Stephen D Gingerich

Biography

" I have taught Spanish at CSU since 2003. Though I teach all levels and several different topics, I tend to specialize in Spanish literature and philosophy from Spanish modernism to the present. My seminars have focused on Spanish Postwar culture, the Silver and Golden Ages, Spanish Film and Painting, and Fantastic Literature, among other things. I designed and directed the CSU in Spain program from 2005 to 2015 and directed our Costa Rica program from 2008 to 2012. Study Abroad was a life-changing experience for me, both as a participant and a friend of foreign students in the U.S., and I enjoy guiding students as they open their eyes to another way of life. I have been faculty advisor to the Club de Español since its creation, and I regularly participate in the Mesa Hispana. As often as I can manage, I help students organize extracurricular activities, like movie nights and the Club de Español events. Working with students inside and outside of the classroom is one of the most rewarding aspects of my profession. As Director of the MA Program in Spanish, I advise prospective and current graduate students about our program. It has been rewarding to watch our students grow intellectually and professionally, as their growing expertise in Hispanic studies advance their careers and enrich their lives. I received a PhD. in Comparative Literature from SUNY Buffalo. My publications have brought continental philosophy to bear on Hispanic writing. I have published articles on the Spanish novelist Juan Benet, on Jorge Luis Borges, and on several other Hispanic writers. My current project is a book-length study of the relationship between literature and philosophy in Spanish letters, focusing on Unamuno, Ortega, Machado and Zambrano. A native of Kansas, my first experience with Hispanic culture was brought on by my parents' decision to take the family to Ecuador with the Peace Corps. My most intense experience has been with Spain, though; I was a Rotary International exchange student with a family in Barcelona after high school. I received a BA in Spanish from the University of Kansas and spent my junior year abroad in Germany, studying, among other things, Latin, French, and Spanish. My family and I live on the West Side of Cleveland and enjoy this great city, with its museums, art galleries, parks, neighborhoods, and the lake."

Research Interest

literature and philosophy