Faculty and Staff

María José García-Vizcaíno, chair and associate professor of Spanish, received her PhD from the Universidad de Granada in Spain. Her research interests include Pragmatics, Politeness, Audiovisual Translation with a focus on Audio Description. She is the Director of both Translation Certificates at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She teaches courses including Theory and Practice in Translation, Audiovisual Translation and Audio Description.

Anne Edstrom, deputy chair and associate professor, received her PhD in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Minnesota.  Her primary research interests are in the areas of Foreign Language Pedagogy, Pragmatics, and Sociolinguistics.  She teaches courses in Methodology for Second/Foreign Language Teaching, Hispanic Linguistics and Beginning and Intermediate Spanish.  She is a co-editor of El español a través de la lingüística: Preguntas y respuestas published by Cascadilla Press (2008) and has published articles on both pragmatics and pedagogical issues in journals such as Hispania, Foreign Language Annals, Canadian Modern Language Review and Journal of Pragmatics.

Antonella Calarota-Ninman, Director, Center for Latine and Spanish Academic Success and Excellence (CLASE), received her PhD from the University of Madrid (UNED) in Latin American literature. Her academic interests include poetry and Modernism in Latin America. She is also the faculty advisor of Sigma Delta Pi, the Hispanic Honor Society at Montclair State.

Raúl Galoppe, Professor of Spanish, received a PhD from the department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research focuses on the dialogue between gender and genre in literature and the construction of subjectivity. Within the theoretical framework of Lacanian psychoanalysis, feminism, queer theory, and performance, he concentrates on Latin American and Latino film and cultural studies as well as Baroque Spanish drama. He explores representations of women and critical sexualities in Latino cultures as they appear in film, drama, and fiction. Dr. Galoppe teaches courses on Spanish Theatre of the Golden Age, Queer Cinema, Hispanic Literary Studies, and Audiovisual Translation. He recently published A Stubborn Ghost: Essays in Honor of Henry W. Sullivan, an edited volume for Peter Lang (2023). He also published “The Aesthetics of Desire: Martín Barreiro’s Staging of El burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra” in A Stubborn Ghost: Essays in Honor of Henry W. Sullivan, ed. Raúl A. Galoppe, New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2023, 161-70; “Espejos invertidos: Representaciones queer en el cine argentino” in Espacios de encuentro e identidad, ed. Marina Martin, New York: ALDEEU, 2019, 369-85; and “(Un)Faithful Renditions: Gender Dynamics in an Adaptation of Don Gil de las calzas verdes” in Bulletin of the Comediantes 6-1 (2015): 131-48.

Professor García, is a lecturer in the Spanish and Latino Studies Department and the Spanish Language Program Coordinator. Prior to joining Montclair State, Professor García worked as an instructional designer for leading Canadian companies, where she specialized in developing innovative training programs to help the Spanish community enhance their business skills. García’s research interests focus on the intersection of language learning and educational technology. Her passion for helping students acquire language skills has led her to develop innovative teaching methods that combine traditional approaches with cutting-edge technologies. Her cultural sensitivity and student-centered approach foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

Marta López-Luaces, professor of Spanish, received her PhD from New York University. Her research interests include poetry and translation. She is the author of Los traductores del viento published by Vasa Roto Ediciones (2013). She teaches all levels of Spanish language and literature.

Valentin Soto, assistant professor of Spanish, received his PhD in Latin American Literature from Stanford University. He teaches linguistics, grammar, and composition courses in Spanish.

Roger A. Zapata, associate professor, received his PhD from the University of Minnesota. His research interests are Colonial Latin America and the Latin American novel of the 20th and 21th centuries. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. He is the author of numerous articles on Latin American narrative and culture. His books include Guamán Poma: Indigenismo y estética de la dependencia en la cultura peruana and Imágenes de la Resistencia indígena y esclava: hacia una historia comparativa. He is completing a new book-length project on new Peruvian narrative to be published in Peru by Garcilaso de la Vega University.