Maria Patricia Ortiz
Professor of Spanish and Hispanic Studies, Assistant Chair.
Department of Languages Literatures and Cultures
Appalachian State University
Ortizmp1@appstate.edu
CV
Education
University of Houston, Ph. D. May 2004. Thesis director: Dr. Nicolás Kanellos.
Teaching/Research Interests
The United States Hispanic Culture and Literature; Latin American Literature and Culture; Hispanic transnational migrations and their influence on contemporary Hispanic literature & film; Politics of Border Crossing, Gender Studies: Latin American Women and Dictatorships, and Postcolonial Theory in relation to Latin American Narratives.
Courses Taught
At the Graduate level: The Culture and Literature of Hispanics in the United States Since the 1500’s. 20th Century Hispanic Novel, Latin American Thought Through Film and Literature, Hispanic Cultural Studies, Media in Latin America and Spain, Spanish Short Fiction, Advanced Hispanic Expression, Hispanic Masterpieces and Film, Hispanic Culture Through Conversation (a course created to fulfill the needs of graduate students during the Summer Institute 2012).
Other undergraduate courses: Global Studies- Introduction to Latin American Studies, Latin American Thought through Film and Literature, Culture and Civilization of the Hispanic in the United States, Culture of Hispanic Migrations in the United States, Selections of Spanish America Literature, IDS Introduction to Women’s Studies, LLC 2025 Latin American Women and Dictatorships, Latin American Culture and Literature, Spanish Honors Class, Spanish Short Fiction, Children and Adolescent Literature, U.S. Hispanic Literature.
Courses Created at Appalachian State University: LLC 2040 Border Crossing: United States Hispanic Literature and Culture (This course is part of the General Education Curriculum Theme: The Americas), SHN -Latin American Thought Through Film and Literature (graduate and undergraduate course), U.S. Hispanic Literature, LLC 2025/ Women Studies/ Spanish and Latin American Women and Dictatorships, 20th Century Hispanic Novel (graduate and undergraduate course). Latin American Cinema, Spanish Thought Through Literature.
Publications
Articulación de la identidad subalterna en los procesos y prácticas nacionales vis-â-vis la política del Border Crossing en el discurso de Latinas en los Estados Unidos. Bogotá: Unión Gráfica Editores, 2006.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Latino Literature. Ed. Nicolás Kanellos. London: Greenwood Press, 2009. (Authors researched: Aurelio Espinosa and Francisco Alarcón).
Articles
Under Review:
“Hacia un lectura de multiplicidad literaria y filosófica en las novelas de Mario Bellatin.” (Latin American Literary Criticism).
“The Politics of Race and Gender in the Works of Maria Luisa Garza and Jennie Carter” (Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism. Duke U Press).
Articles Published:
“De la periferia fundamental al centro: discurso del pequeño relato en El muchacho de los senos de goma de Sylvia Iparraguirre.” Hispanic Journal. 40.2 (Fall: 2019).
"El concepto de heterotopías de Michel Foucault en dos novelas de Mario Bellatín: Salón de Belleza y Damas Chinas." Hispania. 100.2 (June 2017).
“From The Convent’s Cell: A Feminist Discourse in the Texts of Two Baroque Nuns: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Arcangela Tarabotti. Journal of Arts and Sciences. 8. 2. Spring 2016. From IJAS Conference Proceedings, Harvard University, 2015.
“Discurso de origen e identidad en la narrativa de Joaquín Colón López”. Centro: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. 26.1. Spring 2014.
“The Politics of Race and Gender in the Texts of Jennie Carter and Maria Luisa Garza” Proceedings of the International Journal of Arts and Sciences 7.2 December 2014. From IJAS Conference Proceedings, Harvard University, 2014.
“The Politics of Female Identity in the Work of Gabriela Mistral and Anna Akhmatova.” Moondance Review Celebrating Creative Women. Ed. Loretta Kemsley. 3 August, 2012. www.moondance.org.
“Two Female Poetic Voices in the World Poetry (Anna Akhmatova and Gabriela Mistral)” Co-Authored with Irina Barclay. The Third International Scientific Practical Conference -Russian@Literatura@Culture: Actual Questions of Studies and Teaching in Russia and Abroad- Moscow, Moscow State University, Max Press, 2011.
“Spanishing the English Language: Linguistic Overflow in the Poetry of Victor Hernández Cruz and Julia Alvarez. Hispanic Journal. 32.2 (Fall 2011).
“The Politics of Border Crossing: Towards a Transnacional Encounter in the Work of Maria Luisa Garza.” Hispanic Journal. 29.2 (Spring 2009).
“Desarticulación de las estructuras del poder dictatorial: el personaje femenino y una (re)lectura de Antígona en In the Time of the Butterflies.” Pegasso. 2 (Fall 2007).
“Transgresión y (re)articulación del arquetipo de la madre/esposa en Arráncame la vida de Ángeles Mastretta.” Explicación de Textos Literarios. XXXIII. 2 (Fall 2006).
“Hacia una propuesta andrógena en La Plaza del Diamante de Mercè Rodoreda.” Letras Femeninas. XXX.2 (December 2004).
“Entre la maternidad y el erotismo: lucha por la integración de esta escisión del género en el arquetipo de la madresposa.” Thirteenth Colloquium of Spanish and Portuguese Literatures. 13.1 (2003). UT at Austin.
"Representatividad y Heterogeneidad en Hasta no verte Jesús mío de Helena Poniatowska." Discurso. Universidad de Buenos Aires. www.discurso.org.
Scholarly Work On Progress
- With Nicolás Kanellos: A comprehensive observation of the current status of U.S. Hispanic literature, written both in Spanish or English. Observation of this literature as a “ghetto” or subsection of mainstream American Literature, despite of the historic and current presence of the Spanish language in the U.S.
Conference Papers:
-From the Convent’s Cell: A Feminist Discourse in the Texts of two Baroque Nuns: Mexican Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Venetian Arcangela Tarabotti. Conference of Arts and Sciences. Harvard University, May 2015.
-“The Politics of Race and Gender in the Texts of Jennie Carter and Maria Luisa Garza. IJAS. Harvard University. May 26-29 2014.
Chair of the conference presentation panel at Harvard Conference on IJAS: Joseph B. Martin Conference Center: “Politics of Environment in Gana, Africa.” May 2014.
-“The Politics of Female Identity in the Poetry of Anna Akhmatova and Gabriela Mistral.” University of Moscow On-Line Conference On Russian Literatures:around.russianforall.ru. November, 2010.
-“Decentering the Self: Cultural Transcreation, Nostalgia, and Imaginaries of Revolution in Cristina Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban.” Sixteenth Annual International Conference on Hispanic and Afro Hispanic Literature and Culture. NAAAS, Batón Rouge, January 2009.
-“Antigone’s Legacy, Dictatorship and Women.” Humanity Thematic Series. Private and Public: “Appalachian State University. March, 2008
-“Alienación linguistica y españolización del ingles en el discurso poético de latinos en los Estados Unidos.” University of Virginia, November 2007.
-“(Re)Construction of Loyalties: A Review of Antigone in the Narrative of Latina Writers.” Universidad de Salamanca. Julio 2006.
-“The Local and the Global in Hispanic Post-Modern Film.” MLA Conference, December 2005.
-“Transnational Women Migrants: Deterritorializing the subject in When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago. MELUS. University of Illinois, Chicago April 7-10, 2005.
-“The Transnational Encounter in the Work of María Luisa Garza,” Eight Annual Conference of Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage. University of New Mexico, November 4-6, 2004.
-“Trasgresión y escritura anti-autoritaria en El cuarto mundo de Diamela Eltit,” Biannual Conference on Transatlantic Studies. Brown University, April 15 – 17, 2004.
-“Desarticulación del poderoso a través de la marginación del Otro: personaje femenino y escritura anti-autoritaria en In the Time of the Butterflies de Julia Álvarez,” MELUS, Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States. University of Texas, San Antonio, March 11-14, 2004.
-“Propósito de la configuración del contexto histórico-místico en La gloria de don Ramiro de Enrique Larreta.” Eighth Annual Conference on Romance Languages and Literatures. Arizona State University, April 24 – 26, 2003.
-“Análisis de la tipología cultural del personaje femenino en tres novelas hispanas: Santa, La casa de los espíritus y La plaza del diamante.” Identidades. Texas Tech University, April 14 - 17, 2003.
-“Entre la maternidad y el erotismo: lucha por la integración de esta escisión del género en el arquetipo de la madresposa.” Thirteenth Colloquium, Graduate Student Organization/Department of Spanish and Portuguese. University of Texas, Austin, April 4 -5, 2003.
-“Representatividad en la novela testimonial latinoamericana.” Escenarios: Diálogos entre la literatura y las artes. University of California, Irvin, May 24 – 15 2002.
-“Intertextualidad narrativa y ausencia del vínculo madre-hija como revalidación de la fragmentación de la personalidad en El mismo mar de todos los veranos de Esther Tusquets.” Tenth Annual Conference of Romance Studies: The Quest for Meaning through the Coexistence of Ideologies. Boston College, April 5 – 7, 2002.
Creative Writing Publications:
Varios Poemas. Líneas desde el golfo. Ed. Marc Zimmerman & Edna Ochoa.
Houston: LACASA, 2005
“On a Rainy Monday Morning.” Moondance Review 7.4 (2003).
“Aires de Familia. Escritos varios.” The Naked Ape. Journal of Creative Writing
3.1 (2003).
Itinerario: 17 Poemas en Borrador. Bogotá: Celf Impresores Ltd., 1992.
Service:
Professional Service:
-PMLA Journal Reviewer (Modern Languages Association): U.S. Hispanic Literature.
Letras Hispánicas reviewer: Latin American Novel.
-Member of Oxford Women’s Leadership. Somerville College, University of Oxford.
-N.C. ACE Network for Women, Chapel Hill
Member of Cocinas Públicas de Bogotá, Colombia. Organization to aid women and children victims of domestic violence, and to awake individual and collective consciousness against domestic violence.
Appalachian State University Latin American Film Series.
Departmental and university Service:
Adviser for ASU Women Leadership Club
I have served in several graduate students’ thesis committees since 2004, as well as outside the department (English). I have chaired several Spanish graduate students committees:
UNC Faculty Assembly.
Japanese Search Committee (Fall 2019).
Curriculum Committee Chair (Fall 2018-2019)
Chair’s Advisory Committee member (Chair).
TESL Search Committee, Chair 2017
PTR Committee, (Chair 2017).
PTC Committee, (Chair 2017-2019).
Department Assistant Chair (Spring 2016) (2018 to present).
Chair of PTR Committee (2016)
Chair of Languages Lab Director Search Committee (2016)
French Search Committee Chair, (Fall 2014).
Faculty Senate (2013-2018)
Student Wellness and Morale Committee (2016).
DPC Committee (2019).
PTR Committee (2017)
College of Arts and Sciences, Richard N. Henson, Outstanding Advisory Award (2013 and 2014)
Global Studies Advisory Committee (2014- 2017)
Chair of French Search Committee (2014)
Women Studies Executive Committee.(2014)
Chair, Chinese Search Committee (2011)
Selection Committee for Outstanding Master’s Thesis in the Arts and Humanities. (2011)
-DPC Committee (several times from 2005-prsesent)
-LLC PTR Committee (2011 and 2013s).
Chair of the Departmental Curriculum Committee (2009)
-Global Studies Curriculum Committee (2010)
-Global Studies DPC (2010)
- 4 Spanish Search Committees (2004 - 2008)
Chinese Search Committee (Spring 2007)
Spanish Graduate Advisor (2006-2009)
Spanish Major/Minor Advisor (2004- present)
Spanish Language Coordinator (2006- 2007)
Global Studies Advisory Committee (2012)
Chancellors Task Force on Diversity Committee (2007-present)
Provost’s Appalachian Quality Enhancement Plan (2011)
DFLL Chair Search Committee (2007)
Faculty Senate 2008-present
SEWSA Conference Appalachian State University, Organizing Committee, April 2009
English department Senior Honor Thesis committee
Faculty mentor to Prestigious Scholarship Programs.
FLL Assessment Task Force
Chair, Spanish Assessment Task Force.
Chair French Search Committee (2013)
DCC 2013
DPC 2013
Nomination by students for Richard N. Henson Outstanding Advisory Award 2013, 2014, 2016.
Chair of Graduate Students Committees during six consecutive years.
Students Committees: English, Senior Honor Thesis 2013, s2014, 2015, 2017.