$170K NEH award to immerse teachers in Mexican culture, literature
L. Iliana Holbrook
- August 17, 2010
L. Iliana Holbrook, professor of Modern Languages and Literatures at 91短视频, has been awarded a $170,000 National Endowment for the Humanities 2011 Summer Stipend for her project, "Dialogues in the Americas: Mexican Literature and Culture in Context."
The award will fund a month-long summer institute in Mexico City that will immerse 25 middle and high school Spanish language teachers into Mexican life through interaction with experts in literature, history, anthropology and culture.
Holbrook, who lectures extensively on Mexico and Latin America, said: "We seek to promote quality education and intercultural ties and programs designed to build educational bridges between nations like Mexico and the United States and their respective communities.
"Participants will grow professionally, broaden their understanding of diverse world culture, and prepare for today's global society," Holbrook said.
She believes that studying Mexican literary texts in Mexico will enhance the learning experience for both the teachers, and their future students, while fostering respect among countries and people.
Kathleen Rountree; interim dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences; praised the award.
Receipt of this award is extremely exciting and speaks highly of the expertise of our faculty," Rountree said. "The summer institute program of NEH has been extremely valuable in energizing humanities education by middle and high school teachers, and I am confident that the teachers in attendance will benefit greatly from the instruction they will receive in this exciting topic,” said Rountree.
Teachers from throughout the United States will be eligible for the program. The selection will emphasize a strong interest in Mexican literature and culture, a commitment to excellence in teaching, a scholarly curiosity, and a commitment to contribute required projects to a nationwide audience.
Holbrook holds a Ph.D. in contemporary Latin-American literature, with an emphasis on Mexico, from the University of California, Davis. She teaches Latin American Literature and Culture at CSUEB, and is interested in all topics linked to Latin-America, including language, literature, culture, anthropology, politics, history, and the arts.
Information on the institute and an application will be available in October. In the meantime, Holbrook may be contacted at or .