Ana M. López-Aguilera
Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish
Education
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Ph.D. in Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish), University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
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M.A. in Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish), University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
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Máster en Enseñanza de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language), University of Málaga, Spain.
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Certificado de Aptitud Pedagógica (CAP; Certificate of Pedagogical Competence), University of Málaga, Spain.
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B.A. in Translation and Interpreting, University of Málaga, Spain.
Biography
Ana López-Aguilera trained as a translator and interpreter at the University of Málaga, Spain, where she also completed graduate studies in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and obtained certification to teach at the secondary level. After several years working as a language and cultural liaison for international companies in southern Spain, she transitioned to language education.
A scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Education brought her to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she supported Spanish language programs through the Spanish Resource Center. She later earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish at UNL. Her graduate research explored the relationship between cultural production and social and political issues, examining these questions through Spanish immigration cinema in her master’s thesis and the novels of contemporary Spanish writer Belén Gopegui in her doctoral dissertation.
Since completing her graduate studies, López-Aguilera has worked in higher education, teaching developing programs and instructional materials in Spanish language, cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish for the Professions, and Translation and Interpreting.
Research Interests
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Contemporary Spanish cultural production, with particular attention to novels and films that engage with social and political change.
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Translation and interpreting especially in community settings.
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Spanish for the professional context with an emphasis on intercultural competence and effective communication across cultures.
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Foreign language pedagogy with a focus on community-based learning and the use of literary and audiovisual materials in the teaching of Spanish.
Representative Publications
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Advanced Reading for Comprehension Workbook. Co-authored with Lola Lorenzo. Kendall Hunt, 2014.
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“Ocupar las calles: la protesta social en el cine.” Azulejo para el aula de Español. Consejería de Educación en Portugal 8 (2017): 7–20.
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“Literatura infantil comprometida: el caso de Belén Gopegui.” Hispania 102.4 (2019): 503–512.
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Culturas hispanas a través de la pantalla / Hispanic Cultures Through the Screen. Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project, 2021.
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“Transnational Remakes: Hollywood traduce el cine hispanoamericano reciente.” In Nexos culturales en el mundo hispánico: Ni de aquí ni de allá. University of Málaga Press, 2023, pp. 26–41.