UC Spanish Professor Brings Media Education To Life

How does a Spanish sports journalist end up teaching literature in Cincinnati? Andres Perez-Simon, an assistant professor in the Spanish department at the University of Cincinnati, has come a long way from his journalistic roots. But this spring, he will return to them as he teaches a new course, Spanish for communications and Media. 

While he began his career highlighting the lives of professional athletes, Perez- Simon always enjoyed reading about politics, history and sports. As a student he worked for a radio station, then he became a basketball reporter for one of the biggest sports newspapers in Spain.

“What I love the most about journalism is the opportunity to engage in real time conversations and having the immediate feedback with radio, online and print,” said Perez-Simon.

Before long though, Perez-Simon craved more education. He went back to school to pursue a degree in theory of literature. He earned a master's degree in 2006 and his first doctorage in 2008. In 2010, he received his second PhD, in comparative literature, in Toronto. 

In 2011, he joined the faculty at UC, where he has taught a wide range of Spanish literature courses including contemporary Spanish theater, topics in Spanish literature and Spanish novel. In all of his courses, he stresses the importance of understanding one’s own culture through new lenses.

“I try to present content that is relevant in today’s world in order to show how culture is not a solidified, dead repertoire of names and dates to be memorized for an exam,” he said. “I enjoy the interaction with my students, especially when we can establish a relationship of trust and we are able to exchange views without fear of being pressured to go with the ‘easy’ answer,” he said.

Perez-Simon discovered new ways to bring lessons to life during a digital humanities summer institute, which he received a grant to attend. For Perez-Simon digital humanities can inspire new connections that keep students engaged in learning. 

Perez-Simon’s new course will focus on communication within the Spanish-speaking world through digital media, advertising, TV, journalism and social media. The course will be taught in Spanish so students are required to understand and speak the language. 

Students in this class will create podcasts, interview Hispanics on campus, explore Hispanic newspapers, record themselves, create Youtube Channels and work on captioning and translating. By focusing on hands-on activities instead of textbook-driven course work, students will be immersed in many of the ways people engage with the Spanish language.