Teaching Philosophy
As a teacher of linguistics, I encourage students to approach language not only as a structured system, but also as a reflection of social life, history, and power. My courses invite students to explore the social meanings encoded in grammar, pronunciation, and discourse—from transitivity in colonial texts to code-switching in contemporary bilingual communities. I emphasize both analytical rigor and empathetic inquiry, helping students develop a critical lens on how language operates in the world and within themselves.
I ground my teaching in variationist and sociolinguistic methods while encouraging creative, interdisciplinary thinking. Whether in graduate seminars on Spanish in contact or undergraduate courses on language and identity, I challenge students to think expansively about linguistic data and to engage directly with real-world language use. I also design assignments that integrate art, narrative, and reflection to help students connect scholarly insight with lived experience.
In the Honors Program’s (Un)common Reads series, I’ve taught two 1-credit seminars designed to cultivate deep reading, creative response, and interdisciplinary conversation. In Exploring Purpose and Identity in Becky Chambers’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, students explored themes of rest, purpose, and consciousness through speculative fiction, paired with critical texts on transhumanism and post-work futures. In Community, Justice, and Marginality in James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, students examined historical and contemporary questions of community, religion, disability, and solidarity, using literary and visual tools to trace intersecting forms of marginalization and resistance. Both courses emphasized discussion, curiosity, and reflection as core elements of learning.
Above all, I aim to make the classroom a space where language and narrative become a lens for insight, connection, and transformation—where students are invited not just to analyze the world, but to imagine it differently.
Art Integration
I integrate artistic methods into my linguistics curriculum to deepen student engagement and foster multimodal understanding of complex social issues. Through creative assignments—such as collages, wearable art, weavings, and visual responses to language contact—students explore linguistic phenomena not only analytically, but also expressively. This approach supports inclusive learning, invites diverse ways of knowing, and encourages students to connect abstract concepts to lived experience.
Virtual Exchange
As part of my commitment to global learning, I incorporate virtual exchange into some of my courses to foster cross-cultural dialogue and linguistic awareness. In partnership with the University of Florida’s Office of Global Learning and colleagues abroad, I’ve designed collaborative activities that connect UF students with peers in Spanish-speaking communities abroad. These exchanges—both synchronous and asynchronous—encourage students to reflect on bilingual identity, cultural perspective, and language contact in real-world contexts, enriching their academic experience through meaningful international engagement.
Current Semester
- On sabbatical
Courses Taught
- Grammaticalization
- Spanish in Contact
- Sociolinguistics of the Spanish-speaking World
- Sociolinguistic Research Methods
- Spanish in the US
- Language Variation and Change in Spanish
- Language Policy and Politics in the Spanish-speaking World
- The Formation of Spanish: Usage-Based Models
- (Un)common Read: Community, Justice, and Marginality in James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
- (Un)common Read: Exploring Purpose and Identity in Becky Chambers’s A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy