Associate Professor; Program Chair, Language Studies
Pablo M. Oliva is an Associate Professor and Program Chair in the Language Studies Department (LS) and has more than 20 years of experience in second language acquisition and teaching. His expertise includes consulting work in private companies in Argentina, as well as teaching languages at all levels at public and private educational institutions. Dr. Oliva came to Monterey from Argentina in June 2006 to teach during the Summer Intensive Language Program and was subsequently asked to join the Institute’s Spanish faculty.
Dr. Oliva is a proponent of the Institute’s signature pedagogy of “CBI” (Content-Based Instruction), integrating relevant content (international policy, environment, human rights) with the teaching of second language skills. His international experience includes six years teaching Spanish as a Second Language and EFL in Argentina and two years in Spain teaching summer school for prospective Spanish practitioners at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He has also taught at Empire State College in New York and California State University, Monterey Bay. In addition to teaching classes, Oliva coordinates the Institute’s Spanish courses and served as coordinator of the Summer Intensive Language Program until 2016. In 2009, he received the Institute’s award for excellence in teaching and the Allan Griffin Award for excellence in teaching at the graduate level.
MIIS 8522
HumanTrafficking-Latin AmericaCourse Description
Human Trafficking in Latin America
The objective of this course is to provide students with a holistic comprehension of sex trafficking as one of the most complex problems with numerous contributing factors mainly rooted in intersecting inequalities. In this class, we will focus largely on the Spanish speaking countries and students will have weekly readings, research and class discussions. We will examine the dynamics of sex trafficking, its causes and effects, prevalence, types of trafficking and methods of traffickers, the role of international communities, and grassroots efforts to prevent and respond to sex trafficking. This course will also facilitate interpretive, interpersonal and presentational skills development of Spanish Language at the mid/upper intermediate level. It will also aim at communication, the development of critical thinking, communication, and civic engagement. Open to students with any appropriate level of Spanish language proficiency. Contact Angie Quesenberry (aquesenb@middlebury.edu) for access to proficiency test.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8216
Latin America & Its PeopleCourse Description
This course will facilitate interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills development in Spanish at the intermediate level. Students will work on projects and materials related to the past and present of Latin America, beyond geopolitical borders.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8291 Current
EvolvngSoc-HispanicCountriesCourse Description
This course is an intermediate level class designed to strengthen language skills and the development of cultural competence. This course will emphasize communication and seeks to develop different skills in: conversation, reading comprehension, listening comprehension and writing in appropriate contexts. The course also seeks to develop cultural competence in second language acquisition.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8292
Topics in the HispanicWorld IICourse Description
This is a content-based, learner- centered course that aims at developing and enhancing the students' cultural competency and their language skills. This course will focus on authentic communication in contents related to students’ academic needs and interests. It will seek to develop and strengthen different skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8320
Contemp Language & Culture IICourse Description
The Spanish Language and Culture II course provides a panoramic view of some of the most relevant aspects of the language, culture and society of the Spanish-speaking world, particularly Latin America. The course provides a space for participants to effectively develop their Spanish communication capacity at a high intermediate level. The course is designed for graduate students of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey interested in deepening their knowledge of the Spanish language and some social and political aspects of Latin American society in order to be able to apply them in their personal and professional field.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8330 Upcoming
HumanTrafficking-Latin AmericaCourse Description
The objective of this course is to provide students with a holistic comprehension of sex trafficking as one of the most complex problems with numerous contributing factors mainly rooted in intersecting inequalities. In this class, we will focus largely on the Spanish speaking countries and students will have weekly readings, research and class discussions. We will examine the dynamics of sex trafficking, its causes and effects, prevalence, types of trafficking and methods of traffickers, the role of international communities, and grassroots efforts to prevent and respond to sex trafficking. This course will also facilitate interpretive, interpersonal and presentational skills development of Spanish Language at the mid/upper intermediate level. It will also aim at communication, the development of critical thinking, communication, and civic engagement.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8342 Current
Topics-Latin American PoliticsCourse Description
This course is designed to provide an overview of Latin America's significant political and economic transformations during recent decades. Throughout its history, the region has undergone various political systems, including military regimes and variations of democracy, as well as economic models such as commodity export and innovative developmentalism. In this course, we will examine the impact of these political and financial systems on contemporary societies, with a particular focus on topics related to poverty, corruption, and inequality. The classwork will involve weekly readings, investigations, and mini-debates designed to foster critical thinking and also develop interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational skills in Spanish at an advanced level.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8353
Advanced Conversation/PoliticsCourse Description
This is a content-based, learner-centered class designed to provide students with ample opportunities to develop and practice their language skills in high intermediate/advanced level. This course will focus on communication in meaningful contexts related to the different challenges in the social, political and economic life in Latin America
.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8357
Peace Ed for the 21st CenturyCourse Description
Peace Education for the 21st Century
The objective of this course is to discuss and generate ideas on how peace education awareness can be created and purported. In this course, we will examine the dynamics of a few approaches to peace education based on the learner’s thinking about the concept of peace in different contexts. This course will also facilitate interpretive, interpersonal and presentational skills development of Spanish Language at the upper intermediate level. It will also aim at communication, the development of critical thinking, communication, and civic engagement.
Terms Taught
SPLA 8385
HumanRgts,Identity,&PolLatinAmCourse Description
In this course, we will discuss the relationship between human rights and different issues of identity, gender and inclusion. The course will also attempt to analyze this relationship through public policies and different agents of change.
Terms Taught
TISP 8560 Current
Adv Spanish Grammar for T&ICourse Description
Advanced Spanish Grammar for T&I (TISP 8560) offers a comprehensive review of the grammatical structures that are most problematic for Spanish B translation and interpreting students, with particular attention paid to Spanish pronominal and verbal systems. Students will analyze grammar on the sentence level and develop strategies for translating/interpreting problematic structures.
Terms Taught
Content-based Instruction (CBI), (CLIL), Latin American Politics, Learner motivation in L2 and autonomy, curriculum design and scaffolding in CBI/CLIL, testing, distance/ hybrid Learning. Spanish linguistics. Recent research has focused on heritage speakers(Code-Switching) and languages in contact.
Professor Oliva has been teaching at the Institute since 2006.
| by Jason Warburg
Alumnus and longtime visiting professor Scott Pulizzi MAIPS ’97 received a trifecta of honors this spring: He won the Institute’s Faculty Excellence Award for 2022–23, was promoted to regular faculty member, and was appointed chair of three academic programs.
| by Eva Gudbergsdottir
Recognizing the importance of transformative language development for global careers, the Middlebury Institute is now offering MA students the opportunity of adding a specialization in Languages for Professional Purposes.
