Juan Carlos Albarrán

Biography

Professor Juan Carlos L. Albarran is originally from Havana, Cuba and has dedicated his professional life at Miami University to the development and promotion of the Latin American, Caribbean and Latino/a Studies (LAS). As a faculty of the Global and Intercultural Department (GIC), he has been actively engaged in the development of study abroad programs opportunities for Miami students to Latin America. He has led many workshops abroad to Latin American countries including Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, and Cuba. He has taught at Miami's Luxembourg campus where he led a program in Croatia. He continues promoting the LAS program to Miami students and serves as the program advisor for LAS. He actively continues to engage students in his courses about the Latin American region and Latinos in the United States.

Professor Albarrán is a promoter of the value of the humanities in the academic and professional arenas. From 2018-2024, he directed a Social Entrepreneurship program in the Study of United States Institutions (SUSI) under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in the U.S. State Department. He developed this program in collaboration with Miami University, the University of Arizona, and the Institute for Training and Development (ITD) of Amherst College.

Professor Albarrán continues his commitment to diversity and inclusion at Miami University and to that end he has been a member of the University Senate, Council on Diversity and Inclusion. Professor Albarrán is a member of the Association of Latinx Faculty and Staff (ALFAS), and served on the University Committee on Internationalization (UCI).

Education

• M.A. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ., Latin American Studies. 2007
• B.A. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ., Hotel and Restaurant Management. 2004.

Research Interests

Juan Carlos Albarrán's research interest includes the study of the African diaspora and its direct and indirect impact in the Americas. His interdisciplinary approach to the study of race is influenced by ethnomusicology, anthropology, and history. He has research interests in the impact of tourism in the different regions of Latin America, especially the Caribbean.

Courses Taught

• Introduction to Latin American Studies
• Latin American Diaspora: Communities and Issues
• Topics courses like:
  • Cuba, Latin American Music and Dance
  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Refugee Migration
  • NAFTA among others

He also teaches transnational relations of the Cuban diaspora.

Publications

Albarrán, Juan Carlos, Amador, José and Jackson Albarrán,Elena. “Intentionally Interdisciplinary: Learning Across the Curriculum in Latin American, Latino/a and Caribbean Studies,” Changing Conceptions, Changing Practices: Innovating Teaching Across Disciplines, Eds. Angela Glotfelter, Caitlin Martin, Mandy Olejnik, Ann Updike, and Elizabeth Wardle. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2022. Pp. 197-218.