Tania Avilés Vergara, PhD
Dr. Tania Avilés Vergara is a linguist with a PhD in Latin American, Iberian, and Latino cultures from The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. She also holds a Master’s degree and a BA in Hispanic linguistics from the University of Chile. Her current research delves into the role of educational systems in the production and reproduction of linguistic stigmatization and inequality during Chile’s nation state building process. A native of Santiago, she has conducted extensive research in the Archivo Nacional Histórico, and from that experience she has edited two books that preserve historical documentation from the 19th century. Building off her passion for archives, she developed a language curriculum development project to teach Spanish as a heritage language using archival resources, published in the Journal of Latinos and Education. Currently, she is exploring the effects of implementing critical language awareness pedagogies to teach advanced grammar to Spanish heritage speakers. In Chile and New York, Dr. Vergara has taught diverse courses for native and L2 Spanish learners, including Spanish for Translation, Research Methods, Textual Analysis, and Hispanic Linguistics. At SIT Chile, she aims to build intercultural understanding with the students from her own experience as an international student in New York City.
Education
- PhD, Latin American, Iberian, and Latino cultures, The Graduate Center of The City University of New York
- MA, Hispanic Linguistics, University of Chile
- BA, Hispanic Linguistics, University of Chile
