Lecturer in Spanish
Arlene Ovalle-Child specializes in Spanish language pedagogy and cultural studies. As a second language educator she is dedicated to fostering an environment of community in her classroom and guides students to navigate authentic Spanish and gain an understanding of themselves by exploring other cultures.
A child of immigrants from Dominican Republic, Ovalle-Child began her teaching career during her graduate studies as a Teaching Fellow at Boston College and continued doing so during her fellowship at Boston University. She was awarded teaching excellence awards at both Boston College and Boston University. As a doctoral student at Boston University she travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of BU’s Writing in the Americas International Program, first as a participant, and then twice as Teaching Assistant. Those experiences helped her to complete her dissertation titled, Objetos de deseo en los cuentos de Silvina Ocampo.
Her interests include curriculum development, the use of culturally relevant materials and resources, and social justice pedagogy. Her courses integrate cultural art forms with a social justice lens as part of second language acquisition. She has presented and led sessions focused on these topics at the New England Modern Language Association, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, and the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.