• Alyssa Selmer

    Alyssa Selmer

    Assistant Professor of Spanish


Biographical Sketch

Alyssa Selmer is a professor of the literatures and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, with an emphasis on 20th Century Peninsular Spain.  She teaches a comprehensive assortment of courses in the Spanish Department, ranging from the elementary, intermediate, and advanced language sequence, to core courses (such as literary analysis), to seminars on Spanish identity, history, culture, and literary production.  She has a particular interest in issues related to immigration, women, and subaltern studies.  Alyssa is also a core member of the Ethnic Studies Department. 

In her spare time, Alyssa can be found playing Legos with her three children, running/training for marathons, and reading.  She is still working on perfecting her tortilla española...any suggestions are welcome! 

Link to Curriculum Vitae

CV May 2023

Academic History

  • Ph.D. Hispanic Literatures, University of Minnesota, 2013
  • M.A. Hispanic Literatures, University of Minnesota, 2005
  • B.A. English and Spanish, Lawrence University, 2000

Memberships

  • Modern Language Association
  • American Association of University Professors
  • ACTFL
  • Member of Steering Committee of the Rural Immigration Network

Courses Taught

  • Beginning Spanish I, II, III
  • Intermediate Spanish I, II
  • Advanced Spanish Grammar
  • Writing in Spanish
  • First-Year Seminar
  • Introduction to Literary Analysis
  • Topics in Peninsular Literature
  • Sex, Gore, and the Power of the Pen: Golden Age Literature of Spain
  • Don Quijote
  • 20th Century Peninsular Novel and Poetry
  • Spain in Transition
  • Voices of Protest in Spain
  • Madrid: Pop Culture
  • Capstone

Recent Conferences Attended

Engage Immigration Conference: St. Olaf College, June 14-15, 2018.

Collaborative Faculty Development to Integrate Off-Campus Study and On-Campus Learning: ACM Faculty Career Enhancement (FaCE) Fall 2017 Conference, September 15-16. 

"Moving from Crisis Mangement to Innovation: Reimagining the Role of World Languages in the 21st-Century Academy."  Simpson College.  Octoer 23-24, 2015.

Talks/Lectures

Humanities and Arts Interest Group (HAIG) Lecture. “María de Zaya’s Baroque Labyrinth of Horror. Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA. November 9, 2017.

"Enfreaking the Monstrous Hybridity of the Female in Maria de Zayas." 37th Annual Cincinnati Conference on Romance Languages and Literature. March 31-April 2, 2017.

"Building a Monster: Tortured Bodies in Maria de Zayas." Kentucky Foreign Language Conference. April 20-22, 2017

"Maria de Zayas's Baroque Labyrinth of Horror." Crimes Against Humanity in Literature and Film, University of Leon, Spain. May 17-20, 2017.