Colleen Coleman-
This week’s Gustie of the Week is Dr. Angelique Dwyer, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Spanish in the MLLC department, and LALACS department chair. Having taught on The Hill since 2010, Dwyer has been involved in many areas on campus – having developed the Language Buddies program, worked as a Nobel Conference Co-Chair for the 2022 conference on “Mental Health (IN)Equity and Young People,” and has supported DEIB efforts through the CIE and the CICE.
Dwyer has a primary focus on Latin American film, culture, and literature, as well as the Spanish language itself. Holding a B.A. in Communication Studies from Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores in Guadalajara, MX, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in 20th Century Latin American Literature from the University of Iowa, Dwyer focuses her life and career around intercultural studies and immersive learning opportunities.
Although she was drawn to Gustavus for its small-town feel and openness, Dwyer wasn’t originally intending to teach in higher education. “I didn’t know I wanted to be a professor until I had to lead a class and found the experience thrilling; kind of like doing stand-up or theater. The classroom can be a stage, in a way, a flow of energies, an interweaving of thoughts and arguments,” Dwyer said. As a child, Dwyer was always infatuated with creative writing, which brought her into her area of expertise. “When I was a kid I would hand out copies of my ‘recent book’ to family guests – notes with scribbles and stickers stapled together,” Dwyer mentioned.
Dwyer also focuses on expanding her knowledge outside the classroom, calling herself an “everlasting student.” During J-Terms, summers, and future May Terms, Dwyer focuses on learning more about her content and growing her worldview outside of academia. “You have to want to learn, you have to never lose the desire to leave and immerse yourself in the books and just sit in library halls to maintain relevance in your brain, thoughts, and work,” Dwyer said.
Looking back on her 13 years at Gustavus, Dwyer cites some of her favorite experiences as Co-Chairing the 2022 Nobel Conference with Dr. Marie Walker of the Psychology Department and co-teaching the Latinx Identities class with English Professor Sun Hee Lee. With the conference theme of mental health in youth, students’ interest peaked and Dwyer and Walker, along with the Nobel team, worked hard to embrace the interdisciplinary aspects of the conference. “It was a topic that excited a lot of students because it hit home, and it was great working with a lot of our LALACS student hosts,” Dwyer said.
“Dwyer came on as a person without a psychology or mental health background but came with her knowledge of community and [a] very good understanding of ethnicity as it relates to systemic racism and oppression. Working with the conference, she was able to pick up on things that were really important to understanding those issues,” Walker said. “I loved working with Dwyer, she is just so full of ideas, energy, and commitment to bettering the world,” Walker said.
Dwyer cites the Latinx Identities course as one of the most unique classes she’s taught at Gustavus. “I really enjoyed working with Sun Hee Lee, who is a wealth of knowledge with her work with American and ethnic studies as well as domestic diversity. She had taught that class as a non-Spanish speaker, yet she has a very interesting multicultural take as a Korean-American. She invited me to co-teach and collaborate on the course to incorporate the language more,” Dwyer said.
The pair created a dual-immersion co-taught course, with lessons taught in a variety of Spanish levels (basic, advanced, and a Spanglish blend.) The style of education reflects the course’s content and life itself. Playing with the multilingualism catered to domestic diverse and international students alike, who enjoyed the curriculum flowing in between many languages.
When looking at campus activities she’s proud of, Dwyer states the Spanish curriculum put together by the department is at the top. “What we do by combining social justice themes, through a content-based approach while embedding community-engaged learning is really cutting edge,” Dwyer said. Senior Spanish major and LALACS minor, and one of Dwyer’s advisees, Itzell Martinez, states that Dwyer is a caring and amazing professor. “I had Angelique for SPA 320, learning about Latin American culture. She truly makes learning fun and enjoys creating presentations and sharing with the class,” Martinez said.
Dwyer continues to be inspired by her favorite part of Gustavus, the sense of community, and the connection with her colleagues. Drawn to Gustavus because of the similarities to her undergrad alma mater, Dwyer works to support students and the greater Gustavus and St. Peter community with her passion for the Spanish language and Latin American culture and media.
“She has been especially helpful in introducing our students to the greater St. Peter community to support the Latinx cultures in our local education systems through Language Buddies. She is full of energy and commitment to bettering the world around us,” Walker said. Throughout her 13 years at Gustavus, Dr. Angelique Dwyer continues to influence and inspire the greater campus and local community with her knowledge and passion for Latin American culture.