Talía Dajes, assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, has been awarded the University of Utah’s Early Career Teaching Award, which is given to outstanding young faculty members who have made significant contributions to teaching at the U.

The Teaching Committee looks for faculty members who have distinguished themselves through the development of new and innovative teaching methods, effectiveness in the curriculum and classroom, as well as commitment to enhancing student learning.

“Talía’s extensive knowledge and experience lend a palpable sense of authority to her lectures,” said Chris Lewis, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures. “Because this makes it easy for students to take everything she says at face value, a lesser teacher might be satisfied with relying on it too much. Instead, Talía uses lecture judiciously, stoking the class’s interest before setting in motion a deliberately sequenced set of activities. She is particularly adept at framing each class session to guide students towards objectives and learning outcomes for the day in non-intrusive ways. A recurring descriptor for her courses is that they are a participatory experience. My own observations bear this out, but what is perhaps less visible to students is the meticulous way that she models, scaffolds and then creates a space that allows students to come to their own conclusions.”

Dajes specializes in contemporary Latin American literature and culture. Her research focuses on the connection between aesthetics, memory and political violence in the context of Peru and the Andean region. She has published articles and essays about Peruvian literature, film, visual culture and performance in a variety of volumes and academic journals.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Jana Cunningham, University of Utah College of Humanities
jana.cunningham@utah.edu | 801-213-0866

Published April 25, 2023