Main areas of research and teaching:

19^th to 21^th Centuries Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures; Portuguese language and Portuguese and Brazilian culture.

Other areas of research and/or teaching:

Luso-Brazilian Cinema; Applied Linguistics and Multimedia Learning; African Literatures in Portuguese; Textual Criticism and Medieval Portuguese Poetry.

Adding the emphasis in Applied Linguistics to my Ph.D. in Luso-Brazilian Literature was one of the best steps I took during my time at UCSB.  Language teaching methodology had been one of my main areas of research and teaching, and the Emphasis allowed to significantly expand that interest.  I particularly cherished the opportunity to research in the area of multimedia learning in the context of the language class, using the work with my own classes.  I believe I learned a lot, from specific and up-to-date tools to a general theoretical framework.  In this work I always felt I was guided by faculty who were extremely dedicated to their work and their students.  Eventually this research opened a path for publications.  Finally, I think the emphasis in Applied Linguistics was of great value when I went on the job market, and in fact it helped me prepare for many of the challenges I met in my job.