Dr. Patricia Ferrer-Medina

Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures; Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies; Coordinator of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies; Coordinator of Internships in Spanish

Bio

Dr. Ferrer-Medina teaches all levels of Spanish language, Translation, and Latin American and Caribbean cultures, film, and literature.  In essence, her courses deal with the theory and practice of intercultural competence and linguistic justice.  As an affiliated faculty to the Center for Civic Engagement and Leadership, she develops community-based learning projects such as the PPLD and Marist Community Translation Initiative and the Rhinebeck Afterschool Spanish Program. She also develops courses where students can hone their linguistic proficiency in service of the community as in the case of Making Latinx Count in the 2020 Census course and The COVID Equity Project. She enjoys working closely with students placing them in internships, organizing class trips or events, and advising the Hispanic/Latino student club.

During her time at Marist, Dr. Ferrer-Medina has served as chair of the LGBTQ (now Queer Trans) Committee, the Marist  Diversity Council, the department of World Languages and Cultures, and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program. In the community, she serves on the Poughkeepsie Public School Library District Board of Trustees.  She was the recipient of the 2022 Marist  Social Justice Award recognizing her classroom, campus, and community efforts in inclusion, equity, and diversity.

Education

Ph.D. Comparative Literatures, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Post Bac Certificate in Classical Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Certificat Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne
B.A. Comparative Literatures, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez

Research Interests / Areas of Focus

Colonial Caribbean Narrative
Theories of Race and Decolonization
Environmental Humanities
Linguistic Justice
Community Based Learning in the Language Classroom

Selected Publications

"La identidad etno-ecológica en el Caribe colonial hispano y el dualismo civilización/barbarie como su fundamento ideológico" ("Ethno-ecological Identity in the Hispanic Colonial Caribbean and the Civilization/Barbarism Dualism as its Ideological Basis") Cuadernos de Literatura del Caribe e Hispanoamérica, 37 (June 2023). 

"El zombie caníbal entre la colonialidad y la diferencia ecológica: Una breve arqueología de ideas" ("The Cannibal Zombie between Coloniality and Ecological Difference: A Brief Archeology of Ideas") Terra Zombi: El fenómeno transnacional de los muertos vivientes (Terra Zombie: The Transnational Phenomenon of the Living Dead) Ed. Rosana Díaz-Zambrana. San Juan, PR: Isla Negra, 2015. 29-45

"Nuevas incursiones críticas a los estudios coloniales caribeños: la crítica ecológica" ("New Critical Trends in Colonial Caribbean Studies: Ecological Criticism"). Cuadernos del CILHA, 17 (May 2012): 90-111.

"Ecology, Difference and Utopia in the Portrayal of the Gypsy in Cervantes' La gitanilla (1613)". Cervantes and/on/in the New World. Eds. Nieves Romero-Díaz, Julio Vélez-Sainz. Newark, DE: Juan de la Cuesta, 2007. 39-60

Selected Presentations

"La identidad etno-ecológica en el Caribe colonial hispano" ("Ethno-ecological Identity in the Hispanic Colonial Caribbean.") Universidad de Cartagena, Colombia. 7-12 June 2024. Presentation and roundtable.

"Coaching Collective Student Writing and Translating for Public Libraries as Community-Based Learning Projects." Conference on Community Writing. Denver, CO. 12-14 Oct 2023. Presentation.

"Ethno-ecological Identity in the Hispanic Caribbean." Society of Early Americanists Conference at the U of Maryland. 8-11 June 2023. Presentation.

"Geronimo de Ypori’s Of the Marañón River." Renaissance Society of America. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 9-11 March 2023. Presentation.

"The Civilization/Barbarism Dualism as an underpinning for the ethno-ecologic identity of the Cannibal, the Cholo, and the Natural Man in the Hispanic Caribbean." Colonial Caribbean Studies Meeting.  U of Miami. 6-7 Oct 2022. Discussion at a round table.

Awards and Honors

2022 Marist College Social Justice Award
2021 Recognized by Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro for work in the DC Vaccine Outreach Coalition

Image of Patricia Ferrer-Medina.

Contact Information

Academic School

School of Liberal Arts

Office

Fontaine 328

Email

patricia.ferrer@marist.edu

Phone

(845) 575-3000 ext. 6429