Areas I Teach
Education
PhD in Latin American literature, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in 1995
Master of arts in Spanish, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif., in 1990
Bachelor of arts in Spanish, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., in 1986
Areas of Research & Specialization
Several of my upper-division courses include a community-based or service-learning element wherein students improve their knowledge of Spanish language and Mexican-American culture by working with local organizations who serve Spanish-speaking individuals (e.g. bilingual schools, medical clinics, social service programs).
I also have written a free, online textbook for Intermediate Spanish (titled ¡Dzéٲٱ!) that highlights local Forest Grove and Oregon communities as well as the broader Spanish-speaking world. See details below under "publications".
Courses I often teach
Below I have listed some of the courses that I teach. We are always developing and trying out new classes, so the list may change now and then.
SPAN 202 | Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 325 | Mexican-American Cultural Explorations
Span 406 | Special Topics: Latin American Women Writers
Span 316/416 | Modern Mexican Literature and Culture
Spanish Professor Nancy Christoph Honored as Oregon's Post-Secondary Language Teacher of the Year (2022)
Ƶ Spanish professor Nancy Christoph was honored as Outstanding Post-Secondary Language Teacher in Oregon for the 2021-22 academic year by the Confederation in Oregon for Language Teaching.
In announcing the award, the confederation told Christoph: "You exhibit outstanding teaching, active participation as a leader within your institution, in addition to extraordinary service and research at the university level."
The award recognizes language teachers at community colleges, colleges and universities throughout Oregon. It seeks to honor those who not only are excellent educators, but also are involved in the world language community as well as the Pacific community. Christoph has been an active volunteer with Adelante Mujeres in Forest Grove and has written about and taught on poetry by immigrant women.
Recent Student Capstone Projects I've Supervised
"Una investigación interdisciplinaria sobre los promotores de salud en las escuelas públicas"
"Un paso para subir la montaña Coatepec: el vegetarianismo en México"
"La formación de los entendimientos méxico-americanos de la virginidad"
Recent Publications
"¡Dzéٲٱ!" Free online open educational resource for Intermediate Spanish II (2023).
"Learning Through Service: A testimonio on the Pedagogical and Scholarly Benefits of Service Projects Conducted by Teachers of Spanish, " Hispania 98:2 (2015).
"Mexican Immigrant Women's Poetry: Voices from a Community Poetry Class," Pacific Coast Philology, Vol. 49 (2): 222-45. October, 2014.
Recent Conferences
“Developing OER materials to increase accessibility and foster student engagement”, COFLT Conference, Portland OR, Oct 11, 2024.
"Social Justice Pedagogy." Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA), Nov 2018.
"Service-Learning Courses in Spanish: Best Practices for Local and International Community-Based Learning." COFLT Conference, Willamette University, Salem OR, March 7, 2015.
"Integrating Service Learning into a Language Program: A Case Study," COFLT Conference, Ƶ, Forest Grove OR, March 1, 2014.