Dr. Paola Calahorrano obtained her BA in journalism and literature from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. After working for several years as a journalist and culture/arts editor in Quito, Ecuador, Dr. Calahorrano came to the US to study Hispanic Language and Literature, receiving her MA at the University of Arizona and her Ph.D. at Boston University. Her areas of research and teaching interests include contemporary Latin American women’s writing, visual culture, gender studies, and health humanities. She is particularly interested in the representation of the female body within the Hispanic cultures, and its relationship with the medical institution.
She has worked in the Pitt Department of Spanish and Portuguese since 2018. She has taught more than 20 sections of a variety of courses in Spanish, including higher-level applied language classes, upper-level electives, and English sections. Additionally, Dr. Calahorrano is currently an advisor to student Minors and an advisor to the Pitt Club de Español.
Dr. Calahorrano has expertise in designing and redesigning content-based courses with an interdisciplinary approach. At Pitt, she developed or redeveloped several courses such as Span 1459: “Mapping the Female Body: A Cultural Approach to Women’s Health in the Hispanic World,” which focuses on women’s health from a cultural perspective, with topics like menstruation, pregnancy, sexuality, and menopause.
Classes Taught at Pitt
- Span 0082: “Latin America Today”
- Span 1055: “Introduction to Hispanic Literature”
- Span 1250: “Hispanic Civilizations”
- Span 1280: “Overview of Latin American Literature”
Created and Redesigned Courses at Pitt
- Span 1315: “Spanish for Professional Communication”
- Span 1417: “Latin American Film and Media.” Topic: “Mexican Visual Culture: Nation, Identity, and Gender”
- Span 1433: “Women’s Narratives in Latin America.” Topic: “Women’s reflections through canonical and non-canonical mediums.”
- Span 1459: “Mapping the Female Body: A Cultural Approach to Women’s Health in the Hispanic World”
Degrees
- PhD, Hispanic Languages and Literatures, Boston University
- MA, Hispanic Literatures and Cultures, University of Arizona
- BA, Journalism and Literatures, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Selected Publications
- “Nunca estuve sola: la imagen testimonial en voz femenina”. Crítica, memoria e imaginación en la literatura latinoamericana. Vicente Robalino, Editor. Centro de Publicaciones, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador: Quito, 2018, p. 47-71.
- “Cuerpo y muerte: la sexualidad que exhala Alejandra Pizarnik a través de la muerte deseada”. Divergencias, Revista de Estudios Lingüísticos y Literarios, Volumen 8, Número 2, Invierno 2010, p.92-100.
- “Pedagogía feminista de las humanidades en salud: una aproximación al cuerpo de la mujer a través de la literatura y el cine”. Clepsydra. Revista internacional de estudios de género y teoría feminista, No. 25, November 2023.
Areas of Specialization
- Contemporary Latin American women’s writing
- Visual culture with an emphasis on Latin American and Spanish film and photography
- Cultural and Gender Studies
- Feminism, reproductive rights, and feminist pedagogies
- Health Humanities