Faculty

Over 115 core and affiliate faculty are associated with the Center of Latin American Studies. They are listed below alphabetically and in three groups, core, affiliate, and emeritus along with their department and areas of specialization. Prospective graduate students are encouraged to contact faculty members whose research and teaching interests intersect with their own. Additional information is available on the departmental websites, which can be accessed through the University of Kansas homepage.

Name	Department	Specialization
Core Faculty		top
Craig Adams	Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering Professor	Water and waste-water; sanitation and sater issues in Central & South America; sanitation technology in developing nations
Chris Anderson	Business Associate Professor	International finance, Brazil and Ecuador
Danny Anderson	College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor and Dean	Spanish American and Mexican novel, Mexican literature
Santa Arias	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Colonial Latin American discourses, colonial and post-colonial theory, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of literature and culture
Melissa Birch	Business Associate Professor	International trade, privatization in Latin America, Paraguay
Christopher Brown	Geography Associate Professor	Culture, kinship, gender in the Amazon Basin, medical anthropology
Paula Cupertino	Preventive Medicine Assistant Professor	Effects of smoking in Latino communities; Smoking and lung cancer; Brazil
Gregory Cushman	History Associate Professor	Global environmental history, Latin America since 1750, history of science and technology
Stuart Day	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor and Chair	Contemporary Latin American literature, theater and performance in Mexico
Bart Dean	Anthropology Associate Professor	Culture, kinship, gender in the Amazon basin, medical anthropology
Cristian Dimitriu	Philosophy Lecturer	Philosophy, normative ethics, and global justice.
Tamara Falicov	Film and Media Studies Associate Professor and Chair	Nationalism in Argentine film, Latin American film
Ruben Flores	American Studies Assistant Professor	History of Mexico;Philosophy and Education in Post-Revolutionary Mexico; Latin American Migration to the United States; Comparative US-Mexican History
Veronica Garibotto	Spanish & Portuguese Assistant Professor	19th - 21st century Latin American literature and film; cultural and literary theory; Southern Cone culture, history and politics.
Jane Gibson	Anthropology Associate Professor and Chair	Development studies and women, Nicaragua
Tanya Golash-Boza	Sociology/American Studies Assistant Professor	Race and Ethnicity, Social and Economic Justice, Immigration
Peter Haney	Assistant Director & Undergraduate Advisor	Local and social aspects of Mexican American performance and the participation of immigrant and native-born performers in transnational processes and flows, especially carpa, or tent theater tradition in San Antonio. Various aspects of Latin American Area Studies: language, popular culture, migration, and themes related to greater Mexico and Central America.
Michelle Hayes	Dance Professor and Chair	Flamenco; Tango; Feminist Theory
Laura Herlihy	Latin American Studies Lecturer	Mexico, Central America, indigenous and afro-descendant peoples, gender, social organization
Peter Herlihy	Geography Associate Professor	Geography, conservation in Central America, and indigenous peoples, mapping in Latin America
Anita Herzfeld	Latin American Studies Professor	Socio-linguistic inequality, multiculturalism, creole languages of the Caribbean, multilingualism
John Hoopes	Global Indigenous Nations and Anthropology Director & Associate Professor	Costa Rican archaeology, ceramics, prehistoric trade, Mesoamerica
Nina Kinti-Moss	Latin American Studies Lecturer	Ecuadorian culture and Quichua language
Jana Krentz	Watson Library Associate Librarian, Bibliographer	Information Fluency, Latin American Literature
Jill Kuhnheim	Spanish and Portuguese Professor Latin American Studies Director	Contemporary poetry, cultural studies, and gender studies in Spanish America
Elizabeth Kuznesof	History Professor	Colonial Latin American social and family history, colonial Brazil, slavery
Linda Lee	School of Journalism Associate Professor/Associate Dean	Television, media and marketing communications in Latin American, especially Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Argentina
Brent Metz	Anthropology Associate Professor	Cho'rti' Maya indigeneity, ethnicity and identity, Central America, indigenous development
Aura Morgan	Family Medicine Research Instructor	Medical Spanish, Spanish Health Care workers
Mehrangiz Najafizadeh	Sociology Associate Professor	Development sociology, socio-political movements and third world change
Yajaira Padilla	Spanish Associate Professor	19th and 20th century Latin American literature, Central America
Town Peterson	Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Distinguished Professor-Senior Curator	Biological diversity and conservation, avian systematic, specialization
Dovis Pollock	Spanish and Portuguese Lecturer, Journalism and Linguistics Lecturer	Linguistics and Portuguese
Rosalea Postma-Carttar	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Specialist	Modern Spanish novel and language pedagogy
Clifton Pye	Linguistics Associate Professor	Mayan languages
Gary Reich	Government Associate Professor	Contemporary Latin American politics, political economy and developing nations
Anton Rosenthal	History Associate Professor	Urban History of Latin America in the 20th Century
Amy Rossomondo	Spanish and Portuguese Assistant Professor	Second language acquisition and pedagogy, sociolinguistics
Paola Sanguinetti Rivas	School of Architecture, Design, and Planning Associate Professor	Digital Archive of Latin American Architecture
Robert Schwaller	History Assistant Professor	Latin America (Mexico, Central America, Caribbean); history of race (intellectual and social development); African Diaspora in Latin America, indigenous history (ethnohistory of Mesoamerica)
Antônio Simões	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Linguistics, experimental phonetics, literacy problems in Brazil
Paul Sneed	Spanish and Portuguese Assistant Professor	Brazilian literature and culture, contemporary popular favela music
Jorge Soberon	Ecology and Evolutionary Biology/ Biodiversity Institute Professor and Senior Scientist	Biodiversity patterns at large scales; Niche theory; Biodiversity policy and governance. Environmental policy in Latin America
Geraldo de Sousa	English Professor	Renaissance Theater and Literature; Brazilian Theater, Literature and Culture; and Travel
Michael Swann	School of Architecture, Design & Planning Professor and Assoc. Dean	Migration in Colonial America, Urban Development in the Americas; Historical Cartography, Demography and Geography; Ethnicity and Community Structure and Formation
Barbara Thompson	Special Education Associate Professor	Early childhood special education; Inclusive early childhood program models; Significant disabilities
Robert Timm	Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Associate Curator	Tropical Ecology; Systematics; Mammalian Ecology; Host/parasite Relationships
Emily Tummons	Latin American Studies Lecturer	Maya Culture and Kaqchikel Maya
Susan Twombly	Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Chair	Education reform in Costa Rica
Vicky Unruh	Spanish and Portuguese Professor	Latin American theatre, vanguard novel in Latin America, 20th and 21st-Century Latin American Narrative, Theatre, and Literary Culture; Cuban Literature and Culture; Vanguard Movements in Latin America
Ketty Wong	Music and Dance Assistant Professor	Nationalism, identity, migration, Latin American music, Ecuador
William Woods	Geography Professor	Abandoned Settlements; Anthropogenic Environmental Change; Cultural Landscapes; Soils and Sediments; Traditional Settlement-Subsistence Systems
Affiliate Faculty		top
Name	Department	Specialization
Giselle Anatol	English Associate Professor	Caribbean literature, literature of the African Americas
Elizabeth Asiedu	Economics Associate Professor	International development in economics
Michael Baskett	Film & Media Studies Associate Professor	Early world film history; Transnational and Diasporic Cinemas; Film/Media History and Criticism; Colonial Film Studies; International Sound Film
Rob Bayliss	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Hispanic Literature and Comparative Literature
Neal Becker	Economics Assistant Professor	Applications of game theory; International trade negotiations
Christina Bejarano	Political Science Assistant Professor	The intersectionality of race/ethnicity and gender
Raj Bhala	School of Law Rice Distinguished Professor	International Trade; Agriculture; National Security; Remedies
Marta Caminero-Santangelo	English Professor and Chair	U.S. Latino/a literature
Ben Chappell	American Studies Assistant Professor	Popular culture, cultural politics, performance, space, Mexican American lowriders
Luis Corteguera	History Associate Professor	Spanish and Catalan history, early modern history, Atlantic World history
Michael Crawford	Anthropology Professor	Biological anthropology, anthropolical genetics, biological bases of human behavior
Denice Curtis	Preventive Medicine Teaching Associate	Community and Women's Health
Derrick Darby	Philosophy Associate Professor	Social and Political Philosophy, Ethics, African American Philosophy, Brazil
Rene Diaz	Architecture Professor	Pre-Columbian and colonial architecture of Mexico and South America
Dietrich Earnhart	Economics Professor	Environment and economic development in Costa Rica
Charles Eldredge	Art Distinguished Professor	American Art; Popular Culture; Art in New Mexico
Stephen Fawcett	Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor	Work Group for Community Health & Development, a WHO Collaborating Center
Adrian Finucane	History Assistant Professor	Colonial Americas; Caribbean, Shipping
Stephanie Fitzgerald	English Assistant Professor	American Indian literature; Ethnic American literature
Bryan Foster	Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Associate Professor	Biodiversity and conservation of plants
Ronald Francisco	Political Science Professor	Protest and regime transition; revolution; civil wars.
Joshua Freeman	Department of Family Medicine Professor and Chair	Family Medicine; Serving Underserved Communities
Malcolm Gibson	Department of Journalism/University Daily Kansan Associate Professor/General Manager & News Advisor	African and African American Media
Manuela Gonzalez Bueno	Education Associate Professor	Foreign Language, ESL
David Gottlieb	School of Law Professor and Associate Dean of Clinical Programs	Criminal Law, International Human Rights, Refugee and Asylum Law
Maryemma Graham	English Professor	Genre Studies, including fiction and autobiography; African American literature;Archival Studies; Diaspora and Transnational Criticism and theories; Digital humanities
John Head	School of Law Distinguished Professor	Comparative law, international commerce and investment, and public international law
Christina Holt	Associate Director Community Tool Box Services	WHO Collaborating Center
Sheyda Jahanbani	History Assistant Professor	History of the U.S. and the world, modern U.S. history, the history of international cooperation, the cold war at home and abroad, the U.S. and the Third World, global poverty, U.S.-Latin American relations
Randal Jelks	American Studies & African Studies Associate Professor	African American Religious, Urban, and Civil Rights History
Jay Johnson	Geography Assistant Professor	Indigenous peoples' cultural survival with specific regard to the areas of resource management, political activism at the national and international levels
William Johnson	Geography Professor and Chair	Quaternary stratigraphy, Stable isotope geochemistry, Geoarchaeology, Fluvial geomorphology, and Geologic mapping of Neogene and Quaternary deposits
John Kennedy	Political Science Associate Professor	Latin American Politics
Paul Laird	Music Professor	Villancico in Spain and Latin America, music of Leonard Bernstein, Broadway musical, early stringed instruments
Kristine Latta	College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Director of Graduate Affairs	Latin America, specifically the Andean region of South America; Migrant communities in the U.S.; Indigeneity; Globalization; Economy; Morality; Migration; Anthropology and History, Tourism
Thomas Lewin	History Associate Professor	Business history, US multinational corporations, cultural change
Elizabeth MacGonagle	History Associate Professor	African history and comparative Black history, in social and cultural history and gender history
Patricia Manning	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Spanish Golden Age, Baroque poetry and prose, emblem literature, and inquisition
Paul Markham	Curriculum and Teaching, School of Education Associate Professor	ESL; Pedagogy
John Mayhew	Spanish and Portuguese Professor	Spanish poetry and literary theory
Judith McCrea	Art Professor	Latin American art, Venezuela
Devon Mihesuah	Global Indigenous Nation Studies Professor	Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Choctaw Native Americans
Joane Nagel	Sociology Distinguished Professor	Race, gender and ethnicity theory
Sharon O'Brien	Political Science and Global Indigenous Nations Studies Associate Professor	Federal Indian Law; Tribal Governments; International Law; International Protection of Cultural Property
Jorge Pérez	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor; Graduate Admissions Chair	20th and 21st century Spanish film, novel, and popular culture; queer culture in contemporary Spain
Judith Reagan	International Programs Director	Cross-Cultural Issues Encountered During International Health Electives
Kimbel Richter	Preventive Medicine Associate Professor	Effects of smoking on Latino populations; pulmonary diseases
Isidro Rivera	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Medieval narrative, literature of fifteenth-century Spain
Jerry Schultz	Preventive Medicine; Human Development & Anthropology Assistant Professor	Memeber Community Tool Box Development Team
Roberta Schwartz	Music Associate Professor	Music of the Renaissance and African American music
Brent Steele	Political Science Associate Professor	International and Latin American Politics
Orley Taylor	Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor	Reproductive isolating mechanisms in sulfur butterflies; Reproductive and life history patterns in plants; Comparative biology of European and Neotropical African honey bees and migratory behavior of monarch butterflies
James Thorp	Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor	Structural and functional ecosystem responses to hydrogeomorphic variation in rivers, especially in regard to climate change; Food web ecology of rivers; Rehabilitation, management, and ecosystem services of aquatic systems
Andrew Torrance	School of Law Associate Professor	International Law; Intellectual Property
Peter Ukpokodu	African and African American Studies Professor and Chair	African-American theatre, African film and culture
Jessica M. Vasquez	Sociology Assistant Professor	Mexican Americans; Latinos; Racial/Ethnic Identity; Assimilation; Family; International Migration
Maria Velasco	Art Associate Professor	Identity issues, border populations and Paraguay, Installation Art; Contemporary Theory and Criticism; Drawing; Life Drawing
Margot Versteeg	Spanish and Portuguese Associate Professor	Contemporary peninsular cultural studies, focusing mainly on the 19th and early 20th century
Marta Vicente	History/Women's Studies Associate Professor	Spain, gender and sexuality, industrialization
Barney Warf	Geography Professor	Political economy as it pertains to the construction of space and place, regional development, product services, telecommunications
Daniel Wildcat	Institute for Policy and Social Research Research Associate	United States Native American education; American Indian identity
Michael Zogry	Religious Studies Associate Professor & Director, Indigenous Studies Program	Native American / First Nations religions, and theory and method in the study of religions with particular attention to the study of ritual, sport, play and games
Jack Winerock	Music Professor	Latin American Music
Emeritus Faculty		top
Name	Department	Specialization
Samuel Adams	Journalism
John Augelli	Geography	Central America
Robert Casad	School of Law	Civil procedure, conflicts, federal jurisdiction, remedies
Donald Chambers	Social Welfare
Larry Day	Journalism
Dimitrios Dendrinos	Architecture and Urban Design
Michael Doudoroff	Spanish and Portuguese	Spanish American modernism and literature
Bryant Freeman	African and African American Studies	Haitian Creole, voodoo, Haitain culture and politics
Peter Frevert	Economics
John Garland	School of Business	NAFTA, US-Canada-Mexico trade
George Heller	Music and Dance
Anita Herzfeld (as of 5/12)	Latin American Studies	Socio-linguistic inequality, multiculturalism, creole languages of the Caribbean, multilingualism
Judith Leblanc	Life Span Institute
Robert Lichtwardt	Biology
Donna Luckey	Architecture and Urban Planning Associate Professor	Housing and settlement patterns in Costa Rica, environmental planning
Charles Michener	Museum of Entomology
Robert Nunley	Geography	Central American geography, geography of population
Robert Smith	Museum of Anthropology
Raymond Souza	Spanish and Portuguese	Twentieth-century Spanish American literature, Caribbean literature, Cuban fiction
Robert Spires	Spanish and Portuguese	Modern Spanish novel and literary theory
Charles Stansifer	History	Central American history and politics, Caribbean history, revolutions of Latin America
Marilyn Stokstad	Art History
Robert Tomasek	Government
Phillip Wells	Botany
George Woodyard	Spanish and Portuguese	Spanish American Theater

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Faculty

Core Faculty

Affiliate Faculty

Emeritus Faculty

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