This panel will share pedagogical practices focused on amplifying the voices and experiences of underrepresented groups in classrooms and how their efforts might have enriched educational offerings, empowering students to critically engage with issues of identity, gender, representation, and cultural diversity. Presentations are sought to share insights, strategies, and best practices for integrating art and collaborations into various academic disciplines, including language teaching, literature, film and gender studies, cultural studies, and beyond.

Paper proposals:

Escrevivências e [R]existências: The Development of a Translation Creative Project in the Language and Literature Classroom

Musical connections in Spanish: the use of music as a tool for learning the language.

In this presentation I will examine the use of music from the Spanish-speaking world as a pedagogical tool in basic and intermediate Spanish language courses. I will highlight how music helps create significant connections with the history, culture and society of Spanish-speaking countries, contributing to a more organic learning of language-related content. This analysis is based on my experience as a Spanish teacher at a college level and my expertise in musico-literary studies focused on the novels of the Dominican writer Marcio Veloz Maggiolo. The richness that lies in the diverse uses that can be given to music in literary texts and the capacity that this resource has to enrich the cultural understanding of Spanish students is the fundamental axis of this work. This study addresses how integrating music into Spanish teaching can enhance the learning experience by providing authentic and motivating contexts, as well as innovative pedagogical strategies inspired by the intersection between literature, music and languages.

Cultivating Engagement: Innovative Approaches in Undergraduate Latin American Women Writers and Filmmakers Class

Dr. Angela Rodriguez Mooney, Assistant Professor at Texas Woman's University

In my presentation, I will discuss the strategies employed in an undergraduate Latin American Women Writers and Filmmakers course aimed at enhancing engagement and fostering a sense of belonging among students at a Hispanic Serving Institution. I will explore various approaches, including the collaborative establishment of ground rules on the first day of class, integrating creative writing with text analysis, undertaking a podcast project, and engaging with what we called "guerrilla writing" on campus. Finally, I will reflect on the challenges encountered in implementing these strategies and offer suggestions for potential improvements.

Graduate Survey Course that Surveys Literatures and Publishing Venues

Author: Dr. William Benner, Associate Professor at Texas Woman's University

This talk will share a change in approach to a graduate survey course that focuses on producing an article instead of a final paper. By staggering the research and writing process of article writing, the class becomes student-centered, collaborative, it empowers students to seek out publications early in their graduate studies, and demystifies academic writing.

These panel proposals exemplify a broad spectrum of perspectives within language, literature, and education. While not exclusively from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), several authors represent such institutions, contributing diverse insights. From initiatives promoting diversity in Brazilian literature translation of Black Women Writers to integrating music into Spanish language instruction, enhancing engagement in Latin American women writers and filmmakers courses, and desmestofying academic publishing among students at HSIs, these projects significantly enrich educational practices while advancing social justice objectives.