Angelique DwyerFaculty

"Soy del sur y del norte, crecí zurda y norteada". / "I'm from the south and the north, I grew up lefthanded and disoriented." (Comiendo lumbre / Eating Fire, Gina Valdés)

I joined the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Gustavus Adolphus College in 2010. I teach Spanish language, Latin American culture and film, Latin American and U.S. Latin@ literature in Spanish. I am a specialist in Mexico / U.S. Intercultural Studies. I am particularly interested in Latin@/Latin American pop culture through the lens of Perfomance Theory. I recently completed a creative non-fiction project written in Spanglish, entitled "Gringos mexicanos," which broadens the dialogue on Mexican American identity. In 2019 I received a grant to create a podcast featuring this project. To hear more about my story, follow the Podcast "Learning for Life."

I am a community engaged scholar committed to co-learning and co-creating in and outside of the classroom. In 2016 I was honored to receive the President's Civic Engagement Award through the Minnesota Campus Compact for advancing the culture and practice of community engagement on campus. As a Faculty Engaged Fellow in 2011 I developed a community-based learning model with members of the Latin@ community of St. Peter and the Gustavus Spanish program called Language Buddies, concerned with fostering transcultural competence in St. Peter.

Language Buddies partners with: 

• St. Peter Public Schools
• Area Adult Learning Cooperative
• Cambria (ELL classes)
• St. Peter Free Clinic
• St. Petter Food Pantry

PUBLICATIONS

Creative Work:

• Dwyer, KA. Gringos Mexicanos Podcast. Fall 2019.
• Dwyer, KA. "La vaca." PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. UTS ePress. Nicolás Manganas (Ed). Volume 17. Nº 1/2 2020.
• Dwyer, KA. “Gringos Mexicanos.” PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. Paul Allatson (Ed). UTS ePress. Volume 16. Nº 1/2 2019.
• Dwyer, KA. “Doce horas: A Family Border Tale.” PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. Paul Allatson (Ed). UTS ePress. Volume 16. Nº 1/2 2019.
• Dwyer, KA. "La manda." PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. Paul Allatson (Ed). UTS ePress. Volume 16. Nº 1/2 2019.
• Dwyer, K.A. "Simón." PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. Paul Allatson (Ed). UTS ePress. Volume 16. Nº 1/2 2019.
• Dwyer, KA. “My Brother the Mexican.” PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. Paul Allatson (Ed). UTS ePress. Volume 14. Nº 1 2017.

Book Chapters:

• Dwyer, KA. "How a Thriving Community Engaged Program went Downhill and Back Up Again: A Case Study on Language Buddies at a Liberal Arts College in Rural Minnesota." How Do We Build that? An Interdisciplinary Toolbox for Humanities: Practices, Projects, and Programs. Álvarez-Blanco, P., Fraser, B., Henseler, C. and Mueller, S. (Eds.) Lever Press. 2025.
• Dwyer, KA. “De broma en broma la verdad se asoma: Lotería y dicotomía cultural en ‘Sístole, diastole’ de Carlos Cuarón. Literatura a través de las culturas. Williams, Raymond L. & Ponce de León, Gina (Eds.) Diente de león: Bogotá, Colombia. 2017.
• Dwyer, KA. “Performing Nation Diva Style: La Tequilera.” Race and Cultural Practice in Popular Culture. González, Rachel & Pérez, Domino (Eds.) Rutgers: New Jersey. 2018.
• Dwyer, KA. “Performing Chicanas in Cyberspace: www.almalopez.com” Expanding Latinidad: An Inter-American Perspective. Ed. Luz Angélica Kirschner. Bilingual Review Press, Arizona, 2011.

Interviews:

• Adams, A; Dwyer, KA; Sánchez-González, D. “Del exilio no se vuelve: Entrevista al cineasta, guionista y escritor mexicano-argentino Sergio Schmucler.”Confluencia. University of Northern Colorado. Volume 34 Nº 1 (Fall 2018). 
• Adams, A; Dwyer, KA. “Cine nacional comprometido con la juventud nicaragüense:  entrevista con la directora Florence Jaugey.” Confluencia. University of Northern Colorado. Volume 30 Nº 1 (Fall 2014). 

Articles:

• Sigler, TJ; Amen, KA; Dwyer, KA. “The Heterogeneous Isthmus: Unpacking Socioeconomic and Cultural Differentiation in Panama.” Bulletin of Latin American Research, Volume 34. Issue 2. April 2015.

Pedagogical Materials:

•  Dwyer, KA. Online Student Activities Manual, Identidades 3rd Edition. Intermediate Spanish Textbook. Pearson, 2011.
• Alessi, S., & Dwyer, A. “Vocabulary Assistance Before and During Reading.” Reading in a Foreign Language, 20.2 (2008): 246-263.

Courses Taught