American Culture through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s guerrita de los negros.” UTA MODL Cultural Constructions Symposium: 21st Century Pedagogies. March 1, 2013.
      1 Event
    • January  2013
      Chair, Transformations and Adaptations. Expanding Approaches to the Critical Analysis of Afro-Latin American Literature through Film"
      Chaired panel and presented a paper.Modern Language Association, Boston. January 2013
      1 Event
    • August  2012
      "Forging Afro-Panamanian Identity through reggae en espanol"
      Afro-Latin American Research Association Conference. Costa Rica.
      1 Event
    • May  2012
      "Revising the Canon: Historical Revisionism in Cubena's Trilogy "
      Latin American Studies Association Conference, San Francisco.
      1 Event
    • March  2012
      “Teaching Afro-Latin American Culture Through Film: Raíces de mi corazón and Cuba’s guerrita de los negros”
      College Language Association Conference. Atlanta, GA.
      1 Event
    • January  2012
      “Revising the Canon: Historical Revisionism in Cubena’s Trilogy.” LASA 2012 (San Francisco)
      Latin American Studies Rsearch Association
      1 Event
    • April  2010
      "New Narratives in Panamanian West Indian Discourse: Reading Panama from both Sides of the Atlantic".
      Chaired a special session on Panamanian West Indian literature and presented the paper "‘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.”College Language Association.
      1 Event
    • March  2010
      "Poetic Negrism and the National Sentiment of Anti-West Indianism and Anti-imperialism in Panamanian Literature"
      Negritud: Journal of Afro-Latin American Studies Conference in the Dominican Republic.
      1 Event
    • November  2009
      “Anti-West Indianism and Anti-imperialism in the Canal Zone”
      MALAS (Midwestern Association of Latin American Studies) Conference.
      1 Event
    • March  2009
      “Mulatez and the Creation of a Feminine Poetic Space in the Works of Carmen Colón Pellot and Julia de Burgos.”
      College Language Association Conference.
      1 Event
    • November  2008
      “Carlos E. Russell and the Discourse of Post-Nationalism in Twentieth -Century Panama.”
      24th Annual Symposium on African-American Culture and Philosophy. “Revisioning the Black Caribbean: Spaces, Places, and Voices.” Purdue University
      1 Event
    • March  2007
      “Liminalidad, identidad y ‘conciencia doble’ en Gamboa Road Gang, una novela del Canal.”
      Center for Mexican American Studies Faculty Symposium.University of Texas at Arlington.
      1 Event
    • January  2006
      "Changó, el gran putas: Contemporary Afro-Hispanic Historical Novel."
      Modern Language Association Conference. Philadelphia, PA.
      1 Event
  • Past
    •  
      “‘Reading’ the Caribbean in Panamanian reggae en español, a Transcultural/Transnational Musical Art Form,”

      This presentation illustrates that Panamanian Spanish reggae is a transcultural and transnational musical art form because it pulls from the U.S., Panama, and the Caribbean.

  • Past
    •  
      The Urban Fiction of Panamanian Cuentista Melanie Taylor Herrera
      Presented a paper on the urban fiction of black Panamanian writer Melanie Taylor Herrera.
  • Past
    •  
      The Urban Fiction of Panamanian Cuentista Melanie Taylor Herrera.
      In a 2013 interview, Afra-Panamanian short story writer and poet Melanie Taylor Herrera revealed: “Soy una mujer urbana, hija de los logros del feminismo del siglo XX, afro y consciente de serlo pero no circunscribo mi escritura a temas afros ni a temas de denuncia social ni siquiera a temas exclusivamente panameños” [I am an urban woman, daughter of the achievements of twentieth-century feminism, black and aware of it, but I do not restrict my writing to black themes or themes of social criticism or even exclusively Panamanian topics] (Watson, “Entrevista a Melanie” 2013). Indeed, Taylor Herrera is a modern urban woman. In fact, the characters who populate her fiction display concerns of modern women such as motherhood, divorce, isolation, solitude, and suicide.  The common thread that unites her literary repertoire includes female protagonists who struggle with contemporary themes that plague the 21st century: identity, suicide, silence, and solitude. Her short stories announce issues that women living in an urban, isolated, and enclosed society face such as solitude, silence, alienation, and suicide. On the one hand, these themes are universal ones that populate the texts of women writers.  On the other, Taylor Herrera’s works “question femininity and women’s traditional roles in patriarchal societies;[and] examine the effect that silence, isolation, and invisibility have on female agency and creativity…”, a tenet also common in works written by Hispanic writers of African descent (DeCosta Willis, xxv).  Themes of silence, isolation, and invisibility are not only inherent in Afra-Latin American literature but also populate the fiction of Latin American women writers of non-African descent. Thus, Taylor Herrera’s fiction dovetails with that of female writers throughout the Diaspora.  The following analysis proposes to assay Taylor Herrera’s short story collections Tiempos acuáticos (Aquatic Times, 2000), Amables predicciones [Friendly Predictions, 2005], and Camino a Mariato [Walk to Mariato, 2009] as emblematic of modern urban Hispanic Caribbean fiction by female writers.
  • Past
    •  
      Breaking Boundaries and Racial Barriers through Panamanian Music
      Presented and Chaired Panel on Breaking Boundaries and Racial Barriers through Panamanian Music

Projects

  • 2016
    • Apr 2016 to Present “‘Straight Outta Panama’: Transculturation, Hybridity, and Identity in Reggae en Espanol.”

      Reggae en español (Spanish reggae) is a hybrid cultural and musical form that blends elements of Jamaican dancehall and reggae. Panama gave birth to reggae en español in the late 1970s in the urban West Indian barrios of Río Abajo and Parque Lefevre in the capital city of Panama. As a product of West Indian migration from the Anglophone Caribbean (Jamaica and Barbados) and Central America, Panamanian Spanish reggae evinces racial, cultural, and linguistic hybridity resulting from on-going processes of transculturation or “two-way borrowing and lending of cultures” (Rosaldo xv).  As a hybrid cultural discourse, reggae en español pulls from various geographic areas (Africa, Caribbean, Panama) and musical genres (Jamaican dancehall and reggae). It is a prime example of cultural identity and difference, which reflects the multiplicity of the African diaspora experience. The lyrics of Panamanian reggae artists convey the effect of hybridity and transculturation and aid in the reinterpretation of Panamanian national identity. This project examines the impact of reggae en español on Panamanian national identity and its role, if any, in the consolidation of Afro-Panamanian identity.

      Role: Principal Investigator PI: Sonja Watson
    • Apr 2016 to Present Multicultural Women’s Historical Archive in North Texas

      The purpose of this project is to create a multicultural digital archive of biographical information on women in North Texas, which is comprised geographically of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and surrounding areas.[1] The start-up grant would be used to collect metadata to establish a multicultural digital archive about women in the area of literature, politics, history, social justice, LGBTQ, etc.  Establishing a multicultural digital archive about women in North Texas would accomplish the following:

      Archive women in North Texas from a multicultural, literary, historical, and political point of view.

      Promote digital literacy within the field of women’s and gender studies.

      Promote digital literacy among women and specifically women from underrepresented minority groups.

      Create an educational video game for teaching high school students about women  in North Texas. (K-12 initiative)

      Create an undergraduate/graduate course in Women’s and Gender Studies that focuses on feminist digital technology and literacy.

      Create an undergraduate history course about women in North Texas

      Develop a workshop for high school girls that promotes the intersection of women’s and gender studies, digital literacy and coding.

      Role: Co-PI PI: Sonja Watson

Support & Funding

This data is entered manually by the author of the profile and may duplicate data in the Sponsored Projects section.
    • Jan 2016 to Present "Multicultural Women's Historical Archive in North Texas" sponsored by  - $9618
    • May 2016 to Aug 2016 CoLA endowment for faculty research sponsored by  - $839

Courses

      • UNIV 1131-101 ISSUES IN COLLEGE ADJUSTMENT

        Student Success is a learning community course that will teach new students academic success skills to aid their transition to college. The goal of the course is to help students identify their individual needs, determine what resources are appropriate, recognize the faculty role in their development, and formulate a plan for an actively engaged and enriched experience from campus to career. The course will be taught by Peer Academic Leaders (PALS) with faculty of the College of Liberal Arts to provide guidance, raise awareness and understanding of students' majors and help support collaborative and co-curricular opportunities available within the College of Liberal Arts.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2019 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • UNIV 1131-001 Student Success

        Student Success is a learning community course that will teach new students academic success skills to aid their transition to college. The goal of the course is to help students identify their individual needs, determine what resources are appropriate, recognize the faculty role in their development, and formulate a plan for an actively engaged and enriched experience from campus to career. The course will be taught by Peer Academic Leaders (PALS) and faculty, staff and/or graduate students to provide guidance, raise awareness and understanding of students' majors and help support collaborative and co-curricular opportunities available within the School/College.  

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2018 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture: Reggae en espanol

        SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2017 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        SPAN 3312 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Summer - Regular Academic Session - 2017 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 5313-001 LITERATURA LATINOAMERICANA Y CARIBEÑA CONTEMPORÁNEA

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana y caribeña (poesía y prosa) de los siglos XX y XXI. Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como análisis críticos de textos y discusiones en línea para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la literatura y cultura latinoamericana.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2017 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        SPAN 3312 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Hybrid Course: SPAN/MAS 3312 is a hybrid course. Students will come to class on Mondays and Wednesdays; class on Friday will be online.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2015 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • MAS 3312-001 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

        MAS/SPAN 3312 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2015 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2015 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • MAS 4313-001 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE

        MAS 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2015 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 4313-001 Span 4313-001

        An interdisciplinary courses that discusses afro-latin american film from a national and historical perspective.

        Winter - Intersession - 2014 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • MAS 4313-001 Latin American Hip Hop

        MAS 4313/SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Descripción del curso: Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la cultura y música caribeña e hispánica de los siglos XX y XXI.  Se analiza la música tomando en cuenta la época histórica, la región geográfica y la teoría de los estudios culturales. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como presentaciones orales y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la cultura histórica y música de la diáspora caribeña e hispánica. Este curso se ofrecerá en línea los viernes. La parte virtual del curso es para dar más información de trasfondo sobre teoría.  Las ponencias virtuales están en Blackboard, un paquete de software para la creación de cursos y sitios Web basados en el Internet. 

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2014 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 4313-001 Latin American Hip Hop

        SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la cultura y música caribeña e hispánica de los siglos XX y XXI.  Se analiza la música tomando en cuenta la época histórica, la región geográfica y la teoría de los estudios culturales. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como presentaciones orales y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la cultura histórica y música de la diáspora caribeña e hispánica. Este curso se ofrecerá en línea los viernes. La parte virtual del curso es para dar más información de trasfondo sobre teoría.  Las ponencias virtuales están en Blackboard, un paquete de software para la creación de cursos y sitios Web basados en el Internet. 

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2014 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 3312-002 Span 3312-002

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2014 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 5315-001 Span 5315-001

        A graduate course that analyzes 20th-century Latin American and Caribbean Literature and Culture.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2014 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 4313-001 Span 4313-001

        Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • WOMS 2310-001 Woms 2310-001

        This course introduces students to the fields of Women’s and Gender Studies through the examination of history, culture, and current events as they shape and are shaped by women’s and gender issues. We will examine critical or theoretical conceptions of women’s experience and gender identity from a variety of disciplines, including history, philosophy, political science, sociology, anthropology, and science. We will also pay particular attention to the intersection of gender and race in the role of women’s studies. Above all, the course emphasizes how a feminist critical approach sheds light on the complex role of gender in modern society.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus Contact info & Office Hours
      • SPAN 2301-001 Afro-Hispanic/Brazilian Literature and Culture
        In this introductory course, students will read selected poetry and prose of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking writers of African descent from Latin America and the Caribbean. The literature will be explored by analyzing selected works of writers considering their socio-historical, geographic, and racial implications from their respective literary movements beginning with the 1900s to the present.
        Summer - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture
        SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.
        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        El objetivo de este curso es exponer a los estudiantes al cine afro-latinoamericano tomando en cuenta la historia de los negros en América latina. Es decir,esta clase utiliza el cine como una manera de leer, ver y entender el concepto de la raza y nación en América latina.A lo largo del semestre, el/la alumno/a leerá ensayos sobre el concepto de la raza y nación en América latina como base de discusión de las películas.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2013 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        El objetivo de este curso es exponer a los estudiantes al cine afro-latinoamericano tomando en cuenta la historia de los negros en América latina. Es decir,esta clase utiliza el cine como una manera de leer, ver y entender el concepto de la raza y nación en América latina.A lo largo del semestre, el/la alumno/a leerá ensayos sobre el concepto de la raza y nación en América latina como base de discusión de las películas.

        Winter - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        SPAN 4313 TOPICS IN HISPANIC CULTURE (3-0) Among the topics are Spanish or Latin American music, television, radio, film, and literature as culture. May be repeated for credit as topic changes. Prerequisite: SPAN 3315 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 4313 and SPAN 4313; credit will be given for MAS 4313 or SPAN 4313 but not both in a given semester.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        SPAN 3312 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3315-001 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE

        Descripción del curso como aparece en el catálogo:

        SPAN 3315 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE (3-0) Practice in original composition and critical thinking through the study of selected literary and cultural texts. Of special interest to students who wish to improve their reading comprehension and their writing skills. Prerequisite: SPAN 3305 or SPAN 3314, with grade C or better.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization

        An interdisciplinary introduction to Latin American society, history and culture. Prerequisite: SPAN 2314 with a grade of C or better. Offered as MAS 3312 and SPAN 3312; credit will be granted for either MAS or SPAN.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 5315-001 CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana y caribeña (poesía y prosa) de los siglos XX y XXI.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como análisis críticos de artículos y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la literatura y cultura latinoamericana.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2012 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3315-001 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE

        Español 3315 es un curso diseñado para la práctica de composiciones originales y el pensamiento crítico a través del estudio de textos literarios y culturales selectos. Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana (poesía, prosa y teatro) delsiglo XIX y XX.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren sus habilidades orales y escritas en español.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2011 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura afro-caribeña hispánica (poesía, teatro y prosa) de los siglos XX y XXI.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como presentaciones orales y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la literatura y cultura de la diáspora afro-caribeña hispánica.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2011 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization
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        Este es un curso introductorio e interdisciplinario a la sociedad, la historia y la cultura de los países latinoamericanos de habla española. La clase se compone de una selección de discursos culturales (cine, música, documentales, ensayos, textos literarios) cuya finalidad es mostrar al/ a la alumno/a la fascinante complejidad y pluralidad (étnica, geográfica o cultural) del área de estudio.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2011 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3315-001 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE
        Español 3315 es un curso diseñado para la práctica de composiciones originales y el pensamiento crítico a través del estudio de textos literarios y culturales selectos. Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana y afro-hispánica (poesía, prosa y teatro) de los siglos XIX y XX.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren sus habilidades orales y escritas en español.
        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2011 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-001 Introduction to Latin American Culture and Civilization
        La cultura y civilización latinoamericana es un curso introductorio e interdisciplinario que introduce al/la alumno/a a la sociedad, la historia y la cultura hispanoamericana.En este curso los estudiantes se familiarizarán con la literatura, la historia y la sociedad de los países latinoamericanos y caribeños hispánicos a través del análisis de la historia, la cultura y el cine.Además, el/la alumno/a estudiará la cultura de la comunidad africana en las Americas de habla española y portuguesa.
        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2011 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3315-001 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE

        Español 3315 es un curso diseñado para la práctica de composiciones originales y el pensamiento crítico a través del estudio de textos literarios y culturales selectos. Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana (poesía, prosa y teatro) delsiglo XX.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como presentaciones orales y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren sus habilidades orales y escritas en español.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2010 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 5313-001 Gender Studies Approaches to Spanish and Latin America Literature

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura afro-caribeña hispánica (poesía y prosa) de los siglos XX y XXI.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como análisis críticos de artículos y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la literatura y cultura de la diáspora afro-caribeña hispánica. Los alumnos también se familiarizarán con los teóricos y las teorías más destacados de la literatura afro-caribeña hispánica.

        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2010 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3315-002 COMPOSITION THROUGH LITERATURE

        Español 3315 es un curso diseñado para la práctica de composiciones originales y el pensamiento crítico a través del estudio de textos literarios y culturales selectos. Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura latinoamericana y afro-hispánica (poesía, prosa y teatro) de los siglos XIX y XX.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren sus habilidades orales y escritas en español.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2010 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3312-002 LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
        No Description Provided.
        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2010 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 3302-001 Literature and Culture of the Afro-HIspanic/Brazilian Diaspora

        In this introductory course, students will read selected poetry and prose of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking writers of African descent from Latin America and the Caribbean.The literature will be explored by analyzing selected works of writers considering their socio-historical, geographic, and racial implications from their respective literary movements beginning with the 1900s to the present.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2009 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 4313-001 Topics in Hispanic Culture

        Este curso introduce a los estudiantes a la literatura afro-caribeña hispánica (poesía, teatro y prosa) de los siglos XX y XXI.Se analizan los textos tomando en cuenta la época histórica, los movimientos literarios y la región geográfica. A lo largo del semestre se desarrollarán actividades como presentaciones orales y discusiones en grupos para que los alumnos mejoren su conocimiento de la literatura y cultura de la diáspora afro-caribeña hispánica.

        Spring - Regular Academic Session - 2009 Download Syllabus
      • SPAN 5313-001 Gender Studies Approaches to Spanish and Latin America Literature
        No Description Provided.
        Fall - Regular Academic Session - 2007

Other Service Activities

  • Uncategorized
    • Dec  Faculty Fellow
      Served as Faculty Fellow with the Center of African American Studies at UTA. 2012-2014

Administrative Appointment

  • 2014
    • July 2014 to Present - Director of Women's & Gender Studies, The University of Texas at Arligton