Julie Szucs

Julie Szucs is a Senior Lecturer on the Oxford campus.  She regularly teaches intermediate language courses and medical Spanish courses and leads study abroad programs in Central America.  In addition to teaching, she is the Coordinator for the Spanish Language classes (SPN 100-200) in Oxford and is active in curriculum development and aligning the language courses with research in Second Language Acquisition.  She also works with Community Engaged Learning and Teaching/Service-Learning initiatives on campus, and her students work with organizations in Hamilton and Cincinnati, OH.

Education

M.A. in Spanish, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 1997 
Specialized Area:  Applied Linguistics and Methodology

B.A. in Spanish, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 1995
B.A. in International Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 1995

Study Abroad at Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Teaching and Research Interests

• Spanish for the Professions / Language for Specific Purposes
• Health Disparities and Cultural Competence in Medicine
• Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy
• Communicative and Proficiency-based Teaching
• Community-Engaged Learning and Teaching / Service-Learning
• Study Abroad

Courses Taught at Miami

• SPN 101 Beginner’s Spanish
• SPN 102 Beginner’s Spanish
• SPN 111 Intensive Basic Spanish,
• SPN 201 Intermediate Spanish
• SPN 202 Intermediate Spanish
• SPN 203 Spanish for Health Care
• SPN 311 Grammar Review & Intro to Composition
• SPN 317 Business Spanish
• SPN 322 Hispanics and Health Care (Service-Learning)
• SPN 331 Spanish for Community Work
• SPN 277 & 377 Independent Study

Awards, Grants, and Professional Recognition

• Community Contributor of the Year, Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati (2022)
• $30,000 Academic Incubator Grant for Curriculum Development, Miami University (2022)
• Howe Center for Writing Excellence Faculty Fellow, Miami University (2022)
• Student Recognition of Teaching Excellence, Award from Provost’s Office for creating and innovative teaching, Miami University (2020)
• Commendations from Graduating Seniors, Center for Teaching Excellence, Miami University (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
• Outstanding Educator Award, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority/Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, Miami University (2000, 2010)

Selected Publications and Presentations

Articles

• “Keep What Works: Many Assessments CAN Co-exist,” Performance + Proficiency = Possibilities, 2017 Report of the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 2017, with co-author Nohelia Rojas-Miesse. Published by the CSCTFL. Julie A. Foss, Editor.
• “Review of International Symposium and Dedication of Rodolfo Usigli’s Literary Archives,” Latin American Theatre Review, 31/1, Fall 1997, as Julie Mundt Szucs. Published by the Center of Latin American Studies, University of Kansas.  George Woodyard, editor. 

Presentations and Panel Discussions

• “Using Community-Engaged Teaching to Connect Students to Language, Community, and Careers.” American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Conference, June 2023.
• “Using Community-Engaged Teaching to Integrate Language, Community, and Careers.” Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 2023.
• “Developing a Department-wide Acquisition-Driven Instruction-based Curriculum for Basic Language Sequence Courses.” Symposium on Language Pedagogy in Higher Education, October 2022.
• Global citizenship panel discussion with filmmaker Alana deJoseph prior to the screening of film “A Towering Task: The Story of the U.S. Peace Corps”. Wilks Theater, Miami University. April 2022.
• “Community-Engaged Learning and Teaching in the Language Classroom.” Approaches to Language Teaching Methodology graduate seminar at the University of New Mexico, November 2021.
• “Designing and Implementing Medical Spanish Courses and Experiences for Pre-Health Undergraduates at the Intermediate and Advanced Language Levels.” Second Medical Spanish Taskforce Summit, October 2020.
• “Exams that Promote Performance by Fostering Creativity and Communication.” Half-day workshop, Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 2019.
• “Strike a Balance: Integrating performance and proficiency in writing.” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2018.
• “Go Hybrid: Exams that Foster Creativity, Communication, and Problem Solving.” Miami University Conference on the Teaching of Languages, October 2018 and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2017.
• “Beyond the tour: Study Abroad with a Purpose by Engaging Students through Service.” American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, June 2018.
• “How Much Can They REALLY Say.” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2017.
• “Leadership Styles in Latin America.” Wilks Leadership Institute Panel Discussion, Miami University, October 2017.
• “How do you ensure that your Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) course adheres to the Standards and SLA principles?” American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Conference, July 2017.
• “No More Fill in the Blank! Show Me What You Know.” Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 2017 and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2016.
• “Don’t Throw the Baby out with the Bathwater: Many Assessments CAN Co-exist!” Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, March 2017 and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2016.
• “Making it Personal: Learning Language in a Professional Context.” American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Conference, November 2013.

Memberships

• American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP)
• American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
• National Association for Medical Spanish (NAMS)