Jorge Méndez-Seijas

Jorge holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in Spanish Linguistics/Second Language Acquisition (Georgetown University), an M.A. in Phonetics and Phonology with a concentration on Second Language Acquisition (The Spanish National Research Council, Spain), and a B.A. in Spanish-American Language and Literature (Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela). Before joining Yale, he taught and served as a course and/or program coordinator at Harvard University, Princeton University, Georgetown University, and the University of Rhode Island. 

Jorge’s research interests include curriculum design, theoretical and applied linguistics, second language acquisition and teaching, and heritage language education. He frequently presents at national and international conferences and publishes his work in specialized scholarly venues. His work on curriculum design has been recognized with the Innovation in Language Program Direction Award twice (2020, 2022), an award conferred by the American Association of University Supervisors, Coordinators, and Directors of Language Programs.  

Selected publications:

Méndez Seijas, J. & Spino, L. (2023). Written “corrective” feedback in Spanish as a heritage language: Problematizing the construct of error. Journal of Second Language Writing.

Méndez Seijas, J. & Spino, L. (2022). Critical sociolinguistics meets curriculum design: Demystifying language ideologies in the heritage language classroom. Spanish as a Heritage Language, 2(2), 292-306.

Méndez Seijas, J. & Parra, M.L. (2022). Engaging students with social, cultural, and environmental sustainability topics in the Spanish-speaking world: a reimagined beginner Spanish curriculum.  In De la Fuente, M. (Ed.). Education for Sustainable Development in Foreign Language Learning: Content-Based Instruction in college-level curricula (pp. 87-104). Routledge.

Méndez Seijas, J. (2018). L2 Spanish intonation in a short-term SA program. In Sanz, C. & Morales-Front, A. (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Study Abroad Research and Practice (pp. 86-100). Routledge.

Méndez Seijas, J., Zalbidea, J., & Vallejos, C. (2018). Conducting evaluation interviews. In McKay, T. & Davis, J. (Eds.) A Guide to Useful Evaluation of Language Programs (pp. 57-68). Georgetown University Press.

Works in progress:

Obediente, E. & Méndez Seijas, J. (forthcoming). “La sílaba: descripción fonética y fonológica.” In Llisterri, J. & Gil Fernández, J. (Eds.) Fonética y fonología descriptiva de la lengua española.  Georgetown University Press.

Méndez Seijas, J. (under review). El componente oral. In Sanz, C., Serafini, E., & Taboada, I. (Under contract). La enseñanza del español: Manual para la formación de profesores. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.