World Languages and Cultures

Raised in Oregon, Raven Chakerian has also studied, worked and travelled in many areas of the world including an academic year spent at the Universidad Católica de Quito in Ecuador in 1998.  During her travels she had the opportunity to acquire fluency in Spanish, French and Italian.  She is also interested in lesser known languages and has studied Quichua, Ndebele and Sicilian.  Before completing her M.A. in Spanish at Portland State University, Raven worked as a bilingual social worker for nearly ten years.

Adam (he/his/him/él), originally from Los Angeles, California, joined the faculty in the School of Language, Culture & Society in 2013. He is an applied linguist that specializes in the study of Spanish language education in the U.S. as a cultural practice, one in which larger social dynamics such as racialization and white supremacy make a persistent impact.

BA Spanish (2003), Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA

MA Spanish Literature (2008), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

BA Spanish, Oregon State University

MA TESOL, Portland State University

BA Education, Oregon State University

I joined Oregon State University in 2008 after a one-year visiting appointment at Montana State University. I hold a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. from the University of Florida, and two undergraduate degrees in English (Otto Friedrich Universität Bamberg, Germany) and in German (Ludwig Maximilians Universität Munich, Germany). At OSU I am Professor of German in the School of Language, Culture, and Society (College of Liberal Arts).