Spanish
Faculty Bios & Courses
“Cornell students often describe their block-long course of study in
Guatemala as the high point of their college experience. It provides
a full-immersion experience, and it gives our students a deeper
understanding of themselves, their culture, their humanity, and the
importance of exploring the meaning of life from multiple perspectives.”
Carol Lacy-Salazar, Professor Emeritus of Spanish
T
600 FIRST STREET SW | MOUNT VERNON, IOWA 52314 | CORNELLCOLLEGE.EDU
he Cornell Spanish program
offers variety and flexibility
and includes courses in
Spanish language (grammar,
composition, and conversation),
as well as Peninsular (Spain) and
Latin American literature, culture,
and civilization. The department
offers literature classes at both the
introductory and advanced levels in
prose, poetry, and theatre.
Our program strongly emphasizes
studying abroad to gain better
understanding of the Hispanic culture
and language. When the immersion
takes place during an off-campus
experience, the benefits are phenomenal:
students interact 24/7 in the target
language, can observe the culture
all around them, and can actually
participate in it. Because of Cornell’s
association with the Associated Colleges
of the Midwest and the School for
International Training, our students can
participate in semester-long programs
in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador,
Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Cornell also sponsors its own blocklong, off-campus courses, which allow
students to study language or culture
in Spanish-speaking countries. Groups
regularly go to Spain, and in recent years
have also gone to Guatemala, Argentina,
and Bolivia.
BENEFITS OF ONE COURSE AT A TIME
Studying Spanish at Cornell is a
distinctive experience, thanks in part to
the One Course At A Time calendar. We
enjoy extended class time that allows
us to integrate film, technology, student
skits, and other educational experiences
into daily classroom learning. Students’
exposure to the language takes place
for four hours a day, making it possible
for them to develop language skills
quickly. Many students begin to dream
in Spanish after a week or two of
instruction, which is a good indication
that the instruction is effective.
One Course At A Time also affords
greater opportunity for study abroad
options because students can travel for a
block or longer without impacting other
coursework. And because professors
only teach one class at a time, Cornell
professors also have the flexibility
to teach abroad for a block, meaning
that the Cornell Spanish department
is able to offer frequent programs to
Spain, South America, and Guatemala.
Students can also study independently
for credit at language schools in places
like Guatemala for a month or more, and
may pursue semester-long programs or
other options.
CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
A wide variety of subjects are covered
in seminar/topics courses and through
independent studies, allowing students
to conduct in-depth studies of topics and
writers of particular interest. Recent
topics courses include Women in the
Nineteenth-Century Peninsular Novel,
Novels by Galdos, Latin American
Poets, The Latin American Novel of
Social Protest, Latin American Women
Writers, Gabriel Garcia Marquez in
Film and Fiction, Magical Realism, and
Latinos in the United States.
Spanish majors are required to take
eight upper-division courses in Spanish;
however, two of these may be taken in
cont. >
Marcela
Ochoa-Shivapour
Associate Professor of
Sociology
Teaches a range of language
and conversation courses
including Spanish Peninsular
Culture and Civilization (in
Spain), and courses such
as Latinos in the United
States, Latin American
Culture and Civilization, and
an intermediate language
class focused on immigration
issues. Her academic interests
include immigration issues,
film studies, Latino literature,
and the Easter Island culture.
Ph. D. and M.A., University
of Iowa.
Michael Mosier
Assistant Professor of
Spanish
Teaches a range of language
and conversation courses
on campus and in Argentina.
He teaches Latin American
Short Story and Novel,
Latin American Poetry,
Modern Latin American
Theatre, and Introduction
to Latin American Studies.
His academic interests
include the detective genre
in literature, 20th century
Latin American narrative,
theories of hegemony, and
cultural studies. M.A. and
a Ph.D., Indiana University,
Bloomington; B.A., University
of Wisconsin.
Alyssa Selmer
Visiting Assistant Professor
of Spanish
Specializes in Golden
Age Spain with a focus
on subaltern voices. In
addition, she is interested
in contemporary issues
(immigration, race relations,
languages, etc.) related to
Spain in its European context.
Ph.D., M.A., University of
Minnesota; B.A. in English and
Spanish, Lawrence University.
cornellcollege.edu
/academics
a related discipline that has a direct connection with Hispanic
culture (Latin American history, anthropology of native
Mesoamerican and South American indigenous peoples, Latin
American politics, Mexican art, the economy of developing
nations, and so forth).
Cornell College offers students the opportunity to be a part of
the national Spanish honor society for higher education in the
United States, Sigma Delta Pi. The Cornell chapter, Tau Omicron,
founded in 1994, is by invitation only to students, both majors
and nonmajors, who have demonstrated superior ability in
advanced-level Spanish courses and who meet the national
requirements. A guiding principle for the group is embodied in
the society’s motto: “El amor por todo lo noble y bello que haya salido
de la venerable España.”
FACILITIES
Students studying Spanish have access to a language lab that
provides additional speaking and listening practice in Spanish.
It is primarily designed for oral language practice, but you will
also find reading- and writing-based assignments.
INTERNSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS
Students have participated in one- to two-month long
internships in Mexico, Perú, Bolivia, and Guatemala. These
have been primarily in the service sector: volunteering in an
orphanage, tutoring students in after school programs, or
working with health care providers
AFTER CORNELL
Majoring in Spanish opens doors in a diverse set of career
opportunities including:
n Teaching
n Translating and interpreting
n Social Services
n Tourism
n Department of State
n Federal Bureau of Investigation
n Immigration and Naturalization Service
n United Nations
n NGOs
n Business and Industry
n International law
n Health services
n Peace Corps
n Foreign Service
n Anthropology
n Bilingual education
M.D., University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City
(Class of 2012)
M.S., education, higher education and student affairs, Indiana
University-Bloomington (Class of 2012)
Ph.D., counseling psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City
(Class of 2010)
Ph.D., molecular and cellular biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City
(Class of 2009)
M.D., Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri (Class of 2009)
M.D., University of Kansas, Kansas City (Class of 2007)
M. Div., religion, ministry, theology, Yale Divinity School, New
Haven, Connecticut (Class of 2005)
M.A., student development in higher education, University of Iowa,
Iowa City (Class of 2000)
ALUMNI CAREERS
Individual investor specialist, Principal Financial Group, Grand
Island, Nebraska (Class of 2014)
Manager development program-service, GEICO, Dallas, Texas
(Class of 2014)
Leadership development program associate, Principal Financial
Group, Des Moines, Iowa (Class of 2012)
Career outreach coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point (Class of 2012)
Coordinator of development and marketing, YouthCARE,
Minneapolis (Class of 2012)
Leadership development program associate, Principal Financial
Group, Des Moines, Iowa (Class of 2012)
Yoga instructor, Buena Onda Yoga, Buenos Aires, Argentina
(Class of 2011)
High school teacher, Lisbon Community School District, Lisbon,
Iowa (Class of 2011)
English tutor, Rome, Italy (Class of 2010)
Professional hosting consultant, Go Daddy, LLC, Hiawatha, Iowa
(Class of 2009)
Fourth grade teacher, Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy,
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Class of 2009)
Police officer, Village of River Forest, Illinois (Class of 2008)
Adjunct math faculty, Chemeketa Community College, Salem,
Oregon (Class of 2007)
GRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED
Assistant director of higher education, Northwestern University,
Chicago (Class of 2006)
M.A., international relations and national security studies, Tel Aviv
University, Tel Aviv, Israel (Class of 2014)
High school Spanish teacher, Colorado Springs School District,
Colorado Springs (Class of 2006)
O.D., University of Houston College of Optometry, Houston, Texas
(Class of 2013)
Program associate for Latin America, West Sacramento,
California (Class of 2006)
Podiatry student, Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical
Center, Des Moines, Iowa (Class of 2013)
Vicar, St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(Class of 2005)
2015-2016