GPI - Emilce Cordeiro, World Languages Department Chair

Courtesy of Emilce Cordeiro

By Bella Grimaldi News Editor What is your academic and professional background? My master’s degree is from Argentina, and it was in Argentinian literature - specifically about the authors who disappeared in my country during the dictatorship. The dictatorship was from 1976 until 1983. So then I moved to this country in 1998 and I ended up in the Philadelphia area. And I applied to Temple University and UPenn in Philadelphia. I was accepted into both, but Temple offered me a teaching assistant position and they paid for my tuition, so my selection was easy. I went to Temple, and from there, I got a PhD in 20th-century literature of the Southern Cone. In my PhD, I continued with the topic I started with my master’s. … At Temple, I was able to find materials that in Argentina I couldn’t because the military group destroyed many of the books, or people who had the books hid the books. … And then I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Philadelphia, and I got a visiting position at Raymond Walters College - that is a branch of the University of Cincinnati. And they offered me a tenure-track position, but my family decided to move to Boston, and so I was not able to take that job. I ended up working at WPI - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - here in Massachusetts. I was a visiting professor there, until I saw an ad for a tenure-track position here at Framingham State, and I applied, and I got it. What drew you to FSU? Well, the fact that I was looking for a permanent position. And when I came to the interview, I enjoyed the faculty I met that day. And the fact that they gave me free range - so any initiative I had, or courses I propose - they said yes to everything. So for me, coming from other schools that were very rigid, I was able to basically do what I enjoy the most. So specifically, I proposed several courses dealing with films of Latin America about political issues, gender issues, controversial issues - so it was a no-brainer. I said yes immediately. What inspired you to teach Spanish? Well, I prepared myself to teach literature. But when I moved to this country, I started working teaching the language first. So at Temple, I did both. I did training to teach the language - that is a completely different skill you need to have to teach your language. So basically, it was the need of the times. I needed a job, and I had to adjust my idea of what I wanted to do with the reality of the time when I came to this country. Then I enjoyed it so much that I continued teaching literature and culture classes and cinema classes, but at the same time teaching languages. And I really enjoy teaching the basic levels of the language. Not a lot of people like that, but I like to see how the students evolve from nothing to being able to talk, so I enjoy that a lot. What are some of your hobbies or something students wouldn't expect about you? I dabble in many things. I enjoy swimming a lot - swimming in the ocean. That is, the ocean is my place in the world. I watch a lot of movies, and I go to the cinema and watch independent films every chance I have. And I belong to a book club and sometimes, I'm taking drawing classes - painting classes. What is your advice for students at FSU? My advice to them, and I think everybody, every professor, says the same - is to talk to your professors - to communicate with them. When students are having problems, especially at the beginning, I always recommend talking to the professor. So, things can change if you talk. And also, I will say stop looking at your phones all the time, every time, every afternoon, when I go to my office, to my classroom, at the library - I pass through several classrooms and I see all the students waiting for the professors, looking at their phones, and I say, “What a waste! What a waste of opportunity to talk to the other students you have there in the classroom.”