At Indiana University (2003-present), I teach undergraduate and graduate students in topics related to Hispanic Linguistics, Pragmatics/Semantics, Discourse Analysis, Syntax, Sociolinguistics, Research Methods, Intercultural Communication, and Second Language Pragmatics. My main teaching objectives are to help my students develop the ability to think critically in different learning contexts and to improve their Spanish language proficiency along with their skills for writing academic papers. I help students develop these transferrable skills through content in various areas of linguistics, but especially in the area of instruction and assessment of pragmatics and discourse analysis. I explain to both my undergraduate and graduate students the ways in which the field of pragmatics, as a discipline of linguistics, can enhance their proficiency in Spanish and how it can be of use in their future academic and teaching careers, as well as in their personal and professional interactions.
In my teaching, I incorporate a variety of pedagogical resources from different methodologies that enable me to maximize my students’ learning. I do this by creating scaffolding activities and raising students’ awareness of cognitive skills, such as the ability to summarize, compare and contrast, and to assess scholarly articles in linguistics. I use formative assessment in my classes to evaluate my students’ learning outcomes at different stages during the semester.
The impact that my teaching has on my students’ academic careers, as students and instructors, continues long after they have left the classroom. It gives me great pleasure to serve students in this capacity and to know that they value my expertise and experience in this area. I believe that my teaching at Indiana University has not only benefited students who have taken my classes, but I also have the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping to prepare future teachers who will go on to impact subsequent generations of students.
Undergraduate Courses Taught
HISP S326: Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
HISP S425: Spanish Phonetics
HISP S427: The Structure of Spanish
HISP S428: Spanish Applied Linguistics
HISP S429: Spanish Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics
HISP S495: Hispanic Colloquium
Graduate Courses Taught
HISP S508: Introduction to Hispanic Pragmatics
HISP S612: Topics in Linguistics: Variation & Language Context (Topics include: Intercultural Pragmatics; Pragmatic Variation across Spanishes; Research Methods in Pragmatics; Conversation Analysis; Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Politeness and Impoliteness; Intercultural Competence)
HISP S712: Second Language Acquisition (Topics: L2 Pragmatics)
HISP S716: Seminar in Second Language Acquisition (L2 Pragmatics/Assessment)