The Department of Languages welcomed the following new faculty members at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester.
Jody H. Cripps, Assistant Professor of American Sign Language
Jody holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona. His research interests include but are not limited to: language acquisition and literacy, signed music, and signed language pathology. Jody is also a co-founder of two non-profit organizations and is the Editor-in-Chief for Society of American Sign Language Journal. Prior to joining the department, Jody worked at Towson University, where he expanded the Deaf Studies program within and outside of the classroom setting. At Clemson, he currently teaches elementary ASL and will teach Linguistics of American Sign Language (ASL 4010) next semester. Outside of academia, he is a surfer bum at heart and spends his spare time enjoying recreational sports, often with his wife and their two deaf dogs.
Liliana Hernández, Lecturer of Spanish
Lili, a native of Medellín, Colombia, holds an MFA from the Universidad de Antioquia. She worked as the director of the Plecto Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo, a contemporary art gallery in Medellín, and has curated many art shows and festivals. Lili previously taught at Clemson from 2004 to 2010, during which time she coordinated a Latin American art show and film festival on campus. Currently she teaches intermediate Spanish courses and serves as a departmental advisor.
Andrea Naranjo, Lecturer of Spanish
Andrea was born and raised in Cali, Colombia. She earned a Law Degree from the Universidad San Buenaventura and worked as a lawyer in the private sector in Cali, acquiring experience in contracts, labor law and commercial law. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Spanish from Middlebury College. Prior to coming to Clemson, she taught for several years at James Madison University. Andrea is a poet and her work has been published and awarded in Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Argentina and the United States. Recently she published her second book of poetry in Mexico City and she earned the Hayek International Production Award for her contribution to Mexican letters and literature. Among her interests are business and society in Latin America and creative writing. Currently she teaches Intermediate Spanish, Spanish for Business Composition, and Spanish for International Trade and serves as a departmental advisor.
Mercedes Tejera, Lecturer of Spanish
Mercedes is a Ph.D. candidate in Ibero-American Literature at the University of Florida. She holds a B.A. in Spanish Literature with a second major in Latin American and Latino Studies and an M.A. in Spanish and Latin American Literatures, both from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Her research interests are 20th- and 21st-century science fiction novels from Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Spain (focusing on gender, politics, and mass media culture). Mercedes teaches intermediate Spanish.
