Teaching is my passion, and is the reason I became a professor. Although I also love my research, it is in the classroom that I feel happiest and most fulfilled. It is here that I know I am making a difference. Each of the courses I teach possesses a special place in my heart. It is not uncommon for people not to fully enjoy the teaching of a language class, but I treasure my SPAN 201A and 201B, Intermediate Spanish. It is so exciting for me to be part of that fundamental learning process, to see the students begin to master their thoughts in a foreign language, and to use it in meaningful contexts!

SPAN 326, Spanish Golden Age Theatre is also a favourite of mine because it reflects my areas of research. It amazes me to see students initially struggle with the material, only to later reflect on and relate to it. The literature of the Golden Age can seem so removed from our present reality, but when the students and I carefully analyze the various plays, the themes they represent, and the characters that speak to us from the page, we begin to see that we are not that different, that our worries, our conflicts, and our challenges have not evolved as much as we would like to believe. That moment of realization is one that introduces both humility and hope, and it is wonderful to have art play a part in that realization. SPAN 330, Literary Women in Early Modern Hispanic Culture, is also a favourite because in this course I focus on the extraordinary women of the 16th and 17th centuries who had the courage to challenge their patriarchal reality and put “pen to paper”. I have found this course to be utterly exhilarating. All of the students, both male and female, are left amazed and inspired at the audacity and talent of the women we study.

SPAN 390, Introduction to Spanish Business Translation, is also a fun course for me. The delicate process of translation is one that is often misunderstood and/or under appreciated by people. In this class we discuss various critical issues like the meaning of cultural translation, and the great significance of understanding the “Other” when we embark on the representation of a person’s thoughts, perspectives, etc., in a foreign language. I have learned a great deal from this course, and I am grateful to be able to share this learning experience with my students, particularly at such a critical time in what is becoming an increasingly small world.

What are your research or special interests? I love the literature of the Spanish Golden Age. Don Quijote is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read! The theatre is intriguing, and the women writers inspiring. The Golden Age is considered to be a period in which both arts and literature flourished. Indeed, I love the endless perspectives with which the literary and artistic productions provide us. Much time has passed but our relationship to the art remains vibrant and important. Looking back ultimately helps us to understand the present, I think, and hopefully will help us to move, in an enlightened fashion, toward the future. My research focuses on the various rhetorical strategies employed by women to overcome, or least challenge, the oppressive reality under which they lived. The exploration of the themes of love, sexuality, commitment, inclusion, exclusion, all of these are pertinent to our world today, and for me it is exciting to consider the relationship between the past and the present from these angles.

In your opinion, what is unique about Arts at Waterloo? The University of Waterloo is an amazing institution, and I consider myself privileged to be a member of this exciting community. There is no question that UW is largely known for its important contributions in the worlds of science, math, engineering, computing, etc. But what most people do not realize is that UW is also a leader in the Arts. Each of our departments in the Faculty of Arts offers something unique and essential to the formation of the complete student. The Arts and Business Option is a perfect example of how Waterloo views the truly well-rounded graduate. By encouraging students to incorporate a major in Arts along with a focus on business, this university is making an incredibly strong statement: business may represent the pulse that makes this fast-paced world tick, but the Arts are nothing less than its very soul. An understanding of the Arts is essential to the complete individual, and I think that we at Waterloo have long shown an understanding of the magnitude of this delicate balance.

In today's economy, describe how an Arts education will benefit students today and in the future? I think that in general Arts students are among the brightest critical thinkers at a university because during their time with us they do not simply learn about languages, literatures, history, linguistics; they are also taught how to think, how to learn, how to organize their thoughts, how to argue their ideas and how to look at many different perspectives analytically and then comment on them critically. Arts students gain an appreciation of the global nature of the modern business world and they gain sensitivity to cultural differences, as well as learning effective communication and reasoning skills. At the end of an Arts degree students can handle a wide variety of responsibilities and approach each of these responsibilities with an open mindedness that comes from having had to think about various topics and problems that often lack a definitive answer. Skills like communication, reasoning, along with the possession of analytical abilities, can be applied to anything one does and I think that Waterloo offers many ways for students to combine both theoretical and practical experiences. The Faculty of Arts at Waterloo helps to form graduates who are aware of themselves and of others. They understand that they are not alone in this world, and strive to figure out a way to become contributing members of our global community. Ultimately I think Arts students have an advantage over other graduates. I cannot imagine a more complete education!