Dr. Esther Alarcon-Arana
Associate Professor, Modern Languages
Contact Information:
Education:
Areas of Expertise:
I am focused on contemporary Spanish cultural studies with special interest in Spanish feminism and an anti-racist perspective.
Personal Statement:
Teaching has been my passion since I was a middle school student. Having great role models inspired me to be part of this profession and I hope to be a good example for my students both professionally and personally. Teaching Spanish language and culture allows me to not just provide students with the language skills that will better their chances in the global job market, it also gives me the opportunity to offer the tools for critical thinking that will allow them to become merciful and just citizens of the world. Through music, literature, television, cinema, etc., we explore the consequences for Hispanic societies (as well as comparing with our lives in the United States) of how people and issues are represented in our mainstream media. Some of the questions we attempt to answer are: What are the implications of not representing racialized people on television shows? What are the roles of women in cinema? Why do mainstream songs focus so much on romantic love? Who gets to make all the decisions that form the cultural canon we consume? Do we have choices? I see myself as continuously learning from my students, my colleagues, and the evolving society I live in.