Phone:  228-5038

Office:   LA3072

Email:   mdapodacav

Curriculum Vita

Dr. Apodaca-Valdez is an Assistant Professor of Spanish since fall 2009 to the present. He holds a B.A. degree from the University of Guanajuato in Mexico in 1995, an M.A. degree in Spanish Linguistics from Purdue University in 2001, and a Ph.D. degree from Purdue University in 2006. He has conducted field research in the Costa Chica region of Oaxaca and Guerrero among the Afro-Mexican population from 2005 to 2007, and in Cartagena de Indias and San Basilio de Palenque in Colombia in 2008-2009. His research area is Afro-Latin American dances, music and oral tradition as performances that reflect African heritage, hybridism, and identity.

Dr. Apodaca-Valdez has participated in various National and International Conferences disseminating the results of his research. He also has published scholarly papers and two books, Donde las voces fecundan (2001), co-author Héctor Domínguez (U. of Texas). This is a collection of essays about oral tradition in rural and fishing communities of the State of Baja California in Mexico, and Compendio lexicográfico de los alimentos en Guanajuato (1998), co-author Norma Rosas Mayén (USI). This work in Spanish includes various essays, recipes, and a glossary of the most typical products and forms of preparation of food in the State of Guanajuato.

Apodaca-Valdez was Assistant Professor of Spanish at Wittenberg University (2006-2009) before coming to USI. At Wittenberg he developed a service learning program involving students of Spanish from Wittenberg who served as English tutors for Hispanic students. Also, he actively participated in nonprofit organizations on behalf of the Latino community in Ohio.

Check out his blog on Arborescencias: Afro-Latin American cultures
http://myblog-arborescencia.blogspot.com/2009/06/afro-mexican-dance-of-devils-ii.html.