| Benito Gomez: Statewide
Meeting of Professors of Spanish Literature
to Be Hosted at CSUDH
Benito Gomez, assistant professor
of Spanish, is hosting and coordinating the
annual meeting of the Association of Southern California
Peninsularists (professors of Spanish literature)
at CSUDH on Feb. 4. Research on contemporary Spanish
literature will be presented by David Herzberger,
UC Riverside; Lisa Vollendorf, CSU Long Beach; and
Cintia Santana, Claremont McKenna College.
“This
event will bring professors from all over Southern
California who have never been to Dominguez Hills,” says
Gomez, who is a mentor for the McNair Scholars cohort. “They
don’t know about
our students. I have invited some of my students to
attend, mostly McNair scholars and a couple of others
who are interested in research, so that they can network.
It’s a good chance for our students to see the
level they need to produce.”
Senior and McNair Scholar Karen
Pérez presented her research titled, “The
Evasion of Don Quixote: Don Quixote as a Medieval
Christian Knight,” at the Don Quixote Symposium
at CSUDH, held last December. She values the chance
to speak in front of professors and other students
as preparation for her aspirations as a professor
of Spanish.
“Participating in the Don Quixote Symposium
has given me the opportunity to grow academically and
has allowed me to experience how research is presented
in my field of study,” says the Spanish major. “I
am indebted to the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate
Achievement Program at Dominguez Hills for showing
me how to do research and pairing me up with Dr. Benito
Gomez Madrid, my faculty mentor and advisor.”
According to Gomez, the conference
will also provide learning opportunities for “new
professors to share their research with more seasoned
professors who can give them input.” He describes
the study of Spanish literature as a view of not
only the literature of the Hispanic culture but of
the many facets of the culture itself.
“Students from various backgrounds not only
have an opportunity to learn about Spanish writers
and their literary works, but also about Hispanic civilizations,
their past, culture, and contributions to the world,” he
says. “Don Quixote is one of the
requirements of the [Spanish] major, and is considered
the first modern novel in the world.”
-Joanie Harmon
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