Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Mr. Jess M. Boersma, Lecturer, will begin his tenure-track position as assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures in fall 2007. Mr. Boresma received his B.S. in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is anticipating completion of his Ph.D. in Spanish from Emory University prior to the beginning of classes. His dissertation is titled “Combating the Modern State: War and Literature as Weak Dialectic in Galdós, Sender, Semprún and Goytisolo,” and it provides a literary and critical context for the examination of state-sponsored violence in four defining moments in the contemporary history of Spain and Europe. Mr. Boersma was selected in the summer of 2004 by The Carter Center to participate as a member of an international delegation for the Venezuelan presidential recall vote, and in 1999 he headed a medical clinic for Hurricane Mitch relief deployment in Nicaragua. His teaching experience includes courses in film, violence theory, Spanish language, and graduate courses in Spanish literature.

Dr. Brian T. Chandler, Assistant Professor, starts his tenure-track position in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures in fall 2007 as an assistant professor of Spanish with a focus on Latin America. He received a B.A. from Lenoir-Rhyne College and a M.A. from the University of South Carolina-Columbia. He has just completed his doctorate at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a dissertation titled “The Past is Present: Mexican Historiographic Metaliterature.” His research interest lies in the history and literature of contemporary Mexico. He is also interested in the cultural, economic and political interaction between Mexico and the U.S. Dr. Chandler has had experience with service-learning and is seeking to implement this methodology in his classes at UNCW.

Dr. Amrita Das, Assistant Professor, will begin her tenure-track position as an assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures in fall 2007. Dr. Das earned her B.A. in English Literature and her M.A. in Spanish at the University of Delhi, India. She received her Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature from Florida State University, and has served for 2 years as a Visiting Assistant Professor at The Citadel. Her dissertation, “Writing Memory: The Latino Community and Continuity in the Writings of Julia Alvarez, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Achy Obejas,” examined the continuing connection of the diasporic communities in the U.S. to their native Caribbean cultures, through the modes of Memory and narrative. Her research interests in the area of Contemporary Latin American literature focus on the postmodern narrative, the autobiography as a communal text, and U.S. Latino literature.

Mr. David A. Gagliano, Lecturer, will begin teaching Latin and Classics in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures in fall 2007. Mr. Gagliano received his B.A. from Tulane University in Classics and Anthropology and his M.A. in Classics from Florida State University. Mr. Gagliano has teaching experience in Latin, mythology and courses in translation. He served as Assistant Site Director and Trench Supervisor on archaeological expeditions in Italy.

Dr. Jiangbo Wan, Lecturer, will initiate a program in Chinese in the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures in fall 2007. Dr. Wan received her B.A. and her Ph.D. from Shanghai International Studies University and her M.A. from Fudan University where she now teaches as Senior Lecturer. Her teaching and research interests focus on the cultural and literary perspectives in translation.