Courses
I've been fortunate to offer a wide array of courses at Ithaca College, from beginning and intermediate Spanish language classes to more advanced classes in Latin American Civilization and Culture and seminars such as Latin Lovers, Magical Realism and the Fantastic, and Human Rights in Latin America. I also teach courses in Latinx literature and Jewish Studies. I enjoy working with my students in non-traditional settings and have had very memorable and gratifying experiences with experiential and service learning courses such as Experiencing Teatro and Teaching Spanish in the Elementary Schools.
On December 10th, 2013, my Spanish class entitled "Teatro: From the Page to the Stage" performed a bilingual adaptation of "A propósito de la duda / From the Page to the Stage" at the United Nations in honor of International Human Rights Day. The unanticipated invitation to perform at the United Nations set in motion a process of collaboration among my students that I will forever remember. It is truly a testament of the creative and intellectual potential of Ithaca College students. Please read the review here (the photo features Spanish majors Kai Schidlovsky ('14) and Rachel Benjamin ('17) http://enaun.mrecic.gov.ar/en/node/13645
Encouraged by Cornell's Teatrotaller, we began developing a Hispanic theater presence on the Ithaca College campus in 2006. After our debut with Aída Bortnik's Papá querido, IC students began proposing plays that they wanted to direct in Spanish. Successful shows of Tres sombreros de copa and Información para extranjeros made it evident that Teatro has a home on the IC campus. With the creation of a new course, "Experiencing Teatro," we have been performing at least one show per semester over the past several years. Our repertoire has expanded to include Latinx plays as well as Spanish language plays from Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean.
During the spring 2012 semester we began a new service learning experience to bring Spanish language to elementary schools in the Ithaca area. The service learning course gives IC students a chance to merge their passion for Spanish and their various talents as they interact with young children and have an unforgettable hands-on teaching experience.