RS Honors Excellence by Teaching Fellows
The Romance Studies Department is pleased to recognize the excellent work done by our Teaching Fellows!
GRS Outstanding TF – Edgardo Tormos
The Romance Studies Department is very happy to nominate Edgardo Tormos Bigles as the recipient of the GRS Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award for 2021. All the faculty who have worked with him during his tenure as a Teaching fellow praise him for his outstanding collegiality and for always going above and beyond, giving more than he received. In particular, he was extraordinarily helpful last semester with the transition to remote teaching by taking the initiative to problem solve technology issues for himself and others, by finding and editing level- appropriate authentic materials and by sharing his creative ideas and suggestions with the whole group. He is an excellent instructor who has a passion for teaching and who cares deeply for his students. Edgardo is no less accomplished in his research endeavors. His dissertation, “The Mexican State and the Aesthetics of the Insurgent Body in 20th-century Mexican Literature and Film,” is a sophisticated study that breaks new ground on the relationship between the state, intellectuals, and insurrection during key moments in Mexican history. The great strength of his dissertation lies in the fascinating film records he has retrieved from Mexico’s National Film Archives. Edgardo has tracked down rare film material, particularly from the 1960s and 1970s, a period that witnessed not only the waning of the revolutionary state’s legitimacy after the massacre of Tlatelolco in 1968 but also the paradoxical foundation of state-sponsored institutions that gave room for independent filmmaking, such as the Cineteca Nacional. Edgardo is studying well-known writers and filmmakers, but he is also unearthing the clandestine film production of this period that has remained practically unknown.
RS TF Award French – Brittany Bernard
Brittany brings a lot of compassion and positivity to her teaching. Her classes are always a welcoming and judgement-free environment, where students know that they can take risks with the language and be empowered by that experience. Her instruction is characterized by a genuine interest in students’ understanding and progress in the French language. She has grown as an instructor herself in the past semesters, progressively finding her own voice in how she organizes and delivers content. Such pedagogical blossoming has led her to gradually design her own course materials and activities relying on authentic documents. Over the course of weekly coordination meetings, her involvement and contributions to conversations revolving around course materials and assessment have also become more substantial and assured. In sum, Brittany is a caring and thoughtful instructor.
RS TF Award French – Kelly Keenan
We are thrilled to award Kelly Keenan with a teaching prize again this year. During her time as a TF, teaching at all levels of our sequence, including a LF308 course of her own design entitled Adaptions and Inspirations, Kelly has been a model instructor and colleague. Her courses are well designed and innovative, she uses technology thoughtfully, and consistently creates a rapport with her students that fosters an open, comfortable learning environment. This academic year, Kelly taught both LF308 and LF212, showing her range and ability to work independently and design her own curriculum, all while navigating turbulent changes to our learning environment. She was integral in organizing this year’s Tournées Film Festival, which highlights her aptitude and willingness for service, not only to her students, but to the department. Kelly has proven herself to be a natural in the classroom but has continually shown growth in her teaching and a desire to learn. In 212, she also helped her colleagues grow, generously sharing tips and tricks for the new technologies we all came to rely on so heavily this year. We gladly honor Kelly to thank her for continued hard work and service and to recognize her consistent excellence in teaching.
RS TF Award Spanish – Braden Clinger
Braden is completing his second year of teaching and his coordinators consider him a be joy to work with and an excellent instructor. He is superbly engaging and professional with his students and he has a natural instinct for teaching. Braden’s adeptness with technology has been an asset to his team during the transition to remote teaching. Notwithstanding his challenging family circumstance this year, Braden’s student evaluations have continued to be very positive. We thank Braden for his impressive work in our Spanish section. He will be teaching LS 306, Spanish through Translation in the fall.
RS TF Award Spanish – Laurie Garriga
Laurie has consistently impressed her coordinators for her creative and innovative teaching, her collegiality and for the excellent student evaluations she has received at the elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. She is passionate about her teaching, she is wonderful to work with and is consistently fantastic all around with her students! We thank Laurie for her excellent work in our Spanish section.