LAURA COLANERI, PH.D.
Teaching Philosophy
I strive to provide a supportive classroom environment in which my students are able to approach learning as a lifelong practice: that is, a process of ongoing engagement and improvement that will continue well beyond any individual course or the university classroom.
I believe that students must feel safe and supported in the classroom and have a stake in their own education in order to embrace learning as a practice. To this end, I prioritize inclusion, encouragement, and helpful corrective feedback so that students become comfortable with making errors in front of their peers and their instructor and gain the confidence that they can meet rigorous expectations.
I insist on an inclusive classroom environment that is safe and accepting of diverse identities and experiences, accounting for power dynamics and encouraging students to be themselves and feel respected regardless of their nationality, race or ethnicity, citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.
Teaching Experience
Instructor, University of Chicago
Readings in World Literature: The Epic, Fall 2024
Freshman discussion seminar, nineteen undergraduate students; first of three in the Humanities Core sequence. Students examine the relationship between the individual and society in a rich and exciting selection of literary texts from across the globe. Designed assessments and essay prompts, planned lessons, conducted class sessions including leading group discussions, evaluated student work, and assisted students during office hours. Collaborated with a writing specialist to help students develop college academic essay writing skills.
Contemporary Women Writers in Latin America, Spring 2024
Intermediate to advanced interdisciplinary discussion seminar, sixteen undergraduate students and one auditor. Students contended with changing trends and historically and culturally specific ideas of representation, womanhood, feminism, and feminine sexuality in Latin America. Designed all course materials, including syllabus and assessments, planned lessons, guided in-class discussions, provided substantive feedback on student presentations, blog posts, and final projects, and advised students during office hours. View syllabus here. View course website featuring student blog posts and final projects here.
Beginning Elementary Spanish III, Spring 2024
Introductory language course, thirteen undergraduate students. The third of three courses that make up the first-year Spanish language sequence at the University of Chicago. Had full responsibility for developing lesson plans, conducting classes three times weekly, administering quizzes and exams, grading all assignments, and assisting students during office hours.
Latin American Literatures and Cultures: 20th and 21st Centuries, Winter 2024
Introductory literature survey seminar, nine undergraduate students. Students are introduced to a panoramic overview of major literary movements and trends in Spanish-American writing from the turn of the twentieth century to the present. Designed syllabus and assessments, planned lessons, conducted class sessions including introducing texts and authors via brief presentations and leading group discussions, evaluated student work, and assisted students during office hours.
Readings in World Literature: Epic Poetry, Fall 2023
Introductory discussion seminar; first of three in the Humanities Core sequence. Students examine the relationship between the individual and society in a rich and exciting selection of literary texts from across the globe. Concurrently, they address the challenges faced by readers confronting foreign literatures, reading across time and cultures, and reading texts in translation.
Women and Horror in Contemporary Latin America, Winter 2021
Intermediate to advanced interdisciplinary discussion seminar, ten undergraduate students. Students explored questions relevant to both horror studies in general and contemporary Latin American horror specifically from a feminist perspective. Introduced texts and authors to students via brief presentations; guided in-class discussions and provided substantive feedback on weekly discussion board posts and longer essays; and designed assignments to aid students in developing key analytical skills necessary for academic writing and interpreting literary and filmic texts. View syllabus here.
Beginning Elementary Spanish II, Winter 2019, Spring 2019
Introductory language course, twelve undergraduate students (winter 2019); thirteen undergraduate and one graduate student (spring 2019). The second of three courses that make up the first-year Spanish language sequence at the University of Chicago. Had full responsibility for developing lesson plans, conducting classes three times weekly, administering quizzes and exams, grading all assignments, and advising students during office hours.
Course Assistant, University of Chicago
College Summer Institute, College Center for Research and Fellowships, Summer 2020
Advised undergraduate students in conducting original research projects on the interdisciplinary theme of “The Place of Water: Histories, Presence, and Futures.” Provided feedback to students at multiple project stages and held skills workshops on developing key research questions, refining a thesis, revising drafts, writing abstracts, designing effective presentations, and public speaking.
Introducción a las literaturas hispánicas: Textos hispanoamericanos del modernismo al presente, Spring 2020
Assisted instructor of record in revising syllabus, planning lessons, conducting class sessions, leading group discussions, designing assessments, evaluating student work, and advising students during office hours. Taught virtually via Zoom. This introductory literature sequence course provided a panoramic overview of major literary movements and trends in Spanish-American writing from the end of the nineteenth century to the present.
Introducción a las literaturas hispánicas: Textos españoles contemporáneos, Fall 2019
Assisted instructor of record in revising syllabus, planning lessons, conducting class sessions, leading group discussions, designing assessments, evaluating student work, and advising students during office hours. This introductory literature sequence course provided a panoramic overview of Spanish literature from the nineteenth century to the present through the lens of “struggles for modernity,” emphasizing how Spanish writers and intellectuals conceptualized modernity and struggled to define the modern Spanish nation and citizen within an increasingly urban landscape.
Language Assistant, University of Chicago, Winter and Spring 2018
Conducted individual conversations with students at beginning and intermediate levels of Spanish sequence.