College of Arts & Sciences Languages

Deborah VanDamme-Zardeneta

Deborah Van Damme
Instructor
Languages, Linguistics and Philosophy: Spanish, College of Arts & Sciences
USL Slagle Hall/Auditorium 308
Phone: 605-677-8893
Bio:
Born in Rome, Italy to European parents. Adolescent years, raised in Western Europe and East and West Africa. Studied Spanish literature and Latin American politics at UNAM in Mexico City. While visiting Richard Leakey's sites in Kenya, developed an interest in archeology, and later participated in archeological excavations in Guatemala and Mexico.
Teaching Interests:
Spanish and Italian language, linguistics, composition, literature, history and politics.
Research Interests:
Latin American Postcolonial literature with particular concentration on writers of the Latin American Boom period. Revolutionary landscapes and the application of ecofeminist theory in the works of Gioconda Belli, Che Guevara and Omar Cabezas. In recent years, I have expanded my research interests in developing successful and culturally competent pedagogical methods for second language acquisition, in particular for Spanish language classes.
Education:
  • Humanities PHD Program, ABD PhD , Latin American 20th Century Revolutionary Literature, University of Texas, 2000
  • MA, Spanish , University of Texas at Arlington , 1994
  • Under auspices of the University of Texas, latin American Literature, UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico), 1989
  • Under the auspices of the University of Texas, Spanish Literature, Universidad Internacional, 1988
  • BA, Spanish and Political Science , University of Texas, Arlington, 1986
Grants:
  • NIH Grant, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
Publications:
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D., Ad Astra, University of Virginia, vol. one.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D., Idioma en acción, University of Texas Press, vol. one.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D., La mujer habitada: A Postmodern Ecofeminist Novel.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D., Señales de identidad: Antología de España y Latinoamérica, vol. one.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D., (2006), If We Bleed or Die It Doesn't Matter and Other Stories.
Awards and Honors:
  • Rosa Louise Parks Awards, USD Campus Diversity Awards, 2013
  • Employee of the Month, USD, 2012
  • Most Outstanding Faculty Award, Cumberland University, 2011
Presentations:
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2012, October). Decentering Patriarchal Landscapes in a Postmodern Ecofeminist Novel. Presented at the Biennial Woman and Gender Conference, University of South Dakota.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2012, July). The Inhabited Woman: A Postmodern Ecofeminist Novel. Presented at the Realia Philosphy Conference, University of South Dakota.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2009, September). The Five Pillars of Islam. Presented at the Islamic Culture Seminar, Mission Viejo, CA.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2007, December). Bridging the Cultural Gap: Are Foreign Language Students Culturally Competent?. Presented at the Modern Language Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2007, February). Bridging the Cultural Gap. Presented at the CCFLT Conference, Denver, CO.
  • VanDamme-Zardeneta , D. (2007, February). If We Bleed or Die It Doesn't Matter.