Rebecca M. Stephanis, Ph.D.

Professor - Spanish; Modern Languages and Literature

Dr. Stephanis received her Ph.D. in Latin American Literature and Cultures from Princeton University (2008). She also holds a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University and Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. She...

Rebecca Stephanis, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Education & Curriculum Vitae

Ph.D., Princeton University

M.A., Stanford University

M.A., Tulane University

Courses Taught

SPAN 201/202: Intermediate Spanish

SPAN 301/320: Advanced Grammar

SPAN 307/308: Introduction to Latin American Literature I/II

SPAN 332: Representing the Rainforest in the Americas

SPAN 333: Venis of Gold: Imagining Latin America

SPAN 341: Introduction to Spanish-American Civilization and Culture

SPAN 351: Latin American Cinema

SPAN 380: Representing Jungle Space

SPAN 418: Introduction to Latin American Short Story

SPAN 480: Representing Nature Across the Americas

SPAN 480: Seminar: Imagining Colombia


Dr. Stephanis received her Ph.D. in Latin American Literature and Cultures from Princeton University (2008). She also holds a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University and Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from Tulane University. She completed her undergraduate work in Diplomacy and World Affairs, Russian, and Economics at Occidental College. Her current research interests include the representation of the Amazon rain forest, extractivism in literature & film, and representation of the Colombian Conflict in film. She has also written on the textual construction of the Misiones province in Argentina and Cuban film. Dr. Stephanis grew up in Costa Rica, and has traveled extensively in Argentina, Costa Rica, and Cuba, and has visited several other countries. She spent the summer of 2023 volunteering at the CIWY Jacq Cuisi animal sanctuary in the Bolivian Amazon. While in Spokane, she enjoys watching films, reading, hikes, and runs with her family.

"Using Collaborative Film Sequence Writing to Explore Stereotypes in the Introduction to Latin American Film Classroom" Approaches to Teaching Latin American Cinema. Eds. Ana M. López and Antonio D. Gómez. (forthcoming).

"Murder, Myths, and Medicine in the Amazon: Reflections of the Colombian Nation and State in Frontera verde (Green Frontier, 2019)" Revista de Estudios Hispánicos. Ed. Vilma C. Navarro-Daniels. (2022).

"Borges and Buenos AIres: Creating Place from Space in Poetry and Prose" The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban Literary Studies.Ed. Jeremy Tamblin. (2021)

"The Burden of Violence in Ciro Guerra's La sombra del caminante (Wandering Shadows, 2004)" War, Revolution and Remembrance in World Cinema: Critical Essays. Ed. Nancy Membrez. (2021).

“Nota editorial: Homenaje a Ricardo Piglia” (co-author) Brújula, revista interdisciplinaria sobre los estudios latinoamericanos. 11 (2017): n. pag. Web.

Book Review: Immigration and National Identities in Latin America. Edited by Nicola Foote and Michael Goebel. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2014. Hispanic American Historical Review, 96.1, (2016): 171-172.

“Exploring Space/Excavating Place: Alejo Peyret, the Misiones Territory, and the Argentine State,” L’Érudit franco-espagnol. Spring 2013: 51-61. (peer-reviewed , online journal)

“El mensú como héroe nacional: cuestiones de pertinencia en la obra periodística de Alfredo Varela,” La Revolución en Tiempos del Bicentenario. América Latina entre la liberación y la dependencia. Ed. Maximiliano. Posadas (Misiones): EdUNaM, 2011. (one page, invited contribution).

“Comentario editorial.” Co-authored with Jennifer M. Valko. Brújula: revista interdisciplinaria sobre estudios latinoamericanos 3.1 (2004): 5-10.

“En route, a guide to professional development: Book Reviews.” Co-authored with Jennifer M. Valko. Brújula: revista interdisciplinaria sobre estudios latinoamericanos 3.1 (2004): 124-137.

“En route, a guide to professional development: Conferences.” Co-authored with Jennifer M. Valko. Brújula: revista interdisciplinaria sobre estudios latinoamericanos 1.1 (2002): 131-143.

“La construcción del “Hombre nuevo”: el intelectual y el revolucionario en Memorias del subdesarrollo, Fresa y Chocolate y Guantanamera.” Brújula: revista interdisciplinaria sobre estudios latinoamericanos 1.1 (2002) 30-36.

“Borges and Buenos Aires: The Barrio, Memory and the Other.” Variaciones Borges 12 (2001): 167-178.