Hispanic Studies Program Update

This year, many of our students took advantage of our study abroad opportunities. In summer 2022, eight students completed SPAN 495S: Understanding Culture Through Service in a Hispanic Country in Costa Rica. Students in the nursing program were able to get work experience at four different clinics or hospitals. Fourteen students participated in the UD program in Alicante, Spain, and 21 in the second-year Spanish program in Seville, Spain. This was the first time that this program took place in Seville and the report was very positive. 

Six new members were inducted at the Sigma Delta Pi (National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society) annual induction ceremony under the direction of Bernie Issa. The Spanish Club has a new faculty advisor, Maddie Harvin. As in previous years, the Altar Contest for the Day of the Dead was a big success. Other important Hispanic cultural events were a film festival and the Hora Hola Festival.

The Hispanic Studies program led a study abroad program to Sevilla, Spain, for the first time in summer 2022. Students stayed with host families and during the trip explored the region of Andalucia, Spain. The group visited Granada, where they toured the Alhambra and visited Córdoba where they toured the Mezquita de Córdoba. Other fun activities included kayaking down the Guadalquivir river, attending a flamenco show and taking a day trip to Cádiz, a beautiful coastal town.

The third edition of the Hispanic Film Festival took place in October and November 2022 at the Lindsay Young Auditorium (Hodges Library). We screened 5 independent award-winning films in Spanish and other indigenous languages of the Hispanic world. The films were introduced by UT professors and the event reached the outer community of Knoxville. We hope to organize the next edition of the festival next Fall 2023.

Student Spotlight

Cecily Bernard, a graduate student in the Spanish program, attended the Harvard Institute of World Literature’s (IWL) Summer Session, Mainz, Germany, July 4-28, 2022, where she presented “Latin American Global Literary Production: Extending Geographical and Conceptual Borders in World Literature and Globalization on July 26, 2022” at one of the colloquia. She received a full scholarship award from the IWL, the department, and the UT Graduate Senate to attend the session and make the presentation. 

Bernard was appointed to serve as assistant editor of the departmental journal, Vernacular. She received a grant for doctoral research (teaching release) for spring 2023. She presented paper at the Seventh Annual Languages and Literatures Conference on Conflict: Global Perspectives, Louisiana State University (LSU), March 9-11, 2023, titled “Interculturality, Creolization, and Globalization in Ángeles nómadas by Minelys Sánchez,” which was subsequently submitted to the LSU journal for publication.

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