As part of our 25 Years of Spanish Celebrations at The University of Queensland, we were delighted to welcome Professor Alfredo Martínez-Expósito to deliver a Public Lecture titled "From Small Things": Spanish in Australian Universities and other growth metaphors.
Abstract
The 25th anniversary of the Spanish and Latin American Studies program at The University of Queensland presents us with a good opportunity to reflect on the historical development of the discipline in Australian universities. The discipline’s history and achievements speak to the growing importance of the Spanish language in Australia and internationally. This presentation reviews and discusses some common beliefs about the Spanish language and the study of languages more broadly. It attempts to describe the discipline’s substantial transformation from “Spanish Language and Literature” to “Spanish and Latin American Studies” and the rich opportunities it opens for students and academics in a high-performing, globally competitive tertiary education system like ours.
Presenter
Professor Alfredo Martínez-Expósito is Head of the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of six books and over a hundred research papers on literature, cinema and culture from around the Spanish-speaking world. He pioneered the introduction of LGBTI authors in the Spanish curriculum and the study of Hispanic national cinemas as cultural diplomacy. He was a member of the Spanish program at the University of Queensland (1993-2011) and Honorary Consul for Spain in Queensland (2010-2011).
