LFS | Faculty & Staff Directory

Instructor

Jorge Ata, was born in La Paz, Bolivia and raised in Puno, Peru. He developed his interest in Cross-cultural Studies, Latin American Studies, and International Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. After graduating from George Maso... [More]

Instructor

Professor Lilian Baeza-Mendoza is a native of Chile, but she has spent most of her life in the US. She holds a BA from George Mason University and a MS from Georgetown University. During her years as an educator, she has focused on Golden Age Theater... [More]

Professor

As a linguist, Baron in interested in computer-mediated communication, writing and technology, language in social context, language acquisition, and the history of English. A former Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, and president of the Semiotic S... [More]

Instructor

Professor Berg has served as a faculty advisor for the Arabic Club and faculty supervisor for visiting Fulbright student teaching assistants for the past two years. His teaching and research interests include empirical research in applied linguistics... [More]

Instructor

Mr. Cavaceppi teaches various levels of Italian at American University, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced conversation and composition courses. As the primary instructor at AU, he promotes Italian studies by fostering interest in its cul... [More]

University Professor

Dr Child was born of American parents in Buenos Aires, and lived in South America for 18 years. Following graduation from Yale he entered the U.S. Army, and served for 20 years as a Latin American Specialist until his retirement as a lieutenant colon... [More]

Instructor

Professor Daouk’s teaching interests include developing methods for American students to learn Arabic as a familiar, internal language to express themselves. His research involves a comparative study of melodrama and humor in American and Lebanese cu... [More]

Assistant Professor

Edward Dawley received his BS in French from Georgetown University, his master's in French from Howard University, and certificates of proficiency in interpretation and translation from French and Spanish into English from Georgetown University.

Lecturer and LRC Staff Assistant

Associate Professor

Professor Harris holds a Ph.D. in French Literature and Government from Georgetown University. This dual focus informs her research and the courses she has created. These include French Politics, Contemporary French Society, Algerian Colonization and... [More]

Instructor

Professor Hazimeh Glueck was an OPI Trainer and Text Typology Trainer for DLI faculty in Monterey and Maryland. She co-authored the OPI Handbook at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA from 1983-2005, and The Non OPI training Manual at DLI.... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Consuelo Hernandez teaches courses on XXe Latin American Literature, Poetry, Central America, Colombia and Afro-Latin America. She has around 50 publications in prestigious journals. Professor Hernandez has published works such as Alvaro Mu... [More]

Instructor

Professor Maria Esther Ibantildeez-Holtermann teaches language and topic courses in Spanish at American University. She is fluent in German and Spanish and graduated from Reutlingen Business School (Germany) in international business. She was awarded... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Israeli received her PhD in Slavic Linguistics from Yale University. Prior to coming to the United States she received a BA equivalent in Russian Language and Literature from Leningrad State University. A specialist in both Russian linguist... [More]

Assistant Professor

A native of Albuquerque NM who, over the last nine years or so, has been engaged with Spain, its language and culture, ever since he embarked upon the formal study of the language of his ancestors, the Spanish, in the University of New Mexico. After ... [More]

Instructor

Elizabeth Lang has taught at AU since 1991 and now coordinates the intermediate French program in LFS. Her primary interest is in political, economic, social and cultural issues in Francophone Africa, and international development. She does extensive... [More]

Lecturer

Associate Professor

Professor Oliver's teaching and research on Latin America explore philosophical topics such as marginality, feminism, nepantlismo, and transfronterismo. She works on the Hispanic essay of ideas and Latin American narrative. She has lived in Mexico, A... [More]

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies

Dr. Phyllis Peres joined American University on July 1, 2009 as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.  In this new position, Peres oversees the General Education program and its emerging relationship with first year living-learning communities... [More]

Instructor

Professor Piniero was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Mexico. She teaches Spanish Language courses: Elementary I and II, Intermediate I and II and, Conversation and Composition I and II, and has for almost 8 years at AU. She has served as Coordina... [More]

Foreign Language Pedagogy Project Leader

Professor Riley joined LFS in July 1997 as Coordinator of Foreign Language Pedagogy. She received her PhD in French from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with special certification in second language acquisition and teacher education. R... [More]

Associate Professor

A native speaker of French, Professor Rodamar's research interests include 16th- and 17th-century French literature, the history of ideas, international studies, and language teaching and methodology. Her publications include articles on Montaigne, i... [More]

Associate Professor

Professor Rojer obtained her PhD in German Studies from the University of Maryland in 1985. Her early research focuses on the marginalized literature of the German speaking exile in Latin America. She is the author of Exile in Argentina: 1933-19... [More]

Assistant Professor

Department Chair, Language and Foreign Studies

Author of The New Man in Cuba: Culture and Identity in the Revolution (2007), Ana Serra received her MA degrees at Northwestern University (English, and Latin American Studies) and her PhD in the Human Sciences Program at The George Washington Univer... [More]

Assistant Professor

Professor Sheen received her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Nottingham (UK). She holds an MA and EdM in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University. Professor Sheen teaches Second Language Acquisition, English La... [More]

Senior Administrative Assistant

Instructor

Professor Kristi Velleman holds a BA from the University of Virginia and a MA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University.She began instructing Spanish at American during her graduate studies in 2003 and teaches Elementary and Inte... [More]

Administrative Assistant

Isadora Vigier de Latour, originally from the Mauritius Islands earned her BA in International Studies with a concentration in Latin American Studies from Washington College, MD in 2006. During her undergraduate degree she studied abroad in Madrid an... [More]

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Professor von Worde was born in Berlin, Germany. She earned her PhD in Education from George Mason University after completing a Doctoral Internship at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. Her early research focused on Foreign Language Anxiety... [More]

Assistant Professor

Professor Werth specializes in contemporary Latin American Theater and Southern Cone Studies. Her areas of interest include Argentine theater and film, memory studies, performance and reception theory. She has published articles on theater’s role in ... [More]

Lecturer

Assistant Professor

Noriko Kurosawa Williams, born and educated in Japan, has been engaged studying and teaching the Japanese language since she came to the U.S. three decades ago.  Most recently her interest in using visual-image for learning Japan... [More]

Associate Professor Emerita