Kaplan Named Distinguished Professor in Humanities
Kaplan Named Distinguished Professor in Humanities
Gregory Kaplan, professor in the UT Department of World Languages and Cultures, has been named a Distinguished Professor in Humanities. Kaplan joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1995, and focuses his work on medieval Spanish philology, particularly the writings of Spanish conversos, forced converts from Judaism to Catholicism.
An experienced writer on the historical evolution of the Spanish language and literature, Kaplan has written numerous books, most recently Jewish Refugees in Amsterdam: “Questions by a Christian Cleric from Rouen, France, and Answers by the Excellent, Eminent, and Wise Saul Levi Mortera,” published in 2026. Kaplan has also authored many published articles in a variety of scholarly journals, such as Hispanic Review, Bulletin of Spanish Studies, and Hispanófila, which have focused on topics ranging from the middle ages through the 20th century. Kaplan’s most recent articles document the success of an avatar chatbot in helping students improve their oral skills in Spanish. The creation of this avatar chatbot by a collaborative team at UT led by Kaplan, and its implementation in upper-division courses at UT, is described in “Redefining the Role of Avatar Chatbots in Second Language Acquisition” and “The ‘Princess Leia’ Effect: Maximizing L2 Student Responses to Avatar Chatbots.”
Kaplan earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. He has accumulated numerous achievements in his time at UT so far, such as the Jefferson Prize, a Lindsay Young Professorship, the UT College of Arts and Sciences Advising Award, and more. He has also received a Tennessee Humanities Center Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship.
Distinguished Professors in Humanities at UT are faculty recognized for their exceptional contributions to teaching, research, and academia who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and a significant impact on their field of study. This achievement reflects Kaplan’s success, dedication, and commitment to his area of study.
by Sloan Docekal
