Alexa Jeffress

PhD Candidate
New Cabell Hall 442
Office Hours:
Virtual Meetings Monday & Wednesday 10:00am-10:50am & by appt.

Education

Ph.D., Spanish, University of Virginia (expected 2021)
M.A., Spanish, University of Virginia (2017)
B.A., Spanish and Psychology, University of Virginia (2015)

Research Interests

  • 20th century Spanish Literature
  • Translation
  • Catalan culture, history and film

Teaching

Graduate Teaching Assistant, August 2015 - present

University of Virginia

  • Taught three semesters of Intermediate Spanish (SPAN 2010), a lower-level course on language, literature and culture; the third course in the four-course language requirement series for Spanish at UVA.
  • Taught four semesters of Advanced Intermediate Spanish (SPAN 2020), a lower-level course on language, literature and culture; the last course in the four-course language requirement series for Spanish at UVA.
  • Taught one semester of Grammar and Composition (SPAN 3010), a course for Spanish majors and minors
  • Taught two semesters of Spanish to English Translation (SPAN 4040), an upper-level course for Spanish majors and minors
  • Taught two courses (Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate Spanish) for UVA’s study abroad program in Valencia, Spain

Translation Publications

Contemporary Colombian Poetry: An Anthology. Translated by Alexa Jeffress and Caroline Whitcomb, Valparaíso Editions, 2019. (Forthcoming Fall 2019)

“Guillermo Martínez’s ‘A Repulsive Happiness’”. Taylor & Francis, Translation Review, July 2019, www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07374836.2019.1632763.

Detroit Doesn’t Love Us Anymore. By Miguel Rollón, Translated by Alexa Jeffress and Caroline Whitcomb, Valparaíso Editions, 2019.

 

Presentations

ALDEEU, 35th International Conference, June 2018.

  • “Bombas nucleares estadounidenses en Palomares, España: El caso de ‘Carmen la Radiactiva’ de Jesús López Pacheco”

Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, April 2018.

  • “Luis de Vargas y su viaje psicológico en Pepita Jiménez

Global and Local: The Migration Crisis Today, February 2019

  • Invited to speak on this panel at UVA about the Spanish play Cifras

Grants and Awards

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Research Fellowship, 2019

  • Awarded by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at UVA 
  • Funded dissertation research in Barcelona in July 2019

Del Greco Library Travel Fellowship, 2016

  • Awarded by the Spanish department at UVA
  • Spent 6 weeks at the University of Salamanca studying language and history. 

Professional Development

Virtual Learning Liaison, August 2019- present

Gazelle International

  • Instructional design and support; created training modules for faculty members beginning to use virtual education

Graduate Student Summer Residency, July 2019

National Humanities Center

  • Attended a two-week residency program titled “Objects and Places in an Inquiry-Based Classroom”
  • Developed teaching tools using geospatial technology such as ArcGIS
  • Completed training on object-based learning and use of archival material in the classroom

Tomorrow’s Professors Today, expected completion December 2019 

  • Member of the program through UVA’s Center for Teaching Excellence
  • Observe faculty teaching, interview faculty and administration, complete 20+ hours of workshops, present at a conference, attend a conference, hold a leadership role

Course Design Institute, May 2018

  • Attended a week-long institute hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Virginia 
  • Designed a learner-centered course, classroom, and learning activities 

Workshops

Translation Workshop, February 2019

  • Organized, planned and facilitated a workshop on translation for the student staff of The Cavalier Daily, the university’s student-run newspaper.

Understanding and Implementing Equitable Teaching Practices, February 2019

  • Co-designed, planned and facilitated this workshop for graduate students, lecturers and faculty

Feedback in Foreign Language Classrooms Workshop, October 2018

  • Co-designed, planned and facilitated this workshop for graduate students and lecturers 

Teaching Vocabulary, August 2018

  • Lead a workshop for new graduate student teaching assistants in the Spanish Department

August Teaching Workshop, August 2018

  • Lead a workshop designed for graduate students and focused on inclusivity in the classroom