Manuel Medina

Director of Latin American & Latino Studies
Professor of Spanish

Campus Address: Stevenson 306 & Humanities 329
Office Phone Number: 502-852-2034 & 502-852-0501
Fax Number: 502-852-6298 & 502-852-8885
E-mail:manuel.medina@louisville.edu

I teach courses related to Latin America in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, the Latin American and Latino Studies and the Jewish Studies Programs. I design my classes to provide students with ample opportunities to learn and understand peoples from other cultures as a mean of establishing bridges of understanding. The course's goals and objectives include issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion as an integral part of what we discuss in class.

I teach the development of national Latin American and US Latino identities and their every shifting roles tracing back to the legendary Nations and Civilizations present in America before the arrival of the European colonizers. We also study in class contemporary Latin American peoples and their cultures as depicted by artists, writers, film directors, musicians and other creators of cultural productions.

I am very proud of having been named by my students as a 'Top Four Faculty Favorite" (A Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning award). I have also received the President’s Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award, the Outstanding M.A. Mentor, School of Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity Champion Award.

I have established strong relationships between A&S and many community groups and organizations. I created the 'Reel’ Latin American Film Festival back in 1995 and it has run continuously since then. This festival has consistently served as a link between our students and the local Latino population. Additionally, I have envisioned, developed and implemented several events on campus, such as the Day of the Dead altar displays and the celebrations of Latino Heritage. I have directed more than 20 Study Abroad groups to Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Panama. I teach graduate courses in the Ibilce Campus (Rio Preto, SP) of the Universidade Estadual Paulista.

My research interest center around cultural studies and its myriad of theoretical approaches. My current projects include topics related to territory, gender identity, underrepresented voices and social movements. I currently work on a book length project that studies issues of gender and cultural identity in the Jewish poetry work of the Ecuadorian-US Latinx work of Ivonne Gordon. I have concentrated a great deal of my research time to the study of Latin American film and I have published most of my work on this topic. Most recently I edited a special issued of the journal Diálogo titled “Screening the Indigenous Experience in Contemporary Latin American Cinema" co-edited with Prof. Bridget Franco (College of the Holy Cross). My book length study on Ecuadorian Film will appear in press soon. My volume of essays on the Mexican historical novel titled Archivo y discurso en la nueva novela histórica mexicana (1980-1994) appeared as a book published by H&N Publishing House. I have edited almost 20 books and published dozens of journal articles or book chapters on my main areas of research, namely Latin American literature, Latin American film, US Latinx literature and film, History and Literature, technology in the education among others.

Currently, I serve as the President of the Asociación de Ecuatorianistas, an organization dedicated to the promotion and critical study of the Ecuadorian cultural productions.