Nené Lozada

María Cecilia Lozada holds a PhD in Anthropology and brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the teaching of Spanish at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Her pedagogical work draws on anthropology, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies to help students understand Spanish not as a single, uniform language but as one shaped by regional histories, social identities, migration, and cultural exchange. She has received numerous grants to support the development of innovative instructional materials and collaborative projects. In partnership with graduate students Katie Ullyot and Deborah Skolnik, she developed Cara al Mundo, a video-based language project that examines the speech patterns and cultural perspectives of Spanish speakers from twelve countries, introducing students to the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. The project is currently under review for publication. Her additional collaborations include Chicago Habla, a local video initiative designed and directed by Tanit Fernández de la Reguera, as well as outreach projects developed with the Center for Latin American Studies for Chicago’s public schools.

As Senior Instructional Professor in Romance Languages and Literatures and Director of the Spanish Language Program, Dr. Lozada provides intellectual and administrative leadership for a large, multilevel language program. She oversees curriculum development, course coordination, instructor mentoring and support, assessment, and student placement, while promoting coherence across courses and encouraging thoughtful pedagogical innovation. A defining dimension of her work is the integration of U.S. Spanish and the histories, cultural practices, and lived experiences of Chicago’s Spanish-speaking communities throughout the curriculum. She has developed courses devoted to the histories and evolving identities of Pilsen and Humboldt Park, inviting students to approach Chicago itself as a dynamic site of language learning, cultural inquiry, and community engagement. By connecting classroom instruction with the city’s multilingual realities, her work expands conventional understandings of where and how Spanish is studied. These curricular and pedagogical initiatives have also led to invitations to give public talks and to present her research and teaching approaches at professional conferences.