Brief Biography
Dr. Van B was born in Philadelphia, PA and is a first generation college student. That is, her parents did not go to college. She graduated with a BS in Secondary Education - Spanish from Penn State, and earned a masters and PhD in Spanish (Latin American literature) from Temple University as well as a second masters in Latin American Studies from the University of Arizona. In her free time, Dr. Van B is an avid supporter of Elon Phoenix sports, especially men's and women's basketball and football. She also enjoys travelling, especially to countries where Spanish is spoken. Dr. Van B. lives close to Elon in Burlington.
Education
Penn State University - BS in Secondary Education - Spanish
Temple University - MA in Spanish
Temple University - PhD in Spanish (Latin American literature)
University of Arizona - MA in Latin American Studies
Employment History
Temple University - graduate teaching assistant; language coordinator for the Latin American Studies Semester; adjunct instructor of Spanish
Philadelphia Community College - adjunct instructor of Spanish
Ursinus College - part-time lecturer in Spanish
Rassias Language Associates - senior language consultant
Albright College - assistant and associate professor of Spanish
Georgia Institute of Technology - assistant professor of Spanish
Central College - associate professor of Spanish, chair of the Cross-Cultural Division, Director of the Latin American Studies program
Elon University (1999 - present) - associate professor of Spanish (1999-present); chair of the Department of Foreign Languages (2000-2008), coordinator of the Latin American Studies minor (2009-present); Faculty Fellow for the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center (2012-present)
Courses Taught
SPN 122 Elementary Spanish II
SPN 124 Intensive Elementary Spanish I and II (spring 2013)
SPN 221 and 222 Intermediate Spanish I and II
SPN 318 Advanced Spanish and the Maya Worlds (winter term abroad)
SPN 321 Conversation
SPN 322 The Art of Written Communication
SPN 333 Spanish Civilization (now called Defining Moments in Spanish Civilization)
SPN 334 Latin American Civilization (now called Defining Moments in Spanish American Civilization)
SPN 335 Latinos in the U.S.
SPN 350 Introduction to Literary Analysis in Spanish
SPN 465 Capstone Seminar (Topic: Latin American Theater of Innovation and Social Change)
GST 110 The Global Experience
GST 2xx Business in the Yucatan (winter term abroad with Dr. Nienhaus)
GST 2xx Astronomy in Mexico - Maya to Modern (winter term abroad with Dr. Crider)
GST 401 Maya Prophecies for 2012: Doomsday or a New Day?
Current Projects
Assessment of achievement of personal growth and cultural awareness goals in students participating in three models of post-study-abroad integration activities (2012-2013)
A comparison of the impact of different error correction strategies on the self-correction of errors in agreement produced by advanced-level students of Spanish in short reaction papers.
Publications
“The Border Crossing Experience in Recent Mexican and Chicano Theater.” Beauty is in the Details: A Global View of Persons of Color. Ed. Lemuel Berry, Jr. NAAAS and Affiliates, 2010. 1437-52. CD-ROM.
"Arnaldo Jabor's Eu te amo: Whimsical Erotica or Socio-Political Commentary?". co-authored with Enrique Gronlund and Moylan Mills. in Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. 11(1992): 29-43. Print.
"Mythical Patterns in Jorge Amado's Novel Gabriela -- Clove and Cinnamon and Bruno Barreto's Film Gabriela." co-authored with John Martin. in Film and Literature: A Comparative Approach to Adaptation. Wendell Aycock and Michael Schoenecke, eds. Lubbock, Tx: Texas Tech University Press, 1988. 179-88. Print.
Vamos a Colombia (©Rassias Language Associates, 1982) - cross-cultural training materials produced for Esso Inter-America, Inc., including textbook, workbook, tape program and video program. Print.
elon}