After co-publishing an article, re-prepping three grammar-based seminars, creating a class on medieval/Golden Age Spanish literature, teaching an Honor’s seminar on Boccaccio’s Decameron, directing the tutors in our Spanish program, helping to redesign our major curriculum, and delivering not one, but two puppet shows, I’ve somehow managed to successfully complete my first semester as an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Hillsdale College. And I can’t complain. By and large, the students in my classes have been a joy to work with—they complete their assignments, ask meaningful questions, and aspire to learn about the world, yes, even the Spanish-speaking parts of it, with new appreciation.
For example, I require the students in my 100-level seminars to attend one of several cultural events hosted by the Spanish department each semester. While this may be an anomaly, in the 2021/2022 academic year, my department has managed to organize two film series (with four films each), two salsa dance nights, a Day of the Dead celebration, initiation for Sigma Delta Pi, and the aforementioned puppet shows. With so much to do, this has been an exhilarating year to be a Spanish student at Hillsdale College. Thankfully, my students have responded with enthusiasm to the cultural activities and asked me to add an additional assignment this spring to attend another actividad de enriquecimiento cultural. I mean… who does that?!
In the fall semester, I taught two sections of SPN 101 and one section of SPN 413 (Medieval/GA Spanish Literature). Although I have taught some version of 101 many times before, it is always challenging to use a new edition of a textbook and adapt to a new program. As for SPN 413, I taught some of the texts we used in the course in other classes (my Spanish literature survey, my Santos y bandidos seminar, and my class on the Spanish comedia), but never with a specific focus on the medieval period/Golden Age. In a lot of ways, it was refreshing for me to return to one of my original passions—the Spanish Golden Age—and share some of its most essential texts with the class.
During the spring semester, I taught four classes: two sections of SPN 102, one section of SPN 493 (“Golden Age Theater”) and an honor’s seminar on Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. I applied for the honor’s course on a whim and was pleasantly surprised that they offered it to me. Why teach the Decameron, a clearly medieval Italian text, as a Spanish professor? Another honor’s seminar I taught previously dealt with “Disease and Metaphor.” Since the launching point of the Decameron is the black plague, I really felt like I should have included it in our class readings. But the text, as you probably already know, is a behemoth (800+ pages!). The class ended up being dedicated exclusively to the Decameron and allowed us to take a very close reading of the motley collection of short stories (and characters) that occupy its pages. I was pleasantly surprised at how little of the book had to do with the actual plague (beyond a carefully detailed description in the introduction) and more with storytelling itself.
SPN 102 was a continuation of the material in SPN 101 and I found myself teaching many of the same students. My students must keep a weekly journal in the SPN 100 series. While their entries can be in English in 101, I require them to write exclusively in Spanish in 102. It is a joy for me to look over the progress the students have made as writers in and speakers of Spanish. I always encourage them at the end of the semester to look over their journal entries and realize how far they’ve come with the language.
SPN 493 is the Spanish department’s senior seminar and allows faculty to explore topics and authors that they are especially passionate about. Given my inclination towards theater, it made sense for me to redesign my class on the Spanish comedia. Here are all the plays we read:
El lindo don Diego
El caballero de Olmedo
La vida es sueño
Valor, agravio y mujer
El burlador de Sevilla
La traición en la amistad
El castigo sin venganza
We also consulted some entremeses based on Juan Rana, which helped us when we performed Dragoncillo’s shadow puppet adaptation of Johnny Frog. Here’s a backstage photo from the performance:
All-in-all, I feel like spring 2022 was a success. It was inspiring to work with so many dedicated students that genuinely care and strive to succeed. I’m looking forward to next year.
Something I should mention about Hillsdale: the faculty is appreciated here. This is a unique experience for me. The administration, the students, and the community all admire and are proud of the faculty. This positive attitude has generated a sense of well-being, contentment, and stability for me (something I really appreciate) and grants the professors the intellectual space we need to explore topics, themes, and stories that we feel are fundamentally important for a sound education in the liberal arts. I wouldn’t have dared to read the entire Decameron anywhere else—the text’s size alone is daunting, not to mention its controversial content. But Hillsdale College has faith in its faculty and trusts that we (a) know what should be taught and (b) are capable of conveying, explaining, and, yes, teaching these deep, important ideas to our students. As a professor, it means the world to know that my administration endorses and supports my academic projects and intellectual passions.
This summer will be a bit of an adventure for me. I, alongside Dr. Mack, will be traveling to Costa Rica with a small group of intrepid students to practice Spanish and enjoy the experience of being in Costa Rica—visit a volcano, zip line over the cloud forest, visit the beach, try new foods, see the flora and fauna. I’m excited and admittedly a little nervous since I’ve never been to Costa Rica before. Puerto Rico, sure, but not Costa Rica. I’m sure it will be a great experience.