~ Meet our staff! ~ USLS Professor – Dr. Lucia Suarez — Job Title: Associate Professor of Spanish and Latinx Studies and Director of the US Latino/a Studies Hometown: West New York, New Jersey Favorite food: Paella and sushi USLS course: USLS 211 (Intro to USLS), Latinx Memoirs, and Iowa Latinx Oral Histories. Why … Continue reading Meet The USLS Director
What work have you accomplished and/or done for the USLS program at Iowa State? With regards to teaching, I have taught USLS 211 (the program’s introductory course) numerous times over the past five years. I also teach a newer course that is cross-listed with Spanish. This course, USLS/SPAN 325, has a required community engagement element … Continue reading Dr. Megan Myers
(October 1958 – April 2021) It is with great sadness that the U.S. Latino/a Studies Program says goodbye to Dr. Hector Avalos. It is also with great pride that we celebrate his life and all he did for his students, his colleagues, and the different communities of which he was a valued member and leader. … Continue reading In Memoriam – Dr. Hector Avalos
Why do you believe that the USLS program is important on campus? USLS serves several important functions on campus. First, its presence legitimizes the idea that Latinx culture contributes to the national mosaic and is worthy of being studied and understood. Second, it provides a centralized and focused source of knowledge to Iowa State students, … Continue reading Dr. José Rosa
USLS is delighted to welcome its latest faculty affiliate, Dr. Rodríguez at the School of Education. I have had the pleasure to communicate with her via email. Here are some fascinating shared bits: Dr. Suárez (LMS, Lucía M. Suárez): How do you identify? Dr. Rodríguez (NNR, Noreen Naseem Rodríguez): To folks I don’t know well, … Continue reading Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez
In Spring of 2019, Dr. Eugenio Matibag Retired from The Department of World Languages and Literature. USLS sincerely thanks Dr. Matibag for his amazing contributions to the department and the program. He is an exemplary colleague, professor, scholar, and friend, leaving a legacy that will long be remembered amongst many in the US Latino/a Studies … Continue reading Dr. Eugenio Matibag
I never contemplated any sort of academic career in US Latino/a Studies until I was hired at Iowa State University in 1993. I was trained primarily as an anthropologist and biblical scholar. I received my anthropology degree at the University of Arizona in 1982. I earned a Master of Theological Studies in 1985 at Harvard … Continue reading Dr. Hector Avalos
I owe my interest in the Spanish language and Latino/a history and culture to a teacher who gave me and my fifth-grade classmates the option of taking an elective course over our lunch period. That early exposure generated a continuing passion, fueled by a high school Amigos de las Americas exchange program to Costa Rica and a … Continue reading Dr. Katherine Bruna
Photo Credit: Mark Looney I arrived at Iowa State University in 2009 as a new, joint employee in the Department of History and the U.S. Latino/a Studies Program. My primary areas of expertise are the history of Mexican American and African American peoples. I teach a variety of classes, including the USLS introductory course, classes on the … Continue reading Dr. Brian Behnken