Margarita Halpine

Biography

Education: BA College of New Rochelle Cum Laude MA Columbia University MPhil Columbia University PhD University of Connecticut One of the greatest pleasures of teaching at WPI is the contrast between the main technical focus of my students and my background in the humanities. This contrast allows me to learn a lot outside of my own discipline, and my students find the change from a technical to a humanistic class theme particularly engaging. I have the preparation to teach all levels of Spanish language and culture. This is aided by the experience of studying at least six languages, including Ancient Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian. Having grown up in Mallorca, Venezuela, Paraguay, Colombia, and El Salvador, I am a native speaker of Spanish and was exposed to other languages such as Guaraní and Mallorquín. Pedagogically, I have the cumulative experience of working in programs at several universities, and of having the opportunity to observe other approaches to language teaching. Here at WPI, I have modified my system of teaching Spanish to not rely so much on the use of cognates; this system was not effective because of the diverse nationalities of WPI students. Culturally, I have traveled extensively in Central and South America and in Europe. Recently I spent three months living and studying at Oxford University. These experiences provide me with a facility in communicating with foreign students (and local ones too!), as well as having a wealth of anecdotal material with which to engage and instruct my classes.

Research Interest

Renaissance and Golden Age Spanish and Italian Literature; Classical Greek and Latin; American Civil War