“Student Autonomy and Collaboration: Successfully Desegregating the Writing Classroom.”Conference on College Communication and Composition, San Francisco, 2009.

Discussion Leader at the “Encountering Propaganda in Teaching, Scholarship and Activism Workshop.” Conference on College Communication and Composition, San Francisco, 2009.

PRESENTATIONS

Member of panel discussion about Suzan-Lori Parks’ play, Venus. Cleveland State University, 2005.

Diversity Panel, chair. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2003.

Interview with author Bhanu Kapil. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2003.

Diversity Panel, member. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2002.

AWARDS AND HONORS

Quintilian Award (for instructors in the top ten percent of student evaluations). Purdue University, 2009.

Purdue Doctoral Fellowship. Purdue University, 2008-2011.

Pushcart Prize Nominee, 2004.

Zora Neale Hurston Award. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2003.

Pearl H. Gamertsfelder Philosophy Prize. Ohio University, 1997.

Philosophy Book Award. Ohio University, 1996 and 1997.

Honors Tutorial College Scholarship. Ohio University, 1997-2000.

Dean’s Scholarship. Ohio University, 1997-1999.

READINGS

Sankofa Fine Arts Plus Fundraiser, featured reader. Cleveland, Ohio, 2004.

Espíritu Latino. Naropa University, 2004.

Spring Student Reading. Naropa University, 2004.

Scholarship Winners Reading. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2003.

Spring Student Reading. Naropa University, 2003.

Student Reading. Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2002

Flying Solo: A Reading of New Monologue Plays. Ohio University, 1995.

TEACHING

Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Department of English

English 286: The Movies
Fall 2009

This course introduces students to the art of film analysis. We watch scenes in class and have detailed discussions about their structure and visual power, making the students aware of how the basic concepts of film grammar, such as cinematography, mise-en-scène and editing, contribute to the impact of the cinematic experience. Students are also exposed to scholarship about the history and elements of film, as well as analyses of each of the works we watch as a class.

English 106: First-Year Composition
Fall 2008, Spring 2009

This course introduced students to key rhetorical concepts like ethos, pathos, logos and audience awareness. Students also became familiar with visual rhetoric and the basics of filmic storytelling, such as screenwriting and storyboarding. I aimed to broaden their understanding of writing by having them produce academic papers, video ad parodies and websites as their class assignments.

http://english106spring2010.wordpress.com/
http://www.digitalparlor.org/sp09/hidalgo1/

The University of Akron
Akron, Ohio
Department of English

English Composition 112: Honors
Spring 2008

Designed for students with advanced English skills, this course sought to teach writing by having students exercise critical thinking around one topic, in this case, love. We read Plato, Truman Capote and Toni Morrison and watched a film by Stanley Donen. By researching, discussing and questioning the varied definitions and portrayals of love provided by our class texts, students engaged with writing from an analytical perspective.

English Composition 112
Fall 2007, Spring 2008

The main focus of this course was to help students strengthen their skills in research and argumentation. We discussed classic and contemporary argumentative texts in terms of their usage of ethos, pathos and logos. Students were encouraged to explore the balance between supporting their side of the argument and fairly presenting the opposition. All assignments required both print and internet research and together we examined the benefits and drawbacks of both types of sources.

English Composition 111
Fall 2007, Spring 2008

Seeking to introduce students to college writing, this course emphasized audience awareness and encouraged them to find their own voice. By requiring group work both in and outside the classroom as well as peer editing, I tried to stimulate students to discover the academic discourse together and engage in critical thinking without the authority of a teacher before them.

Naropa University
Boulder, Colorado
Summer Writing Program

B.A. Discussion Leader
Summer 2003

Undergraduate students engaged in theoretical discussions about the craft of writing and the new concepts and ideas they encountered during their workshops at the Summer Writing Program. We did generative writing exercises for both fiction and poetry and students critiqued the results in a supportive and constructive environment.

Family Learning Center
Boulder, Colorado

Project Outreach
Spring 2003

I taught low-income, high-school female students of Latin American, Southeast Asian and African origin the basics of writing and editing their own and each other’s work. In order to interest my initially skeptical students in writing, I encouraged them to write about topics that directly affected them, such as gender issues and immigration. By the end of the course, the students were eager to share their writing and we compiled an anthology they took home to share with their families.

Athens High Schoolr
Athens, Ohio

After-School Creative Writing Workshop
Fall 1999, Spring 2000

Students interested in fiction, poetry and playwriting came together for weekly meetings modeled after college-level writing workshops. Students flourished in an atmosphere that took their writing and maturity levels seriously.

Alexander Middle School
Athens, Ohio

Creative Writing Tag Tutoring
Spring 1999

This course introduced seventh and eighth graders to the basics of short story writing, from character development and point of view to plot and voice. Class time was divided between discussions about craft and workshops of the students’ writing. Each meeting, one student read his or her work out loud for the class to critique. The main aim of the course was to make writing exciting and gratifying, and most students were enthusiastic about their work and its reception.

Jean Moulin and Lyautay Elementary Schools
La Roche-sur-Yon and Le Mans, France

English as a Second Language
Fall 2005 to Spring 2007

I taught English to seven to eleven year-olds in low-income French public schools. By teaching grammar and vocabulary primarily through songs and plays, my approach helped students relate to English as a game, which turned them into eager learners. We performed a Christmas concert and an end-of-the-year play and concert in English and French, helping to validate for both students and parents the work we had done during the year.

Indian Trails and Highland Elementary Schools
Stow, Ohio

Spanish as a Second Language
Fall 2004 to Spring 2005

Designed for five to eight year-old children, this course introduced students to Spanish vocabulary and basic grammar by using games, songs and physical activities. Parents were welcome to participate in the class and bond with their children through language learning. The class ended with a Spanish concert for the students’ families.

SERVICE, COMMITTEE AND PROFESSIONAL WORK

Stage 1 Conference Proposal Reviewer, Conference on College Communication and Composition, 2011.

Founding Editor and Multimedia Editor, Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society, http://www.presenttensejournal.org.

Cofounder and Managing Editor, agnès films: a site of female filmmakers, http://agnesfilms.com.

Film and Video Production Area Chair, Midwest Popular Culture and Midwest American Culture Association Conference, Minneapolis, 2010.

New Media and Scholarship Editor, Capirotada: The NCTE Latina/o Caucus Website and Newsletter, http://www.nctelatinocaucus.org. March 2009 – present.

Conference Proposal Reviewer, Computers and Writing Conference, West Lafayette, 2010.

Fundraising and Local Arrangements Committees, Computers and Writing Conference, West Lafayette, 2010.

Graduate Research Network Purdue Liason, Computers and Writing Conference, West Lafayette, 2010.

Latino Caucus Newsletter and Website Editor, 2009-present. http://www.nctelatinocaucus.org/

On-Site Host and Speaker, New Member and Constituency Liaison, Computers and Writing Conference, Purdue University, 2010.

English/French/Spanish Translator, En route vers le monde International Film Festival, La Roche-sur-Yon, France, 2006.

English/Spanish Translator for artist Spencer Tunick, Museum of Contemporary Art, Caracas, Venezuela, 2006.

Foreign Language Reading Organizer, Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2004.

Prose and Poetry Chats Monitor, Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2004.

Student Readings Host and Organizer, Summer Writing Program, Naropa University, 2003.

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

Rhetoric and Composition

Issues in Composition Studies: Postmodern English 622, Thomas Rickert, Spring 2010

Issues in Composition Studies: Classical
English 622, Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Fall 2009

Introduction to Composition Theory
English 591, Shirley Rose, Fall 2008

Issues in Composition Studies: Modern
English 624, Patricia Sullivan, Fall 2008

The Rhetoric of Film and Filmmaking

Digital Video Production Foreign Languages and Literature 590, Patricia Hart, Spring 2010

Film Theory and Criticism
English 590, William J. Palmer, Spring 2010

Documentary Film and Photography
English 668, Lance Duerfahrd, Fall 2009

Public Rhetorics

Archives & Digital Humanities
English 680, Patricia Sullivan and Jennifer Bay, Spring 2010

New Media: Beyond (Re)Mediation
English 680N, Jennifer Bay, Fall 2009

Minority Rhetorics
English 680, Samantha Blackmon, Spring 2009

Practica and Research Methods

Film Practicum
English 502, Lance Duerfahrd, Fall 2009

Seminar on Empirical Research on Writing
English 625, Patricia Sullivan, Spring 2009

First-Year Composition Practicum
English 505A and 505B, Shirley Rose, Fall 2008, Spring 2009

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association

National Association of Latino Independent Producers

National Council of Teachers of English

Rhetoric Society of America

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Study Abroad in Moscow

Bonn University, Germany, 1998
Four-week study of the origins and future of the European Union and its impact on Europe’s economic, social and political welfare.

Transatlantic Summer Academy

Moscow State University, Russia, 2000
Intensive study of Russian language, literature, art, history and culture.

Study Abroad in Tours

Institut de Touraine, France, 1998
Intensive study of French language, literature, art, history and culture.

Secretary of the Media Team Coordinator of the United Nations

First Conference for Ministers Responsible for Youth, Lisbon, Portugal, 1998
I supervised 12 secretaries working for the United Nations Media Team. I organized media conferences and developed written material summarizing the issues discussed.

Assistant Coordinator of Cultural Events

Panamanian Pavilion Expo ’98, Lisbon, Portugal, 1998
I organized a visit of a Panamanian children’s theater group for three performances at the Expo ’98. I also planned and directed a visit by a Portuguese orphanage sponsored by the pavilion. I helped greet and entertain guests of honor.

LANGUAGES

Fluency: Spanish, French

Reading Proficiency: Russian, Portuguese, Italian