Dr. Toni Muñoz-Hunt, the UT Dallas Center for U.S.-Latin America Initiatives at (CUSLAI) new director seeks to promote border education through modern storytelling and to continue strengthening the center’s interdisciplinary aspect.
Muñoz-Hunt, who serves as visiting assistant professor at the School of Arts Humanities and Technology, will lead a pool of faculty associates from various disciplines – such as, bioengineering, creative writing, economics, fine arts, history and management, among others – in strengthen the intellectual and cultural connections between the UT Dallas community and Latin America.
“As a creative writing professor, I’m always thinking about stories because stories are universal and our experiences are not all that different,” Muñoz-Hunt said. “I can bring my area and my specialty, which is border literature and U.S.-Mexico border history. I think most of our upcoming initiatives are going to be wrapped up in storytelling, emerging technology and education.”
The new director is a U.S.-Mexico border native whose research focuses include US-Latinx literature, border studies and history and pedagogy of the oppressed. Besides leading CUSLAI, Muñoz-Hunt teaches Creative Writing and is a is a two-time UT Dallas Alumna who earned a MA in Aesthetic Studies in 2017 and a PhD in Literature in 2021.
CUSLAI’s faculty associates conduct research and offer courses to support undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide array of fields such as Latin American Studies, International Political Economy, Literature, Global Business, Political Sciences, and Public Policy. While working on her PhD and as a research assistant with CUSLAI, Muñoz-Hunt started the Community Digital Archive Project where she focused on studying the juxtaposition of multigenerational border residents and recently-settled immigrants.
Since its inception in 1995, CUSLAI (then-known as the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies) has served as the university’s hub for research and educational initiatives in Latin American studies. To fulfill its goal of producing engaged graduates, prepared for life and leadership in a constantly changing world, the center involves students every year by sponsoring various initiatives designed to enhance interconnectedness. Some of those include:
– Lectures and public talks that reflect an interdisciplinary approach to Latin American studies.
– Research grants for faculty and advanced graduate students.
– Provide assistance for Latin American Studies degree programs and student organizations.
– Support UT Dallas study abroad and cultural immersion activities in Latin America.
During Fall 2022, CUSLAI faculty and students hosted a Día de los Muertos storytelling event in collaboration with acclaimed U.S.-Mexico border author Sergio Troncoso. The center is currently working on organizing a Latin American Film Festival for Spring 2023.
To learn more about CUSLAI, visit their website: https://www.facebook.com/CUSLAI
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