CURRICULUM VITAE Miriam Hernández-Rodríguez mhernan@berkeley.edu RESEARCH INTERESTS EDUCATION Applied linguistics and second language acquisition Sociolinguistics Spanish for heritage language learners Discourse analysis Academic language development 2011 Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics with a designated emphasis in Second Language Acquisition. University of California, Davis. Dissertation: Análisis sistémico funcional del lenguaje académico en la disciplina literaria: Rol de la causalidad en la reseña de cine y el ensayo. (Systemic Functional Analysis of Academic Language in Literature: The Role of Causality in the Film Review and Essay.) Advisor: Prof. Cecilia Colombi. My research is based on the examination of compositions written by university students with the goal of identifying argumentative strategies used in academic writing in literature courses. This study also focuses on the implications of such strategies for the teaching and learning of writing at advanced language levels. 2001 M.A. in Hispanic Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago. Concentration: Applied Linguistics. 1992 B.A. in Dramatic Literature and Theater, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City. Thesis: José Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi s Approach to Dramatic Work. Advisor: Prof. Alejandro Ortiz. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Present UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Director of the First and Second-Year Spanish Language Program: Elementary Spanish, Intermediate Spanish and Spanish for Heritage Language Learners. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS 2011 Co-instructor with Cecilia Colombi. Spanish 117. Teaching Spanish as a Native Jan.-March Tongue in the US: Theory and Praxis, upper division course. Discuss the different theories of teaching Spanish as a Heritage Language (Language teaching through culture, academic language development, etc.). Assist students to make connections between the literature review of this research field and teaching in the community. Evaluate students journals reflecting their volunteer teaching work in the community.
Assist students prepare oral professional presentations based on the course texts (mainly the practical approaches and theoretical approaches to heritage language teaching). Guide, evaluate and provide feedback on the presentations. Evaluate students' academic written exams. 2010 Senior TA. Spanish 390. Seminar: Problems in teaching Spanish at the college Sept.-Dec. level. Teach, train and supervise TA graduate students in the Spanish Program. Advise and instruct on language teaching methodology and second language acquisition. Observe, guide and evaluate pedagogical practices. 2009 Associate Instructor. Spanish 116: Applied Linguistics, upper division course. Introduction to major concepts and terminology used to teach Spanish as a second language. Introduction to the theoretical study of second language acquisition. Overview of the different language teaching approaches. Survey of issues related to Spanish language learning. 2008 Guest speaker. Applied Linguistics classroom presentations on various topics related to heritage language learners, applied linguistics and second language teaching. 2004 2011 Associate Instructor of Elementary Spanish 1, 2 and 3. Spanish as a second language. Develop all language skills and familiarize students with the intellectual and cultural contributions of the Spanish-speaking world through the study of its language from a communicative approach. Associate Instructor of Intermediate Spanish 21-22 Spanish as a second language. Computer-assisted learning and development of vocabulary, grammar and oral proficiency. 2004 2011 Associate Instructor of Spanish (Writing) 23-24 Develop grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills through reading, analysis and discussions of authentic materials, literary texts and videos. Computer-assisted writing is a regular component of this course. Develop advanced level writing skills with emphasis on argumentative prose, essays and research papers. Introduction to the analysis of literary genres. Associate Instructor of Spanish for Native Speakers Spanish 31-33 Prepare students for the upper division courses, by helping them to develop oral and written academic language through historical, sociopolitical and cultural readings related to the Hispanic world. Teach different writing styles: argumentative, analytical and creative; analytical review of literary genres. Prepare students for the upper division courses through the analysis and discussion of different literary genres and movies. DE PAUL UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 2002 2004 Lecturer in elementary Spanish 1, 2 and 3 Spanish as a second language. Build language skills and develop oral proficiency from a communicative approach in a cultural context. Lecturer in intermediate Spanish
Spanish as a second language. Develop intermediate oral, reading and written proficiency through the study of grammar and oral discussion of a variety of readings and topics of the Hispanic world. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO 2003 Lecturer of Teacher Education. Spanish and French teacher education program. Jan. June Seminars: Spanish 451/452, French 470/471. Teach, train and supervise graduate and undergraduate student teachers of French and Spanish language. Advise and instruct on language teaching methodology and second language acquisition. Guide and evaluate pedagogical practices. 1999 2001 Teaching assistant 2001 2004 Lecturer of Spanish for Native Speakers. Department of Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. Collaborate in the re-design of the Heritage Language track and the curriculum. Design syllabi and teach the three different levels of Spanish for Native Speakers. Develop course activities. Academic oral and written language development. Assist in placement exam evaluation for native speakers. Provide training and mentorship to new instructors for Native Speakers courses. Lecturer of elementary and intermediate Spanish Spanish as a second language. Build and develop students oral and basic writing competencies from a communicative language teaching/learning approach. NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 2001 2002 Lecturer of elementary Spanish Spanish as a second language. Build and develop students oral and basic writing competencies from a communicative language teaching/learning approach. Lecturer of Spanish for Native Speakers Composition class for Spanish Native Speakers. Develop academic language skills and expand vocabulary through readings, discussions and writing. NATIONAL PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY, MEXICO CITY AND CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY (CSU) INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM IN MEXICO 1996 1997 Instructor of Spanish and Hispanic cultural issues to ESL instructors. Intensive Summer program. Assist with program planning, design and implementation of an intensive preparatory Spanish language program. Teach Spanish and Hispanic cultural issues to ESL instructors and American public school teachers in the bilingual teacher preparation program. PAN-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, MEXICO CITY 1996 Instructor of Spanish Teach advanced Spanish for American university students majoring in business and education. UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO, MEXICO CITY (UNAM), SCHOOL FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS (CEPE: CENTRO DE ENSEÑANZA PARA EXTRANJEROS) 1994 1998 Lecturer of Spanish as a second language. Elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. Teach language courses with emphasis on grammar and communication skills. Teach writing, conversation and reading courses.
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO (UNAM), COLLEGE OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES 1993 1997 Language Arts Instructor Teach Introduction to Latin American and Universal Literature to high school students. Responsible for syllabus design, lesson planning, lectures and evaluation. Teach Spanish Composition and Research Methods to high school students. Responsible for syllabus design, lesson planning, lectures and evaluation. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 2008 Academic language development in Spanish for Second Language Learners and Heritage Language Learners. Design and collaboration on a self-tutorial guide to develop advanced literacy and critical thinking skills in Spanish. Designed for Second Language Learners (SLL) and Heritage Language Learners (HLL) at the intermediate and advanced levels at UC Davis. 2002 2003 Teacher observer and evaluator of forty high school teachers of Spanish: Work with Chicago s Heritage Language Teacher Corps, an in-service series of Masters-level courses. 2001 Reviewer and evaluator of reading material for use by Spanish for native speakers. REACH-Lang-Net. AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS 2009 Teaching Assistant Fellowship. Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of California, Davis. Spring, 2009. 2009 Travel Funding received from the Spanish Graduate Committee at UCD for attending the XXII Conference on Spanish in the United States and VII Spanish in Contact with Other Languages. Coral Gables, Florida. February 19-21, 2009. 2008 Award for Excellence in Teaching received from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Davis. 2006 Travel Funding received from the Spanish Graduate Committee at UCD for attending the 33rd International Systemic Functional Congress at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. July 10-15, 2008. 2003 Teaching Excellence Award received from the Department of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 2002 Teaching Excellence Award received from the Department of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 1998 Fellowship Instructor of Spanish, Scholar District, San Francisco, CA. Granted by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Academic Exchange in Mexico. Taught Spanish and Hispanic cultural issues to ESL teachers and U.S. public school teachers in bilingual schools. 1997 Fellowship Instructor of Spanish, University of Texas of Permian Basin Odessa Texas. Granted by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Academic Exchange in Mexico.
Taught Spanish and Hispanic cultural issues to ESL teachers and U.S. public school teachers in bilingual schools. RESEARCH WORK 2007 2009 Graduate Research Assistant. El lenguaje de las humanidades en México y los Estados Unidos: Un análisis sistémico-funcional. Collaborative research experience in The Language of the Humanities in Mexico and the United States: A Systemic-Functional Analysis. A Bi-national Project of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the University of California, Davis funded by UC Mexus and CONACYT. http://lenguajeacademico.info/ 1990 1991 Undergraduate Research Assistant: Spanish Golden Age Sacramental Acts (autos sacramentales). Principal researcher: Prof. Alejandro Ortiz, UNAM, Mexico City. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES 2011 What makes an expository essay successful? The role of causal constructions and quotes: a functional grammar approach. XXIII Conference on Spanish in the United States and VIII Spanish in Contact with Other Languages. Sacramento CA, March 17-20 2011. 2009 Causative Constructions As Argumentative Strategy in Literary Texts: Towards Academic Spanish Language Development. XXII Conference on Spanish in the United States and VII Spanish in Contact with Other Languages. Coral Gables, Florida, February 19-21 2009. 2006 Theme and Rheme as Discursive Organizational Strategy in Three Argumentative Essays. 33rd International Systemic Functional Congress at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 10-15, 2006. 2002 Placement of Heritage Spanish Speakers (with Kim Potowski). 36 th Annual Meeting and Exposition, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Salt Lake City, Utah, November 22-24, 2002. 2002 The Newspaper: More than Just Information. Eighth Annual Conference on Teaching Spanish to Native Speakers. Las Cruces, New Mexico, June 21-23, 2002. TEACHING TRAINING 2003 ACTFL two day Modified Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Tester Training Workshop at De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois, June 12-13, 2003. 1998 Certificate of completion of Rassias Method Workshop for Teachers. Rassias Language Institute and Harold Washington College, Chicago, Illinois, November 6-7, 1998. 1992 1993 Certification for Teaching Spanish as a Second Language, UNAM, Mexico City.