We are very pleased to announce Dr. Jose B. Alvarez as our new Center Director in Rome!
Dr. Alvarez comes to us from SIT Study Abroad where he most recently worked as Academic Dean for Latin American and European Studies, providing strategic direction and academic leadership for 30 year-round and summer programs in Latin America and Europe.
Prior to working at SIT, Dr. Alvarez earned a Ph.D. in Latin American Culture and Literature from Arizona State University in 1996. His scholarly specialization is in contemporary Latin American literature, film, performance, and cultural studies. He has a particular interest in Cuban narrative and film of the Revolution, cultural theory, and gender studies
Dr. Alvarez has published many scholarly articles, film and literary reviews, a book on the Cuban revolution, and has served as Associate Editor of Chasqui: revista de literatura latinoamericana. In 1996, he formed and acted for five years with Grupo Teatro TUNANTA, a troupe dedicated to Hispanic marginal theater in small formats.
Dr. Alvarez was previously a tenured professor of literature and film at the Romance Languages Department at the University of Georgia. During his time there, he created and directed study abroad and internship programs in Spain, Venezuela, Cuba, and Peru in collaboration with the University’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Terry College of Business.
Having spent at least two months a year in Italy since 2000, Dr. Alvarez permanently settled in Rome three years ago. He is looking forward to teaching courses on Italian film at the IES Abroad Rome Center.
Dr. Alvarez will begin as our Center Director in Rome on Monday, September 17.
