Laura Senio Blair
Professor of Spanish
Expertise
20th and 21st Century Hispano American Narrative and Drama. Chilean Narrative, Drama and Film. Hispanic Film.
I believe that the role of an educator is to be a supportive and energetic facilitator
who has a duty and the privilege to help foster a teachable and learner-centered
environment in which any and every student can thrive.
Whether teaching language level courses or advanced seminars, I endeavor to
create a comfortable atmosphere that presents intellectual materials to my students in
varied formats and multiple contexts. The goal of each and every one of my classes is to
implement both language acquisition and critical thinking skills that work to expand my
student’s intellectual and creative capacity. The second goal I have for my students is to
help them improve their reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities from whichever
level they begin. However, I believe that it is this last skill that grounds my classroom
and assigned homework activities: to acquire cultural awareness and appreciation. To this
end, I am passionate about serving as a role model and ambassador for cultural
consciousness and understanding inside the classroom, in the hallways, during my office
hours and with extra-curricular activities.
Education
Ph.D., University of Kansas, Lawrence 2002
MA, University of Colorado, Boulder 1994
BA, Whitman College 1992
Honors & Awards
- National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar “Jewish Buenos Aires” July 2014;
- Fulbright Scholar Recipient (2012);
- American Scandinavian Foundation Fellow (2009-2010);
- P.E.O. Scholar Award for Academic Achievement in Graduate Studies (1997-1998);
- Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Award for International Studies (1994-1995).
Affiliations
- MLA
- AILCFH
- SCMLA
- SCOLAS
- LASA
- ADF
- PCA
Links
- A Fulbrighter’s Adventures in Concepcion Chile
- Driving Toward Hetertopias: Taxis and Taxistas in Contemporary Chilean Cinema
- Docente estadounidense visita la UCSC
- Program Notes: Chilean Cinema
- Betwixt and Between: Finding Home Again in Chilean Returnee Literature
- The Bridges between the Divide: The female body in Y tu mama tambien and Machuca
- World Literature in Spanish: An Encyclopedia
- The Fulbrighter Issue #69
- Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda
- Residual Effects: The Recurring Theme of Incest in Contemporary Chilean Narrative
- El lente circular: (re)fundar la identidad chilena por medio filmico