Dr. Paula Cronovich has taught Spanish at the collegiate level at UCLA and PLNU (since 2012); she thoroughly enjoys sharing her passion for Hispanic culture, language, history, and literature with her students. She has lived in Madrid, Spain and Santiago, Chile and traveled extensively in Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and Costa Rica. A graduate of UCLA and the University of Southern California, her area of interest is contemporary Latin American fiction, and she has taught all levels of Spanish language, advanced writing and grammar, and literature and cultural classes. She has published articles on the realities for Chilean writers, playwrights, poets, and artists creating their works during the repressive dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Being at PLNU, a short drive from the Mexican border, offers many opportunities to engage in Mexican-American culture, and one of the most rewarding parts of teaching at PLNU is preparing students for authentic, cross-cultural exchanges. In her spare time, this professor can be found attending theatre, jumping in the ocean (whenever possible!), and exploring nature with her husband and their bilingual children.
Education
- Ph.D., Hispanic Languages and Literatures, University of California, Los Angeles
- M.A., Hispanic Languages and Literatures, University of California, Los Angeles
- B.A., Spanish, University of Southern California
Courses Taught
- Elementary Spanish 1 – SPA 1001
- Elementary Spanish 2 – SPA 1002
- Advanced Grammar and Reading – SPA 3002
- Advanced Conversation and Composition – SPA 3003
- Genre/Period Studies in Hispanic Literature: Chilean Literature and Culture – SPA 3080
- Latin American Literature before 1910 – SPA 4037
- Latin American Literature since 1910 – SPA 4039
- Senior Seminar in Spanish – SPA 4085
Professional and Community Involvement
- Modern Languages Association
- Latin American Studies Association
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
- American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
- Christian Association of World Languages
Dissertations, Presentations, and Publications
- “‘No’ and No: The Campaign of 1988 and Pablo Larraín’s Film.” The Other 9/11: Chile, 1973 — Memory, Resistance, and Democratization. Radical History Review No. 124 (2016). Duke University Press.
- “Out of the Blackout and into the Light: How the Arts Survived Pinochet’s Dictatorship.” Chile, 40 years since the coup d’état – repercussions and memories. Iberoamericana No. 51 (2013).
- Dissertation: "An Ode to Joy: Chilean Culture in the Eighties against Pinochet," UCLA (2011).
