Faculty Members

Distinguished Professor

Edna Acosta-Belén, Ph.D., Columbia University
Hispanic Caribbean literature and cultural history; U.S. Latino literature and cultural history; cultural studies; women's studies; Puerto Rico, and Cuba.
CONTACT: Eab@cas.albany.edu
518/ 442-4719

Distinguished Professor

Daniel Levy , Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Higher education politics and policy in Latin America; Mexican politics: Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Costa Rica. For more information
CONTACT: Dlevy@uamail.albany.edu
518/ 442-5177

Professors

Jeanette Altarriba, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Second language acquisition, social cognition, language and culture: U.S. Latinos. For more information.
CONTACT: Ja087@cnsunix.albany.edu
518/ 442-5004

Christine E. Bose, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Women and development; political economy; social stratification; Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. For more information
CONTACT: C.bose@albany.edu
518/ 442-4670

Louise M. Burkhart, Ph.D., Yale University
Historical ethnography; Aztec civilization: Mexico, and Spain. For more information
CONTACT: Burk@cas.albany.edu
518/ 442-4706

Max Lifchitz, Ph.D., Harvard University
Musicology; Music of the Americas; composer, piano performer. For more information.
CONTACT: lifchitz@cnsunix.albany.edu
518/ 442-4092

Colbert I.Nepaulsingh, Ph.D., University of Toronto
English-speaking Caribbean literature and culture; colonial literature; Iberian Medieval and Golden Age literature: Spain, and the Caribbean; transatlantic studies.
CONTACT: Nepaulsi@albany.edu
518/ 442-4658

Associate Professors

José E. Cruz, Ph.D., City University of New York, CUNY
Urban politics and U.S. Latino policy issues: Puerto Rico. For more information. Prof. Cruz currently serves as Director of NYLARNet.
CONTACT: Conga@albany.edu
518/ 442-5377

Glyne Griffith, Ph.D. University of the West Indies, Mona
West Indies literature; literature, ideology and culture. Prof. Griffith currently serves as LACS Department Chairman.
CONTACT: ggriffith@albany.edu
518/442-4864

Fernando Leiva, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Latin American economic development; political economy and political economy of gender. Prof. Leiva currently serves as Director of LACS Graduate Studies and Director of Globalization Studies Major.
CONTACT: Fleiva@albany.edu
518/ 442-4891

Gilbert Valverde, Ph.D., The University of Chicago
Educational politics, policy analysis in Latin America; comparative education policy studies: Chile, Peru, and Central America. For more information
CONTACT: Valverde@albany.edu
518/ 442-5089

James W. Wessman, Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Jaliscan ethnography; agrarian systems in Mexico and Puerto Rico; Mexico and Puerto Rico. Prof. Wessman serves as Director of LACS Undergraduate Studies and Director of Film Studies. For more information
CONTACT: Wessman@albany.edu
518/ 442-4892

Assistant Professors

Ma. Isabel Ayala, Ph.D., Texas A & M University

CONTACT: Mayala@albany.edu
518/ 442-4172

Susan Gauss, Ph.D., SUNY-Stony Brook
Industrialization and development in modern Latin America.
CONTACT: Sgauss@albany.edu
518/ 437-3977

Patricia de Santana Pinho
Ph.D., Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Afro-Brazilian Culture; Blackness in Latin America; Cultural Studies; Globalization; Tourism; Identities
CONTACT: ppinho@albany.edu
518/ 442-4893

Barbara Sutton
Ph.D., University of Oregon
Globalization: body politics; women in Latin America; human rights; women's activism; intersections of systems of inequality (race, class, sexuality, nation); qualitative methods; Argentina
CONTACT: bs944748@albany.edu
518/ 442-4319

LACS Associate and Bibliographer

Jesús Alonso-Regalado

I currently serve as the bibliographer for Latin American, Caribbean , and U.S. Latino Studies.My research interests focus on Latin American cinema (both films and documentaries). Within this field, I am particularly interested in the interaction and exchange between Latin America and other regions of the world, such as the United States, Spain, and Portugal .From a library perspective, I am interested in the design of specialized information literacy courses where students are exposed to new resources, services, and searching techniques. I also feel that encouraging students to apply critical-thinking skills during the research process (defining topics for research, searching on the Internet, etc.) is vital to their learning experience. I encourage students to use high-quality information sources that provide various perspectives on particular topics. This kind of information is not always apparent to our students. To this end, I continually evaluate new research resources in all formats and explore new ways to expose students to materials from other countries, independent publishers, organizations, international institutions, and those in other languages.

CONTACT: jalonso@uamail.albany.edu
518/ 442-3554

Office Administrator (Spanish-Speaking)

Librada Pimentel-BrownCONTACT: Bebe@albany.edu