Faculty Profile
Mariana Past
Professor of Spanish (2006)
Contact Information
Bosler Hall
717-245-1833
Bio
Professor Past's research focuses on Spanish and Francophone Caribbean literature, including issues of migration/exile, Haitian-Dominican relations, and representations of the Haitian Revolution. Her articles have appeared in the Revista de la Casa de las Américas, Afro-Hispanic Review, Revista del Caribe, Global South, Journal of Haitian Studies, Cultural Dynamics, sx salon, and Atlantic Studies. She co-edited (with Natalie Léger, CUNY Queens College) Toussaint Louverture: Repensar un icono (2015) and co-translated (with Benjamin Hebblethwaite, UFL) Michel-Rolph Trouillot's (1977) Ti difé boulé sou istoua Ayiti [Stirring the Pot of Haitian History] from Haitian Creole to English. She has also published poetry and prose translations in Metamorphoses, Transition, and World Literature Today. Professor Past teaches courses that emphasize the overlapping histories and cultures of people in the Caribbean and the broader diaspora, challenging notions of cultural production in terms of national linguistic blocks.
Education
- B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1994
- M.A., Duke University, 2002
- Ph.D., 2006
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II
The primary goal of this course is to develop students' formal knowledge of Spanish by reviewing and studying the more challenging grammatical structures. The course will also work on development of skills in reading, oral expression, and vocabulary development. The purpose of the course is to equip students with the formal grammatical background necessary to be successful in courses on Hispanic literatures, linguistics and cultures. Prerequisite: 201 or placement by department.
LALC 300 Across the Windward Passage
Cross-listed with AFST 310-01 and SPAN 380-01. Through works of fiction, film, and poetry, this seminar examines the entangled histories, cultural, and spiritual traditions of Haiti and Cuba in the early to mid-twentieth century. How does cultural production reflect specific sites of struggle alongside larger sociopolitical concerns within communities whose livelihoods depend on the sugar industry? Where and how do instances of resistance, political, and cultural solidarity emerge? To what degree are boundaries blurred between languages, cultural traditions, and national identity discourses related to race, class, gender, and spiritual practices?
AFST 310 Across the Windward Passage
Cross-listed with LALC 300-02 and SPAN 380-01. Through works of fiction, film, and poetry, this seminar examines the entangled histories, cultural, and spiritual traditions of Haiti and Cuba in the early to mid-twentieth century. How does cultural production reflect specific sites of struggle alongside larger sociopolitical concerns within communities whose livelihoods depend on the sugar industry? Where and how do instances of resistance, political, and cultural solidarity emerge? To what degree are boundaries blurred between languages, cultural traditions, and national identity discourses related to race, class, gender, and spiritual practices?
SPAN 380 Across the Windward Passage
Cross-listed with AFST 310-01 and LALC 300-02. Through works of fiction, film, and poetry, this seminar examines the entangled histories, cultural, and spiritual traditions of Haiti and Cuba in the early to mid-twentieth century. How does cultural production reflect specific sites of struggle alongside larger sociopolitical concerns within communities whose livelihoods depend on the sugar industry? Where and how do instances of resistance, political, and cultural solidarity emerge? To what degree are boundaries blurred between languages, cultural traditions, and national identity discourses related to race, class, gender, and spiritual practices?
Spring 2027
SPAN 215 Spanish Comp & Conversation
This course is designed to further develop students’ writing, listening, and speaking skills in Spanish, while introducing them to more formal written assignments. Through a diverse selection of readings across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking worlds, students will engage with the fundamentals of close reading analysis, refine their oral expression, and strengthen their knowledge of cultural themes and ideas. Prerequisite: 202. NOTE: Completion of both 215 and 245 fulfills the WID requirement. Students who have completed 231 or courses above 239 may not take this course.