Faculty Staff & Students

Tenure-Track Faculty

Headshot of Siham Bouamer

Siham Bouamer

Asst Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1962

My research foci include French and Francophone literature and film of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, colonial and postcolonial literatures, with a specialization in transnational movements to and from the Maghreb. I also have a broad comparative interest in my research by reaching into disciplines such as Arabic, cultural, gender, and queer studies.

My first research area considers French women travelers’ narratives during the protectorate in Morocco (1912-1956). I investigate how tourism discourse in those accounts served as a subtext for the promotion of French imperial expansion in Morocco. The hierarchies of class, gender, race, religion, and sexuality, constitutive of imperial legacies that still persist in contemporary discourses, guide my second research area. This work specifically focuses on intersectional oppression in contemporary France through the lenses of migration, gender, postcolonial, and queer studies. 

My research on contemporary Francophone studies and my commitment to diversity and inclusion inform my teaching pedagogy. As co-founder of the Diversity, Decolonization, and the French Curriculum collective, I strive to implement and share best practices in curriculum development grounded in decolonial and anti-racist pedagogy. 
Headshot of J. Mauricio Espinoza

J. Mauricio Espinoza

Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature/Cultural Studies , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

710C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1578

My areas of research are Latin American cultural studies, Central American literature, and Latino/a studies. Within Latin American studies, I concentrate on film/TV and graphic narrative (comics and graphic novels). Within Central American literature, I study poetry and migration narratives. Finally, I study issues of migration, identity formation, and visual representation of Latinos/as in U.S. popular culture.

In addition to research, I write original poetry and translate the work of Central American poets (particularly the twentieth-century Costa Rican poet Eunice Odio).
Headshot of Muhammad U. Faruque

Muhammad U. Faruque

Inayat & Ishrat Malik Assistant Professor and Taft Center Fellow (AY 23-24), Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

728C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-0139

Muhammad U. Faruque’s research lies at the intersection of philosophy, science, and environmental studies, especially in relation to the Islamic intellectual tradition. He earned his PhD (with distinction) from the University of California, Berkeley, and served as Exchange Scholar at Harvard University and as George Ames Postdoctoral Fellow at Fordham University. His highly acclaimed book Sculpting the Self (University of Michigan Press, 2021) addresses “what it means to be human” in a secular, post-Enlightenment world by exploring notions of selfhood and subjectivity in Islamic and non-Islamic philosophical literatures, including modern philosophy and neuroscience. Dr. Faruque is the author of three books and over forty academic articles, which have appeared (or are forthcoming) in numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Philosophy East and West, Arabic Sciences and Philosophy (Cambridge), Brill Journal of Sufi Studies, Religious Studies (Cambridge), Brill Journal of Islamic Ethics, and Ancient Philosophy. He has delivered lectures in many North American, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern universities. He gives public lectures on a wide of range of topics such as climate change, spirituality, meditation, A.I., Islamic psychology, and Islam and the West. He is also a recipient of numerous awards, grants, and fellowships, including the prestigious Templeton Foundation Global Philosophy of Religion grant and the Title IV Grant, U.S. Dept. of Education.

      While his past research has explored modern and premodern conceptions of selfhood and identity and their bearing on ethics, religion, and culture, his current project investigates whether or not Sufi philosophy and practice—as articulated in the School of Ibn ʿArabī—support and foster an active engagement toward the planet's well-being and an ecologically viable way of life and vision. He is also at work on a book on A.I. and the ethical challenges of information technology. He also has two forthcoming edited volumes entitled From the Divine to the Human: New Perspectives on Evil, Suffering, and the Global Pandemic (co-edited with M. Rustom) and A Cultural History of South Asian Literature, Volume 3: The Early Modern Age (1400-1700) (co-edited with S. Nair) respectively.

      His interests and expertise encompass history and theory of subjectivity, environmental humanities, religion and climate change, cross-cultural philosophy, gender hermeneutics, Sufism, Perso-Arabic mystical literature, Islamic philosophy and ethics, history and philosophy of science, Islamic Psychology, and Graeco-Arabica. He teaches courses on Islam and social justice issues, climate change, mysticism, philosophy, as well as on selfhood and identity.
 
      In his personal life, he loves gardening (plant life fascinates him), spending time in nature, travelling, cooking, photography, and watching movies. He also has a passion for classical Indian (raag) and Persian music, and for art, music, and poetry in general.

      He is also affiliated with the departments of Philosophy, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Environmental Studies, and the program in Religious Certificate.
Headshot of Michael R Gott

Michael R Gott

Associate Professor of French and Program Director, Film & Media Studies , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1846

My research and teaching interests include transnational film and screen media, global screen industries and networks, border studies, mobility studies, contemporary French and Francophone cultures (including cinema, TV, bande dessinée and literature), Belgian cinema, the cinema of Quebec, diaspora and migration, mobility studies, and European Studies. My latest book, Screen Borders: From Calais to cinéma-monde, will be released in 2022 by Manchester University Press. I am also working on an edited collection about contemporary cinema from Quebec. 

I teach graduate seminars and undergrad gourses on global screen media, travel and identity in cinema and comic books, French culture and cultural studies, migration and identity, cinéma-monde, road movies and mobility in cinema, and global screen industry networks.

I am an affiliate faculty member in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Director of the Film & Media Studies Program, and the director of programming for UC's Niehoff Center for Film & Media Studies.
Headshot of Carlos M Gutiérrez

Carlos M Gutiérrez

Professor of Spanish, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

726B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1845

Research: Early Modern Spanish literary field and authorial self-fashioning. Publications: La recepción de Quevedo (1645-2010), (U de Navarra, 2011); La red ciega (Lima: Hipocampo, 2008; 2nd ed., NY: Digitalia, 2011; short stories); [see reviews & articles on my creative work]; La espada, el rayo y la pluma: Quevedo y los campos literario y de poder (Purdue UP, 2005; [a review]); Dejémonos de cuentos (Valladolid, 1994; short stories); book-chapters; reviews/articles in Hispanic Review, Boletín de la Bib. Menéndez Pelayo, Cervantes, Iberoamericana, Calíope, Romance Languages AnnualPerinola, Bulletin of the Comediantes,  Etiópicas, or Espéculo. I've also collaborated in art projects and online exhibits with DAAP, Cincinnati Art Museum and Google Arts & Culture:
http://cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/frida/

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/AQJSeywc0iFIIw 
I work on a book about Cervantes and direct the Madrid Summer Program
Headshot of Janine C Hartman

Janine C Hartman

Professor of History,, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717D Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1596

Professor of
History

Dept Romance Languages and Literatures
College of Arts & Sciences
717D Old Chem Bldg
Ph 556-1596
My field is the history of ideas. Current research interests are Catulle Mendés,Parnassian poet and his role as  witness to the  Franco-Prussian war, the Commune  insurrection and fall  of Paris in 1871, as  refracted through "ruin studies." Additional fields include witchcraft, ritual in early modern society and symbolic sovereignty in French colonial history..
Affliiate: History,Judaic Studies, Women & Gender Studies
Headshot of Fenfang Hwu

Fenfang Hwu

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

710B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1841

  • Computer Assisted Language Learning: grammar instruction, input, learner-behavior tracking, productive and receptive practice, pronunciation, research methods.
  • Second Language Acquisition: individual differences in language aptitude and personality preferences, input enhancement, pedagogical grammar, practice.
  • Spanish Linguistics: phonetics, preterite vs. imperfect.
Headshot of Therese Migraine George

Therese Migraine George

Professor of Francophone Studies and Head, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

714A Old Chemistry Building

513-460-3101

Thérèse Migraine-George is the author of African Women and Representation: From Performance to Politics (Africa World Press, 2008), From Francophonie to World Literature in French: Ethics, Poetics, and Politics (University of Nebraska Press, 2013), a book of essays: Mes Etats-Unis: Portraits d'une Amérique que vous ne connaissez pas (Edilivre, 2009), and two novels: Amour de travers (Edilivre, 2010) and Envol (Edilivre, 2014). She has also published various articles and book chapters on Francophone writers, African literatures, cultures, and films, and queer studies. 
Headshot of Kara Nicole Moranski

Kara Nicole Moranski

Asst Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709D Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1831

Dr. Kara Moranski teaches Spanish and foreign language education courses in the Department of Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures. She uses her training in both applied linguistics and educational statistics to conduct curricular research, investigating what is working in contemporary language classes in K-12 and postsecondary settings. Her recent work has focused on flipped learning models and metacognitive instruction to promote peer interaction. Her research has appeared in Foreign Language Annals, The Modern Language Journal, and Applied Linguistics. 
Headshot of Maria Paz Moreno

Maria Paz Moreno

Professor of Spanish, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709 E Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1834

Prof. Moreno holds a Licenciatura en Filosofía y Letras from the University of Alicante, Spain, and a Phd. in Spanish Literature from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on Contemporary Spanish Poetry, Food Studies (Gastronomy and Culinary Literature), and Spanish Women Writers. She is the author of several scholarly books and critical editions, among them El culturalismo en la poesía de Juan Gil-Albert (IGA, 2000), the critical edition of Juan Gil Albert, Poesía Completa (Pre-Textos, 2004), the volume Cartas a Juan Gil-Albert. Epistolario selecto (IGA, 2016), and the poetic anthology Concha Zardoya. Antología Poética (IGA, 2008). In the area of food studies, she has published two monographs: De la página al plato. El libro de cocina en España (Trea, 2012), and Madrid: A Culinary History (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).

As a poet, she has published ten books of poetry and has been included in several anthologies, among them Poetisas Españolas 1976-2001 (Ed. Torremozas, 2003), El poder del cuerpo (Ed. Castalia, 2009), and Nueva poesía alicantina (2000-2005) (IGA, 2016)Her anthology From the Other Shore/ De la otra orilla was published in 2018 by Valparaíso Editors. Her most recent books include Amiga del monstruo (Ed. Renacimiento, 2020) and the bilingual edition of The Belly of an Iguana/ El vientre de las iguanas (Valparaíso Eds., 2021), translated by Jennifer Rathbun.

Prof. Moreno is a recipient of the George Rieveschl Jr. Award for Creative and/or Scholarly Works (2019), and the Distinguished Research Professor Award (2023).

 
Headshot of Nicasio Urbina

Nicasio Urbina

Professor of Latin American Literature., Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

714 Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1838

Professor Nicasio Urbina received his Ph.D. from Georgetown University. He works on literary criticism of contemporary Spanish American literature, with emphasis in Central American literature and culture. He has particular interest in genre theory, semiotics and narratology. He has taught seminars on the Latin American novel, the short story, Central American literature, creative writing, as well as thematic courses such as humor, myth and violence in Spanish American literature. He has published nine books of literary criticism, short stories, and poetry; and has edited nine books on different topics. Has published 99 articles of literary criticism, and 134 conferences and papers. In 2015 he received the Rieveschl Award for Creative and Scholarly Work.
Headshot of Patricia   Valladares-Ruiz

Patricia Valladares-Ruiz

Professor of Latin American and Caribbean literature and film., Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-0402

Professor Patricia Valladares-Ruiz's major research and teaching interests focus on race, gender, sexuality, geographical imagination, and political dissent in Latin American and Caribbean literature, cinema, and popular culture.

She is the author of Narrativas del descalabro: La novela venezolana en tiempos de revolución (Tamesis, 2018), Sexualidades disidentes en la narrativa cubana contemporánea (Tamesis, 2012), the editor of Afro-Hispanic Subjectivities (Cincinnati Romance Review, 2011), and the coeditor of El tránsito vacilante: Miradas sobre la cultura venezolana contemporánea (Rodopi, 2013).  Professor Valladares-Ruiz has also published book chapters and articles on Latin American and Caribbean literature and cinema in scholarly journals such as Revista Hispánica Moderna, Revista de Estudios Hispánicos, Studies in Latin American Popular CultureMLN: Modern Language Notes, Revista Iberoamericana, Romance Quarterly, Hispania, La Torre, Neophilologus, Monographic ReviewInti, eHumanista: Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Studies, Cuadernos de literatura, and Letras Femeninas.

Research and Teaching Interests: Latin American and Caribbean literature, film, and popular culture; Neo-slave narratives; geographical imagination in early colonial Spanish America; cultural politics & aesthetics.

Theoretical interests: Cultural Theory, Postcolonial Studies, Critical Race Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). 

www.patriciavalladares.com
   

Educator Faculty

Headshot of Leah Adelson

Leah Adelson

Asst Professor - Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

716A Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2233

Dr. Leah Adelson is the Coordinator of Beginning Intensive Spanish (SPAN1001-1002) and teaches Spanish language in the Department of Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures. Previously, she has worked as a Spanish and Portuguese instructor at Georgetown University where she taught courses in language, linguistics, and language teaching methodology. Her research interests include second/foreign language pedagogy, third language acquisition, teacher training, and online teaching and learning.
Headshot of Ashley Nichole Anneken

Ashley Nichole Anneken

Assistant Professor Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

719A Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2882

Ashley holds a M.A. in Spanish from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Spanish, Psychology, and Legal Studies from Saint Louis University, and has also studied in Mérida, Mexico, and Madrid, Spain. In the classroom, Ashley is inspired by the ability of foreign-language education to guide learners through unique discovery processes of self and society. Her current projects involve implementing Integrated Performance Assessment and Game-Based Language Learning.
Headshot of Beatriz Celaya

Beatriz Celaya

Assoc Professor - Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1842

Dr. Beatriz Celaya has taught in the U.S.A., Canada, Jordan, and Ghana (Yarmouk University, Washington University in Saint Louis, Concordia University, University of Central Florida, Miami University of Ohio, and University of Ghana). Her research and teaching areas of specialization are Twentieth-Century Spanish Literature and Culture, Feminist Theory, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Hispanic Women Artists, Spanish Film, Migration and Race in Spain, Equatoguinean Literature.
She has published a book, Sexualidad femenina en la novela y cultura española, 1900-1936 (2006), and she is currently working on representations of race, gender and social status in Spanish renaissance. She has also published a book chapter, and several  academic articles in journals such as Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies, Arenal, Modern Language Notes, Romance Quarterly, Dieciocho, Ámbitos feministas, or Afro-Hispanic Review.
Headshot of Rosario Drucker Davis

Rosario Drucker Davis

Assistant Professor Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709A Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1830

Rosario Drucker Davis hold a B.A.in Linguistics from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. in English as a Second Language from the University of Arizona, and an M.A. in French Literature from the University of Cincinnati. 

She currently teaches SPAN 1021  Spanish for the Health Professions I,
SPAN 1022 Spanish for the Health Professions II, Spanish 3010 Spanish for Social Work and Health Care Services, SPAN 3021/7021 Business Spanish I, and SPAN 3022/7022 Business Spanish II





 
Headshot of Juan Godoy Penas

Juan Godoy Penas

Assistant Professor Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717E Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1843

Juan A. Godoy Peñas is Assistant Professor Educator in Spanish, Coordinator  of the Spanish Intermediate Sequence (SPAN2015-2016), of the Summer Spanish Local Immersion Program, and Co-Director of the Study Abroad Program in Queretaro, Mexico, as well of the Curricular Enhancement, Development, Access and Research Language Resource Center at the University of Cincinnati. Previously, he has worked as Teaching Assistant at Harvard University and Visiting Instructor at Qingdao University, China. His research interests mainly focus on Spanish peninsular literature, and applied linguistics and second language teaching. Both areas of his work focus on the concept of identity and its formation through writing and the acquisition of foreign language.
 
In the literary field, he studies the second generation of writers exiled by the Spanish Civil War, the concepts of memory and trauma, and the hybridity of literary genres, especially autobiographical genres. In relation to this topic, he has recently published the articles “La «Otra» segunda generación de escritores exiliados tras la Guerra Civil española: más allá de México” in Hispanófila, and “Niños de la guerra en México: la desterritorialización como consecuencia del exilio a través de Carlos Blanco Aguinaga y Angelina Muñiz-Huberman” in Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies. Currently, he is editing his book Memoria, identidad y literatura del yo: narrativas de la segunda generación de escritores exiliados por la Guerra Civil española, which will be released in late 2020 or early 2021.
 
Regarding applied linguistics and second language teaching, his research pays attention to the role of technology in the classroom and the creation of hybrid courses. This led him to create the first hybrid course in Spanish in collaboration with Dr. Liander within the Department of RLL at Harvard University in Spring 2020. Additionally, he is especially interested in the role of the learner´s identity in the process of second language acquisition, as well as the impact of the incorporation of diversity in the didactic material. In 2020, in collaboration with the Observatory Cervantes at Harvard University, he organized a series of workshops entitled “Mapping the Minorities in Spanish as Second Language Acquisition.” He has also recently been invited by the Institute Cervantes from NY to give a workshop entitled “Fostering Diversity in the Spanish Language Classroom: the role of minoritized identities.”
 
 
Headshot of Irene Ivanova Ivantcheva-Merjanska

Irene Ivanova Ivantcheva-Merjanska

Assoc Professor - Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

711 Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1729

Associate Professor Educator and Undegraduate Studies Director 
Headshot of Anne Lingwall Odio

Anne Lingwall Odio

Asst Professor - Educator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717E Old Chemistry Building

513-556-9728

Dr. Anne Lingwall Odio is an Assistant Professor Educator of Spanish grammar and linguistics courses. She is the Associate Director of Projects and Partnerships of the CEDAR LRC.

Anne utilizes her research backgroud in bilingualism and second language studies to inform her teaching. As a researcher, Anne is interested in the impact that the language environment can have on linguistic development. Anne also works with local community organizations and schools to support and advocate for home language maintenance and bilingualism. 
Headshot of Nuria  Rocio Lopez-Ortega

Nuria Rocio Lopez-Ortega

Educator Associate Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

716-B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1928

Director of Curriculum; Assistant Department Head.  Areas of teaching: Spanish language (all levels) and Spanish Linguistics. Areas of academic interest:  Spanish Linguistics; Second Language Learning and SLA; Pedagogy; Teacher Training; Study Abroad.
Academic-related activities: writing collaborator and consultant for major foreign  language  publishing companies;  dual-enrollment Spanish program mentor with local high schools; Spanish AP reader.
Headshot of Shureka _ Nyawalo

Shureka _ Nyawalo

Assistant Professor Educator and Coordinator of the Basic French Program, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

719B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-4528

My name is Dr. Shureka Nyawalo and I am an Assistant Professor Educator and the Basic French Program Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati Clifton (uptown) campus. My research and scholarly interests include French phonology, second/foreign language teaching and learning, and teaching in higher education contexts. At UC, I teach 1000-level and 3000-level courses in French. As coordinator, I oversee the 1000- and 2000-level courses in the French program.

Additionally, I organize the summer language immersion program in Bordeaux, France, at the DEFLE (Département d'Études de Français Langue Étrangère). (For more details, go to: https://defle.u-bordeaux-montaigne.fr/en/index.html). 

More recently, my collegues and I were awarded a competitive federal grant to develop teaching materials. (Read UC's article on this grant: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2022/08/uc-to-become-nationwide-resource-center-for-language-instructors.html)
Headshot of Danae T Orlins

Danae T Orlins

Educator Assistant Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

716D Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2748

Dr. Danae Orlins is the coordinator of the extended basic Spanish sequence (SPAN 1011-1014) and the 2nd year langage sequence (SPAN 2015-2016).  Her research interests include pedagogy, Early Modern narrative and undergraduate education.  She came to the University of Cincinnati after many years teaching all levels of Spanish at undergraduate liberal arts colleges, and learning and teaching language has always been close to her heart.

Headshot of Grace Thome

Grace Thome

Associate Professor Educator, Arabic Language Coordinator , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

728G Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2091

Grace Thome strongly believes that learning a foreign language increases global understanding. She teaches the Modern Standard Arabic and the Levantine dialect. Grace helps her students become competent in the Arabic Language and  bridges the gap between the Arabic Culture and their own.

Headshot of Catherine L White

Catherine L White

Associate Professor Educator of Basic French Program, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

7109B Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1841

Associate Professor - Educator and Coordinator of Basic French Program.
Dr. White's primary research area is in French and Francophone cinema. She was a member of the founding committee for the first certificate in film and media studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She teaches courses in French film to majors and minors in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, and as an A&S freshman seminar in contemporary French and Francophone cinema, "France Goes To The Movies." She publishes, presents and organizes panels on French and Francophone film. Her interest in film as an artifact of social relevance as well as through the field of film studies, combines with students' love of and fascination with international cinema, French and francophone cultures and language.

As Coordinator of the basic French program, Dr. White trains and supervises Graduate Teaching Assistants in French, prepares testing and other pedagogical materials and synchronizes extracurricular tutorials and activities for basic French students. She is happy that French and Francophone films also play an important role in the Basic French Curriculum.


Education:

Ph.D. in Romance Languages & Literatures, University of Cincinnati, 2003
Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, University of Cincinnati, 1999
M.A. in French Literature, University of Cincinnati, 1998
B.A. in French and Comparative Literature, Indiana University, 1978

Dissertation title: "The Influence of Religious Faith on Christine de Pizan's Defense of Women"

Current areas of teaching and research: Foreign language acquisition; French and Francophone film studies. 

Other Work Experience: Three years in advertising, Paris and New York.
Ten years in theatre, New York City.

 

Adjunct Faculty

Headshot of Ibrahim B. Amidou

Ibrahim B. Amidou

Adjunct Assistant Professor of French, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

717C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1842

French / Francophone Literatures, Cultures and Civilizations, Basic French language and culture, French pronunciation, Francophone African cultures and literatures, social, political, economic and historical analysis of Africa, modern African literature, French and Francophone films, French/English Translation, English composition.

Headshot of Andie Nicole Anderson

Andie Nicole Anderson

Instructor - Adjunct Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Andie is a language instructor with a background in second language acquisition and applied linguistics. She holds an M.A. in Spanish with a focus on pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Spanish and International Affairs from the University of Cincinnati. She is passionate about helping her students succeed in their language learning journey, and she loves to watch them grow as Spanish speakers. She has experience teaching both in person and virtually, and is dedicated to consistently integrating new and innovative technology tools into the language classroom.
Headshot of Ursula Hazembuller Atisme

Ursula Hazembuller Atisme

Instructor - Adj Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Ursula H Atisme is a PhD student at the University of Cincinnati.  She holds a Master of Art in Latin American Studies from Brigham Young University, and a Bachelor in Spanish Teaching from the National University of La Plata, Argentina.  In the past, she taught Spanish at the university, Middle and High School levels.  Her teaching experience includes both literature and grammar, as well as curriculum development. Her main research interests are: Latin American contemporary literature, Argentine contemporary novel and Meta-fiction.
Headshot of Seynabou Dieye

Seynabou Dieye

Study Abroad Advisor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

EDWARDS 1 Edwards Center

513-541-0574

I am a graduate student in master program in French, have worked for over 10 years at Delta Air Lines as a translator and flight attendant, which gave me the opportunity to experience and enjoy several different aspects of utilizing languages to bridge cultures. I have completed my undergraduate degree in communication and fluently speak French. I have also worked as an operations manager in one of the busiest airport in the United States, managing over 150 departures daily. I am currently tutoring in French for the department of romance languages at the University of Cincinnati, providing academic support to students at various level of French courses.  
Headshot of Mohamed Elayyadi

Mohamed Elayyadi

Instructor, Arabic Language and Culture, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

728E Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2091

Headshot of Luis M Gonzalez-Garcia

Luis M Gonzalez-Garcia

Instructor - Adjunct Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Headshot of Ekaterina  Katzarova

Ekaterina Katzarova

Program Manager, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

ARTSCI

513-556-4440

Headshot of Janaina F Lopez

Janaina F Lopez

Instructor - Adj, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Headshot of Maria Elvira Mendoza

Maria Elvira Mendoza

Assistant Professor - Adjunct Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

710D Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1858

Headshot of Joyce A Miller

Joyce A Miller

Assistant Professor - Adjunct Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

721 Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1836

Master in Italian Studies, Ohio State University. 
Headshot of Nury Evelyn Nuila-Stevens

Nury Evelyn Nuila-Stevens

Doctoral Student, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

714 Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Nury Nuila-Stevens holds a BA in Humanities with concentration in Literature and Minor and Theory History. She also holds a MA of Spanish. Each from the University of Louisville, Ky. She also has a Secondary Teacher Certificate to teach Literature by the Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas” known as UCA, El Salvador.  Before coming to study a Ph.D. in Spanish at the University of Cincinnati, Nury taught for 17 years in Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.  Nury returned to literature studies after teaching Spanish for 22 years.  Returning to college, was a huge life challenge to attain her lifelong dream.  It's been an act of perseverance.  She encourages anyone who reads this biography to never quit pursuing one's dreams.  Two phrases became cornerstones in her journey.  One by Winston Churchill "Never, never, never give up" and the other by Joseph Campbell "Follow your bliss".  Her major research interest are: Poetry, Latin American Contemporary Literature, Women and Gender Studies and Central American Literature.
Headshot of Emma Joan Ortquist

Emma Joan Ortquist

Program Manager, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709A Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1830

Headshot of Kenneth C. Totten

Kenneth C. Totten

Asst Professor - Adj Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

709A Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1830

Headshot of Carla Rita Wysokinski

Carla Rita Wysokinski

Instructor - Adj Ann, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Affiliate Faculty

Headshot of Heather Marlene Arden

Heather Marlene Arden

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Heather Arden specializes in medieval French literature. She did her graduate work at New York University, where she received her doctorate in 1974. Professor Arden offers both undergraduate and graduate courses about medieval women; her course about "Medieval Fantasy, Myth, and Legend" explores women's roles in medieval romance, saints' lives, and poetry. She also teaches twentieth-century French women writers including Beauvoir, Colette, Sarraute, and Duras. Much of her scholarship focuses on the Romance of the Rose; in addition to publishing a critical study and an annotated bibliography of the Rose, she has directed two NEH summer seminars for schoolteachers on the poem. Professor Arden has presented a number of papers on the courtly romances of the Middle Ages and on the Lais of Marie de France-one of her current areas of interest. She has published articles on Christine de Pizan, including one on her poem about Joan of Arc.
Headshot of Susan M Bacon

Susan M Bacon

Academic Director, Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Susan M. Bacon (Ph. D. Ohio State University) is Professor Emerita of Spanish at the University of Cincinnati and former Director of UC International Programs where she promoted and supervised all education abroad for the University. In the Department of Romance Languages she served at various times as Director of the Basic Spanish Program, Undergraduate Director, Graduate Director, and Assistant Department Head. In addition to her administrative duties, she taught Spanish language and culture, teaching methodology, and second-language acquisition. Her research interests include child and adult second-language acquisition, and the processing of authentic input. She is recipient of the prestigious Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Education. She was Project Director for a four-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in Mexico, and a Fulbright-Robles Scholar in Mexico. She is primary researcher for a considerable number of empirical studies, and has co-authored several elementary and intermediate-level Spanish texts including ¡Arriba!Conexiones, and Leyendas del mundo hispano, all published by Pearson-Prentice Hall. Her research for her books has taken her to 20 Spanish-speaking countries, some several times, and she remains active in academic publishing.
 
Headshot of Edy  J Carro

Edy J Carro

Educator Associate Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I am a native Spanish speaker  from Cuba who actively participated in the events surrounding the Cuban revolution and the ensuing Cold War. My husband and I were responsible for saving many lives in the aftermath of the uprising. I have experience teaching language, debate, culture, curriculum, pedagodgy, literature, and business Spanish.
Headshot of Edward V Coughlin

Edward V Coughlin

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Headshot of Enrique A Giordano

Enrique A Giordano

Associate Professor of Latin American Literature, Literary Theory, Theatre, and Film Sttudies, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Enrique Giordano is the author of Poesia y Poetica de Gonzalo Rojas (1987), El mapa de Amsterdam (poetry; 1984), La teatralización de la obra dramática, de Florencio Sánchez a Roberto Arlt (1982), and articles on Borges, Cortázar, García Márquez, Juan Radrigan, Griselda Gámbaro, Luis Zapata, Daniel Torres, Manuel Puig, Mario Vargas Llosa and the semiotics of theater and cinema. He is the co-author of Manuel Puig: montaje y alteridad del sujeto (1986). His poetry book El mapa de Amsterdam had a second edition at Cuarto Propio, Santiago de Chile (2005). His last book is Monologo a siete voces(narrative), published on March, 2011 by Maiten 3, Hato Rey/Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He has edited a book  with RLL graduate student and Paula Garrido, Ph.D.:Reconsideraciones de los fantàstico en la narrativa latinoamericana, published by Maitèn3 on December 2011. Last publication: El silencio de Claudio (130 pages, poetry)  at Editorial Cuarto Propio, Chile, December 2013.
Headshot of Ligia C Gomez.

Ligia C Gomez.

Assistant Professor Educator , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Trained as a psychologist and with a degree in fine arts from Colombia, South America, Ligia worked for six years in a  health care as an educator and health advocate with the Hispanic population in Cincinnati prior to becoming a full time faculty in the Romance Languages and Literature Department. Ligia serves as a liaison with many different organizations in the community.  She is  currently involved with several professional groups that work to improve the living conditions of the Hispanic/Latino population. Presently she is Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition, and a founding member of the Latino Health Collaborative. Her particular areas of interest at the University include Service Learning and Spanish for Health and Social Services. Ligia's continued involvement in the local Health Care community helps her to provide the students with access to many different relevant experiences related to this undeserved population. Ligia is the Director of  Certificate of Spanish for Service Learning in Social Work and Health Care Services and have been involved in the new Medical Spanish/Latino Health Elective at The school of medicine.

Headshot of Irwin Greenberg

Irwin Greenberg

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Headshot of Anne-Marie Jezequel

Anne-Marie Jezequel

Educator Associate Professor , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Anne-Marie Jézéquel, PhD in Romances Languages and Literatures (2006) 
Chevalier dans l'ordre des Palmes Académiques (2014)
Specialized in 20th century French and Quebec Literature, published articles on French writers such as Jean Rouaud and Marie Nimier. Author of Louise Dupré, le Québec au féminin” (2008), the first study on the corpus of the literary work of Louise Dupré, poet, novelist, dramaturge from Montreal.
Teaching all levels of proficiency wih emphasis on topics pertaining to French and francophone culture such as Business, Theatre, Fashion and Gastronomy. 

http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/stylescoutblog/style-counsel-anne-marie-jezequel/

Study tours and international professional experiences in France, Canada and the French West Indies.
Intensive Language and cultural program, French immersion  University led Program in Caen, Normandy (France)  
"Discover Caen & Normandy", June 7-July 21 /2018
  link: videos made by students
https://animoto.com/play/vkfSmFKnu6QTtFSyyplGJg?autostart=1


 
Headshot of Lowanne Elizabeth Jones

Lowanne Elizabeth Jones

Associate Professor Emerita & Former Head, Romance Languages & Literatures; Former Director, School for World Languages & Cultures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

513-479-1716

Headshot of Kathryn M. Lorenz

Kathryn M. Lorenz

Educator Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Kathryn Lorenz is an Educator Professor Emerita of French in the Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures Department of the University of Cincinnati.   She specializes in Medieval French Literature and taught a variety of courses such as Reading French for Graduate Students, Paris and Basic French.  Kathryn also serves on the Loveland City School District Board of Education and the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development Board of Directors.
Headshot of Pat W O'Connor

Pat W O'Connor

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Patricia O'Connor's research field is contemporary Spanish drama with special emphasis on the most current trends and works as well as plays by women. In 1975, she inaugurated the Spanish theater journal, Estreno, and served as editor for seventeen years. As a critic and translator, she has brought many plays to the attention of English-speaking readers through such works as Contemporary Spanish Theater: Seven New Plays (1980); Contemporary Spanish Plays: The Social Comedies (1983), Plays of Protest from the Franco Era (1981), Plays of the New Democratic Spain (1992), Antonio Buero Vallejo: Three Masterpieces (2003) and Antonio Buero Vallejo: Four Tragedies of Conscience (2008).

In 1982, one of her more than one hundred articles entitled  "Women Dramatists in Contemporary Spain and the Male‑Dominated Canon" appeared in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, and in1988, her Dramaturgas españolas de hoy, the first book ever published on women playwrights in Spain, was followed by Mujeres sobre mujeres: teatro breve español/One-Act Plays by Women about Women(1998), Mito y realidad de una dramaturga española: María Martínez Sierra (2003), Mujeres sobre mujeres en los albores del Siglo XXI / One-Act Plays by Women about Women in the Early Years of the 21st Century(2006), Elena Cánovas y las Yeses: Teatro carcelario, teatro liberador (2009) and Patenting Destiny: A Tale of Two Shoes (Ventanilla de patentes) by Charo González Casas (2011). Shades of Violence with plays by Juana Escabias, The Hooker of a Thusand Nights,  and  Diana de Paco, See you in Heaven...or Maybe Not  marked  in 2015 her twenty-first book.

Professor O'Connor holds a number of honorific titles: she was elected Charles Phelps Taft Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures in 1996, the same year  she was named "Alumna of Achievement" by her alma mater, the University of Florida. In 1982, she won UC’s Rieveschl Award for Creative and Scholarly Work and was named Distinguished Research Professor in 1990, the same year she was elected corresponding (i.e., non-Spanish) member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language. In 2007, she was named Outstanding Graduate of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Florida, and selected to give the banquet address honoring those named from all the departments of Arts and Sciences. She has had homages for her theater work by SGAE in Madrid twice and two more  by the University of Cincinnati for initiating, in 1964,  study abroad at UC.
Headshot of Armando Romero

Armando Romero

Charles Phelps Taft Professor, Romance Languages & Literatures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Armando Romero obtained his Ph.D. (1983) and his M.A. (1981) in Latin American Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. A scholar and a writer, Professor Romero has dedicated his life to the study and practice of literature. Although he has written numerous articles on contemporary Latin American fiction, his field of concentration has been Latin America poetry. His book, Las palabras están en situación, was considered by the Colombian critics to be one of the most important books published in the XX Century on this subject. This book, and the following book, El Nadaismo o la búsqueda de una vanguardia, have been adopted as text books in Colombian universities. As an author, Professor Romero has written poetry, novels and short stories. All of them have been acclaimed by the critics. The academic journal, Hispanic Poetry Review (Texas A&M University), recently published an extensive interview on his work. Also, in the year 2004 he was invited to read his poetry at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Currently, thanks to a Taft Research Competitive Fellowship, Professor Romero is working on an ambitious project that deals with the inner life of contemporary Latin American poetry. The result of this research will be the publication of a book. Furthermore, Professor Romero is working, with the editor Luis F. Macias, from the Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia, on an edition of his collected poems, and he is also researching for a novel dealing with the Afro-Colombian communities in the Pacific Coast of Colombia.
Headshot of Siusan Victoria Sinclair

Siusan Victoria Sinclair

Associate Educator Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

719C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2533

I teach undergraduate courses relating to Hispanic Culture and Spanish Language and have a strong interest in Service Learning and in Study Abroad. For the past eight years I have been the co-organizer and leader of the department's Spring Break Service Learning Course in Guatemala. This course allows the students to  learn about Guatemala and its culture through building houses for disadvantaged families.
Headshot of Michele E Vialet

Michele E Vialet

Professor of French and Francophone Literatures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I teach and do research in French and Francophone studies, especially French Classicism (comic novels; Classical theater; the Moralists; the power of laughter) and 20th- 21st century colonial and post-colonial literatures, cultures and films (Maghreb, Rwanda, exile and immigration, racism, and the representation of Africa in pictures and films). On 17th-century literature, I am the author of various articles and book chapters as well as a monograph on Le roman bourgeois (1666), an iconoclastic novel by Antoine Furetière, Triomphe de l'iconoclaste: “Le roman bourgeois” et les lois de cohérence romanesque. In Francophone studies, I have published articles on contemporary women writers, co-edited a volume on Assia Djebar, Assia Djebar: écrivaine entre deux rives (2011), and most recently a volume on Julia Kristeva, Kristeva in Process: The Fertility of Thought (both available online at www.cromrev.com).

I also enjoy teaching introduction to literary analysis, intermediate and advanced linguistic and cultural literacy. I have coauthored two intermediate and advanced college books: Bravo! [1989] (Cengage, 8th rev. ed. 2015) and À vous d’écrire: atelier de francais (McGraw-Hill, 1996).

Visiting Faculty

Headshot of Pavel  E. Andrade

Pavel E. Andrade

Visiting Assistant Professor of Mexican/Latinx Literature, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

716E Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1993

My research and teaching focus on Mexican literary and cultural studies, modern and contemporary Latin American literature, critical theory, and geocriticism. My current book project, Modernism's Afterworlds: Capital, Form, and the Mexican Novel's Countertopographical Imagination, examines how the Mexican modernist novel gives spatial form to Mexico's uneven transition from state-led industrialization toward a new export-oriented pattern of capital accumulation. My broader research interests include urban studies, border and migration studies, and the novel’s countertopographical imagination.

Emeriti Faculty

Headshot of Heather Marlene Arden

Heather Marlene Arden

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Heather Arden specializes in medieval French literature. She did her graduate work at New York University, where she received her doctorate in 1974. Professor Arden offers both undergraduate and graduate courses about medieval women; her course about "Medieval Fantasy, Myth, and Legend" explores women's roles in medieval romance, saints' lives, and poetry. She also teaches twentieth-century French women writers including Beauvoir, Colette, Sarraute, and Duras. Much of her scholarship focuses on the Romance of the Rose; in addition to publishing a critical study and an annotated bibliography of the Rose, she has directed two NEH summer seminars for schoolteachers on the poem. Professor Arden has presented a number of papers on the courtly romances of the Middle Ages and on the Lais of Marie de France-one of her current areas of interest. She has published articles on Christine de Pizan, including one on her poem about Joan of Arc.
Headshot of Susan M Bacon

Susan M Bacon

Academic Director, Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Susan M. Bacon (Ph. D. Ohio State University) is Professor Emerita of Spanish at the University of Cincinnati and former Director of UC International Programs where she promoted and supervised all education abroad for the University. In the Department of Romance Languages she served at various times as Director of the Basic Spanish Program, Undergraduate Director, Graduate Director, and Assistant Department Head. In addition to her administrative duties, she taught Spanish language and culture, teaching methodology, and second-language acquisition. Her research interests include child and adult second-language acquisition, and the processing of authentic input. She is recipient of the prestigious Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Education. She was Project Director for a four-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in Mexico, and a Fulbright-Robles Scholar in Mexico. She is primary researcher for a considerable number of empirical studies, and has co-authored several elementary and intermediate-level Spanish texts including ¡Arriba!Conexiones, and Leyendas del mundo hispano, all published by Pearson-Prentice Hall. Her research for her books has taken her to 20 Spanish-speaking countries, some several times, and she remains active in academic publishing.
 
Headshot of Edy  J Carro

Edy J Carro

Educator Associate Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I am a native Spanish speaker  from Cuba who actively participated in the events surrounding the Cuban revolution and the ensuing Cold War. My husband and I were responsible for saving many lives in the aftermath of the uprising. I have experience teaching language, debate, culture, curriculum, pedagodgy, literature, and business Spanish.
Headshot of Edward V Coughlin

Edward V Coughlin

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Headshot of Enrique A Giordano

Enrique A Giordano

Associate Professor of Latin American Literature, Literary Theory, Theatre, and Film Sttudies, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Enrique Giordano is the author of Poesia y Poetica de Gonzalo Rojas (1987), El mapa de Amsterdam (poetry; 1984), La teatralización de la obra dramática, de Florencio Sánchez a Roberto Arlt (1982), and articles on Borges, Cortázar, García Márquez, Juan Radrigan, Griselda Gámbaro, Luis Zapata, Daniel Torres, Manuel Puig, Mario Vargas Llosa and the semiotics of theater and cinema. He is the co-author of Manuel Puig: montaje y alteridad del sujeto (1986). His poetry book El mapa de Amsterdam had a second edition at Cuarto Propio, Santiago de Chile (2005). His last book is Monologo a siete voces(narrative), published on March, 2011 by Maiten 3, Hato Rey/Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. He has edited a book  with RLL graduate student and Paula Garrido, Ph.D.:Reconsideraciones de los fantàstico en la narrativa latinoamericana, published by Maitèn3 on December 2011. Last publication: El silencio de Claudio (130 pages, poetry)  at Editorial Cuarto Propio, Chile, December 2013.
Headshot of Ligia C Gomez.

Ligia C Gomez.

Assistant Professor Educator , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Trained as a psychologist and with a degree in fine arts from Colombia, South America, Ligia worked for six years in a  health care as an educator and health advocate with the Hispanic population in Cincinnati prior to becoming a full time faculty in the Romance Languages and Literature Department. Ligia serves as a liaison with many different organizations in the community.  She is  currently involved with several professional groups that work to improve the living conditions of the Hispanic/Latino population. Presently she is Chair of the Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition, and a founding member of the Latino Health Collaborative. Her particular areas of interest at the University include Service Learning and Spanish for Health and Social Services. Ligia's continued involvement in the local Health Care community helps her to provide the students with access to many different relevant experiences related to this undeserved population. Ligia is the Director of  Certificate of Spanish for Service Learning in Social Work and Health Care Services and have been involved in the new Medical Spanish/Latino Health Elective at The school of medicine.

Headshot of Irwin Greenberg

Irwin Greenberg

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Headshot of Anne-Marie Jezequel

Anne-Marie Jezequel

Educator Associate Professor , Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Anne-Marie Jézéquel, PhD in Romances Languages and Literatures (2006) 
Chevalier dans l'ordre des Palmes Académiques (2014)
Specialized in 20th century French and Quebec Literature, published articles on French writers such as Jean Rouaud and Marie Nimier. Author of Louise Dupré, le Québec au féminin” (2008), the first study on the corpus of the literary work of Louise Dupré, poet, novelist, dramaturge from Montreal.
Teaching all levels of proficiency wih emphasis on topics pertaining to French and francophone culture such as Business, Theatre, Fashion and Gastronomy. 

http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/stylescoutblog/style-counsel-anne-marie-jezequel/

Study tours and international professional experiences in France, Canada and the French West Indies.
Intensive Language and cultural program, French immersion  University led Program in Caen, Normandy (France)  
"Discover Caen & Normandy", June 7-July 21 /2018
  link: videos made by students
https://animoto.com/play/vkfSmFKnu6QTtFSyyplGJg?autostart=1


 
Headshot of Lowanne Elizabeth Jones

Lowanne Elizabeth Jones

Associate Professor Emerita & Former Head, Romance Languages & Literatures; Former Director, School for World Languages & Cultures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

513-479-1716

Headshot of Kathryn M. Lorenz

Kathryn M. Lorenz

Educator Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Kathryn Lorenz is an Educator Professor Emerita of French in the Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures Department of the University of Cincinnati.   She specializes in Medieval French Literature and taught a variety of courses such as Reading French for Graduate Students, Paris and Basic French.  Kathryn also serves on the Loveland City School District Board of Education and the Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development Board of Directors.
Headshot of Pat W O'Connor

Pat W O'Connor

Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Patricia O'Connor's research field is contemporary Spanish drama with special emphasis on the most current trends and works as well as plays by women. In 1975, she inaugurated the Spanish theater journal, Estreno, and served as editor for seventeen years. As a critic and translator, she has brought many plays to the attention of English-speaking readers through such works as Contemporary Spanish Theater: Seven New Plays (1980); Contemporary Spanish Plays: The Social Comedies (1983), Plays of Protest from the Franco Era (1981), Plays of the New Democratic Spain (1992), Antonio Buero Vallejo: Three Masterpieces (2003) and Antonio Buero Vallejo: Four Tragedies of Conscience (2008).

In 1982, one of her more than one hundred articles entitled  "Women Dramatists in Contemporary Spain and the Male‑Dominated Canon" appeared in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, and in1988, her Dramaturgas españolas de hoy, the first book ever published on women playwrights in Spain, was followed by Mujeres sobre mujeres: teatro breve español/One-Act Plays by Women about Women(1998), Mito y realidad de una dramaturga española: María Martínez Sierra (2003), Mujeres sobre mujeres en los albores del Siglo XXI / One-Act Plays by Women about Women in the Early Years of the 21st Century(2006), Elena Cánovas y las Yeses: Teatro carcelario, teatro liberador (2009) and Patenting Destiny: A Tale of Two Shoes (Ventanilla de patentes) by Charo González Casas (2011). Shades of Violence with plays by Juana Escabias, The Hooker of a Thusand Nights,  and  Diana de Paco, See you in Heaven...or Maybe Not  marked  in 2015 her twenty-first book.

Professor O'Connor holds a number of honorific titles: she was elected Charles Phelps Taft Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures in 1996, the same year  she was named "Alumna of Achievement" by her alma mater, the University of Florida. In 1982, she won UC’s Rieveschl Award for Creative and Scholarly Work and was named Distinguished Research Professor in 1990, the same year she was elected corresponding (i.e., non-Spanish) member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Language. In 2007, she was named Outstanding Graduate of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Florida, and selected to give the banquet address honoring those named from all the departments of Arts and Sciences. She has had homages for her theater work by SGAE in Madrid twice and two more  by the University of Cincinnati for initiating, in 1964,  study abroad at UC.
Headshot of Armando Romero

Armando Romero

Charles Phelps Taft Professor, Romance Languages & Literatures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Armando Romero obtained his Ph.D. (1983) and his M.A. (1981) in Latin American Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. A scholar and a writer, Professor Romero has dedicated his life to the study and practice of literature. Although he has written numerous articles on contemporary Latin American fiction, his field of concentration has been Latin America poetry. His book, Las palabras están en situación, was considered by the Colombian critics to be one of the most important books published in the XX Century on this subject. This book, and the following book, El Nadaismo o la búsqueda de una vanguardia, have been adopted as text books in Colombian universities. As an author, Professor Romero has written poetry, novels and short stories. All of them have been acclaimed by the critics. The academic journal, Hispanic Poetry Review (Texas A&M University), recently published an extensive interview on his work. Also, in the year 2004 he was invited to read his poetry at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Currently, thanks to a Taft Research Competitive Fellowship, Professor Romero is working on an ambitious project that deals with the inner life of contemporary Latin American poetry. The result of this research will be the publication of a book. Furthermore, Professor Romero is working, with the editor Luis F. Macias, from the Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia, on an edition of his collected poems, and he is also researching for a novel dealing with the Afro-Colombian communities in the Pacific Coast of Colombia.
Headshot of Siusan Victoria Sinclair

Siusan Victoria Sinclair

Associate Educator Professor, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

719C Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2533

I teach undergraduate courses relating to Hispanic Culture and Spanish Language and have a strong interest in Service Learning and in Study Abroad. For the past eight years I have been the co-organizer and leader of the department's Spring Break Service Learning Course in Guatemala. This course allows the students to  learn about Guatemala and its culture through building houses for disadvantaged families.
Headshot of Michele E Vialet

Michele E Vialet

Professor of French and Francophone Literatures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I teach and do research in French and Francophone studies, especially French Classicism (comic novels; Classical theater; the Moralists; the power of laughter) and 20th- 21st century colonial and post-colonial literatures, cultures and films (Maghreb, Rwanda, exile and immigration, racism, and the representation of Africa in pictures and films). On 17th-century literature, I am the author of various articles and book chapters as well as a monograph on Le roman bourgeois (1666), an iconoclastic novel by Antoine Furetière, Triomphe de l'iconoclaste: “Le roman bourgeois” et les lois de cohérence romanesque. In Francophone studies, I have published articles on contemporary women writers, co-edited a volume on Assia Djebar, Assia Djebar: écrivaine entre deux rives (2011), and most recently a volume on Julia Kristeva, Kristeva in Process: The Fertility of Thought (both available online at www.cromrev.com).

I also enjoy teaching introduction to literary analysis, intermediate and advanced linguistic and cultural literacy. I have coauthored two intermediate and advanced college books: Bravo! [1989] (Cengage, 8th rev. ed. 2015) and À vous d’écrire: atelier de francais (McGraw-Hill, 1996).

Staff

Headshot of Elaine M Dunker

Elaine M Dunker

Financial Administrator 2, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

360D ARTSCI

513-556-1524

Headshot of Cam Kruse

Cam Kruse

Program Manager, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

723 Old Chemistry Building

513-556-2730

Cam Kruse is the Program Manager for the departments of Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures (RALL) and Asian, East European, and German Studies (AEEGS). He completed his undergraduate career at the University of Louisville in 2017, completing a BSBA in Business Marketing, with minors in French and Entrepreneurship. He obtained his MA in French Studies with a focus on Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Cincinnati in 2022.

In his free time, he enjoys cooking, running, traveling, and exploring the depths of foreign language acquisition and teaching.
Headshot of Jennifer M Lange

Jennifer M Lange

Business Administrator, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

ARTSCI

513-556-3906

Graduate Students/Assistants

Headshot of Mawuli Kwami Ankou

Mawuli Kwami Ankou

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Mawuli is MA student and a French graduate teaching assistant majoring in Global French studies and aspect of second language pedagogy in the department of Romance & Arabic Languages & Literatures (RALL) at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He obtained his Bachelor's of Arts degree in French and Information Studies at the University of Ghana. Also, he did his Post graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Winneba, Ghana.
 
Headshot of Tomas Emilio Arce Mairena

Tomas Emilio Arce Mairena

Instructor - Adj, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Old Chemistry Building

513-556-1950

Tomás Emilio Arce Mairena 
ABD 
Taft Research Center Dissertation Fellow (2021-2022)
M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Literature (University of Cincinnati 2018) 
Included in the anthology ''Flores de la Trinchera'' (2012). Director of the short documentary ''Si buscabas'' (2014). Has published reviews and articles in literary magazines such as El Hilo Azul, Latin American Today Carátula, Cincinnati Romance Review and Revista de Historia IHNCA

 

 
Headshot of Lydia Bamfi

Lydia Bamfi

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Headshot of Francisco Javier Barraza Alonzo

Francisco Javier Barraza Alonzo

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Francisco Barraza Alonzo (Ciudad Juárez, Mexico). PhD Student. Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. His poems have been published in magazines such as Círculo de Poesía, La Piraña, Revista Opción, Rio Grande Review, Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, among others.
Headshot of Luis Angel Barreto

Luis Angel Barreto

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Poet, writer and editor. Luis Ángel Barreto holds a Master´s Degree in Philosophy from La Universidad del Zulia, Venezuela. He has worked as a writer and editor in several magazines in his home country and abroad on topics related to literature, music and politics. He has been assistant coordinator in international research projects of pedagogy and ethics. He worked as screenwriter and music editor for short films, catoons, and for dance and theater performances. Nowadays, he is a Ph.D. student at the University of Cincinnati.
Headshot of Miguel   Catena Gil

Miguel Catena Gil

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Miguel Catena Gil (Valencia, Spain). Spanish MA student. He holds a Master's Degree in Spanish Teaching on high schools from the University of Valencia and a BA in Hispanic Studies from the same university. He is currently working as a TA for the RALL department.  
Headshot of Martha Busy Timvane Chauya

Martha Busy Timvane Chauya

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Graduate Assistant in the Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures (RALL) Department. French Teacher since 2003. Incumenbent President of the Association Malawiennes pour le Enseignants de Français. 
My teaching interests include social linguistic studies. How do bilingual or multilingual speakers change roles and codes and why? Teaching language for social communication to young people and for examination accreditation has been my passion. I am a certified DELF and DALF Examiner. 

 
Headshot of Eric Herve tonfack Dontong

Eric Herve tonfack Dontong

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I am an MA student in French. I am originally from Cameroon and I am in my first year at UC. I love travelling, reading, soccer, getting to meet and know new peolpe. 
 
Headshot of Gabriela   Falconi Piedra

Gabriela Falconi Piedra

Graduate Teaching Assistant and Ph.D Student, Romance Languages and Literatures, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Gabriela is originally from Ecuador. She holds a Licenciatura in Sociology and Political Sciences from Central University of Ecuador, and an M.A. in Peruvian and Latin American Literature from the National University of San Marcos in Peru. She also did a Diploma in Regional Integration in the Latin American Council of Social Sciences - CLACSO. 
She has previously worked in the public sector of the Andean region: as Specialist Advisor and Consultant to the Goverments of Ecuador and Peru, and International Officer of the Andean Community on issues of culture. In the private sector, she worked in cultural projects, conferences and seminaries, as a university teacher and editor. Her research interests include: Latin American literature, contemporary Andean narrative, Culture Policies, Women and Gender studies and Human Rights.  
Headshot of Maria Daniela Daniela Granja Nunez

Maria Daniela Daniela Granja Nunez

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Daniela is a PhD student in Romance Languages. She is a screenwriter and has a MA in Spanish and a MFA in Screenwriting. She is a Spanish and Intro to Screenwriting TA.


Academic Background
  • University of Cincinnati - MA Spanish, 2020
  • NYFA. MFA, Screenwriting, 2012.
  • Fulbright grantee, MFA Screenwriting. August 2010 – May 2012.
  • FLACSO. Associate Degree in Visual Anthropology. Quito, Ecuador. March – July 2008.
  • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Bachelor degree in Sociology. Quito, Ecuador. September 2000 – March 2006.
Teaching Experience
  • Univeristy of Cincinnati, Introduction to Screenwriting TA. Since 2022.
  • University of Cincinnati, Basic Spanish TA. Since 2018.
  • Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador. Screenwriting teacher – online course. Since January 2018.
  • Universidad de las Américas. Quito, Ecuador. Screenwriting teacher. January 2014 – June 2014.
  • Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador. Screenwriting teacher. January 2013 – June, 2013.
  • Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador. Screenwriting Workshop instructor, September 2012 – June 2013.
  • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador. Film Appreciation instructor, 2007 – 2009.
  • Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Quito, Ecuador. Sociology teacher, January 2007 – June 2010.

Other Work Experience
  • Untitled project, feature film. Co-writer. Since 2021.
  • Founding partner at INCUBADORA, film and TV production company, Ecuador.
  • Penas, stop motion short film project. Screenwriting advisor. Since January 2018.
  • El viaje de Dante, feature film project. Screenwriting advisor. Since June 2017.
  • The Sky Above Max, feature film project. Writer. Since May 2016.
  • Sumergible, feature film. Directed by Alfredo León. Co-writer. Since June 2014.
  • Screenwriting workshop for the Andean Countries. Reader and translator. June – November 2013, June – August 2014, July – August 2015, July – August 2017.
  • Galápagos, la historia más cursi jamás contada, feature film project. Co-writer. Since August 2017.
  • El Caminante, TV series. Writer. March 2017 – July 2017.
  • Jorge, feature film project. Writer. Since November 2015.
  • Chicago Latino Film Festival. Hospitality Coordinator. April 2015.
  • Eco Chip, TV series. Writer. June 2014 – December 2014.
  • La mala noche, feature film in postproduction. Directed by Gabriela Calvache. Screenwriting advisor. January 2013 – November 2014.
  • UIO Sácame a pasear, feature film. Directed by Micaela Rueda. Screenwriting advisor. June 2013 – August 2013.
  • Ciudad Quinde, web series. Writer. December 2013 – June 2014.
  • Dino DeLaurentiis Company. Reader - internship. October 2011 – January 2012.
  • Eclectic Pictures. Reader - internship. April 2011 – July 2011.
Headshot of Florian Griffon

Florian Griffon

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

I am a graduate student enrolled in a double M.A. I am majoring in American Civilization at the Université Bordeaux Montaigne (FRA), as well as French and francophone studies & pedagogy at the University of Cincinnati.

I also teach Intensive Basic French as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Cincinnati.

I graduated from the Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès (FRA), with a B.A in English studies (US Civilization major).

My current research focuses for the Université Bordeaux Montaigne (FRA) on the link between knowledge production, lobbying, and firearm regulation in Ohio.
Headshot of Eliezer   Marquez Ramos

Eliezer Marquez Ramos

Student Worker, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Originally from the Atlantic coast of Puerto Rico, he is a master's student and an Albert C. Yates Fellow. He received a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (2016) in Latin American Literature, where he also won the first prize from the Humanities Department in the Essay category (2015) and was a former Tenor in the UPRRP Choir for three years. In March 2021 the NYU Magazine Temporales published a memoir about his own experience with hurricane Maria of 2017. He focuses on poetry and Caribbean culture and is passionate about Gabologia (Gabriel García Márquez studies). In addition, he enjoys traveling, collecting dictionaries, and podcasting in Equelecua on Spotify, where he shares short stories and poems.
Headshot of Olivia Grace Miller

Olivia Grace Miller

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Current graduate assistant working in the CEDAR Language Resource Center, pursuing a Master's in Spanish. Interests include Spanish and bilingual Literature and Creative Writing.
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Emma Mills

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

937-623-5848

Headshot of Ana  María Molina

Ana María Molina

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Ana María Molina Gómez(1992) is a poet and actress that was born in Colombia. Is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and a PhD student at the University of Cincinnati. Magister in Culural Studies at Javeriana University and bachelor in Philosophy and Literature at Bolivana University.  
Her experience is related with editing, communitary writing and theater.        Her interests are in poetry as a way to connect with communities and social differences, with problematics that are hidden in our society. 

 
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Violeta Orozco

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Violeta Orozco is a bilingual poet, translator and educator studying the Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures at UC with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is the author of three poetry collections, Stillness in the Land of Speed (Jacar Press, forthcoming), The Broken Woman Diaries (Andante Books) and El cuarto de la luna (Proyecto Literal). She has received awards like the New Voices 2021 poetry award confered by Jaki Shelton Green and fellowships like BANFF Literary Translator's Residency in Alberta, Canada. Her poetry has appeared in Acentos Review, MALCS Chicana/Latina Studies Journal, Label Me Latina, Harvard's Palabritas, The Gathering of the Tribes, Cloud Women's Quarterly Journal and several U.S.A. antologies like Somos en Escrito's "Nuestra Realidad" and .Viento del Norte, Poetas en Nueva York.
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Julia Piastro Garcia

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Graduate Teaching Assistant and PhD Student in the Department of Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures at the University of Cincinnati, with an M.A in Latin American literature and a bachelor’s degree in French literature. I have experience in the fields of poetry, music and performance studies, literary translation, and transatlantic studies. I have written and presented academic articles about Latin American and French literature. I also have experience as a poet, chronicler, editor, and as a creative writing teacher.
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Juan Andres Pizzani

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Dr. Juan Andres Pizzani Ochoa (Caracas, 1979) completed a Master's Degree in Spanish Literature at the University of Cincinnati and a PhD Degree in Anthropology at Universidad de Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela. He wrote the novella Visita guiada (2007) and published some of his poems in the anthology Voces Nuevas (2004). His doctoral thesis is Masculinities, Diversity and Homophobia in a Middle Class Family from Caracas, from the 90's to 2015 (2017). He authored the art books Enciclopedia Ilustrada del Arte (2002), Crayon Picture Books (2003) and Nuevo Abesedario (2020).
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Adriana Prieto Quintero

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Graduate Teaching Assistant and Ph.D. Student in the Department of Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures at the University of Cincinnati, with an M.A in Literature and a bachelor’s degree in Education and Literature. She has experience in the fields of Children’s Literature, Popular Education, and Latin American literature.  She has worked as a writer and researcher for Fe y Alegría -Popular Educational Research Center and as manager of the Children’s Literature Department at Zulia State Public Library “María Calcaño” in Venezuela.
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Rachel Rider

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

513-805-5584

Rachel Rider is a first-year Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Cincinnati. She completed her undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University in 2020, which earned her a Bachelor of Arts in both French and International Studies. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in French and Pedagogy. 
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Karen Isela Rosen-Guevara

Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Born and raised in Usulutan, El Salvador. Recent college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Cincinnati. Aiming to enhance my academic experience and knowledge of the language, cultural awareness, and history to successfully work with organizations and/or agencies seeking to help our immigrant families. 4+ years of professional interpretation and translation experience. Worked with multiple organizations to intensify the attention on human rights and resources.
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Azizeh Saleh

Mis, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Hi everyone my name is Azizeh and I am a Master degree student at the university of Cincinnati french/Francophone studies. 
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Olga Sanz Casasnovas

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Olga Sanz holds a degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Zaragoza (2019). In 2021, she finished a Spanish MA at the University of Cincinnati. She is currently in her second year of a Spanish Ph.D., working as a TA for this same department and as the editorial assistant of Cincinnati Romance Review. 

 
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Camila Paz Valdebenito Parra

Graduate Assistant, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures

Originally from the South of Chile, Camila is a Ph.D. candidate in the Spanish Literature program at the University of Cincinnati. She earned a Master of Arts with a concentration in Spanish Literature from Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana). In Chile, she graduated with honors from the Universidad del Desarrollo (Santiago, Chile) with a B.A. in Language and Literature, then continued her studies at Universidad del Desarrollo by earning a second B.A. in Education, with an emphasis in Language and Communication for Secondary Education. This education degree culminated in a thesis exploring the benefits of teaching poetry to high school students.

Undergraduate Student Workers

Headshot of Connor Christopher Ploetz

Connor Christopher Ploetz

Work Study Student, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures