Ana George

Biography

I am a native of Chiriquí, Republic of Panama and raised in a family of educators. My father being a university professor, so not surprisingly I too chose a path in academia. I lived in Panama until moving to the United States.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Linguistics from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County with a concentration in Spanish and a Certificate in Secondary Education, I taught high school Spanish in Maryland for several years. In 2008, I attended Texas A&M University to pursue an M.A. in Spanish and a Ph.D in Hispanic Studies.

My Ph.D. research dealt with the representation of violence in Central American narrative and resulted in a dissertation entitled “La violencia en la narrativa de ficción Centroamericana del siglo XX”. The dissertation examines depictions of violence in Central American narratives from the colonial period through independence to post-civil war using the works of four novelists: Tatiana Lobo, Rosa María Britton, Horacio Castellanos Moya and Rodrigo Rey Rosa. More recently, I extended my research to address concepts of negritude and representations of afro-descendants in the works of Rosa María Britton.

My research interests include 20th and early 21st century Latin American literature with a specialty in Central American literature. I also have a strong interest in the use of emerging technology in the classroom. I can’t wait to see how ChatGPT will be used in the language classroom. While teaching at University of Tennessee-Knoxville, I piloted a virtual-reality-enhanced version of Spanish II. My teaching specialization is in all levels of Spanish language with a special emphasis on Spanish for Heritage speakers.

I joined the faculty at King in the Fall of 2022 where I teach several Spanish courses.

In my spare time I enjoy reading, camping and spending time with my husband, our daughter and her two dogs. When we return home to Panama, we look forward to visiting our favorite places: the beautiful waters of the Caribbean in Portobelo, the sandy beaches of the Pacific, and the Highlands of Chiriquí, where the mist-covered mountains are home to my favorite shrub Coffea arabica.

Education

• Ph.D. Hispanic Studies - Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2017)
• M.A. Spanish - Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (2010)
• B.A. Modern Languages and Linguistics - Univ. of Maryland-Baltimore County, (2002)

Publications and Presentations

• “La representación de la presencia africana en las obras literarias de Rosa María Britton” at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference: Langugaes, Literatures and Cultures, of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 11-13, 2019
• “Acercamiento al concepto de negritud en las obras literarias de Rosa María Britton” presented at the *Quinta Conferencia sobre Etnicidad, Raza y Pueblos Indígenas en América Latina y el Caribe,*Universidad San Miguel Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, October 4-6, 2017.
• “La diabla en el espejo: Reflejos de la violencia en El Salvador de posguerra” presented at the *Kentucky Foreign Language Conference: Languages, Literatures and Cultures,*University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, April 2015.
• “The (Un)changing Role of Race in Post-Colonial Panama’s Search for National Identity in Rosa Maria Britton’s The Common Casket” presented at XXVII Biennial Louisiana Conference on Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA. Feb 18, 2012.
• “The Construction of National Identity in Rosa Maria Britton’s The Common Casket” presented at Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. Nov. 2, 2011.
• Pacing Guide - Spanish Level II. Internally published by Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Department of Curriculum. 2007
• Pacing Guide - Spanish for Heritage Speakers. Internally published by Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Department of Curriculum. 2006

Certifications and Training:

• State of Colorado Teacher Certification in Spanish
  • Professional Teacher License (K-12), 2022-2029
• University of Texas, El Paso, TX
  • Certificate in AP Spanish Literature and Culture (Summer 2021)
• University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
  • Graduate Certificate in Language Teaching with Technology (Spring 2020)
• State of Maryland Teacher Certification in Spanish
  • Standard Professional Certificate (7-12), 2003-2009