Manuel Fernandez

Manuel Fernandez

Contact Information

4024 Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics Building
707 S. Mathews Ave. | MC-176
Urbana, IL 61801
Graduate Student
Teaching Assistant

Research Interests

  • Latin American Cultural Studies 
  • Film studies, film theory & film philosophy
  • Queer Studies 
  • Videographic Criticism

Education

PhD in Spanish Literature & Cultures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (in progress)

M.A. in Hispanic Literatures & Cultures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2024)

B.A. in Spanish, with a minor in world literature, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2022) 

Grants

Equity Doctoral Fellowship, Graduate College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Illinois Global Institute Language Fellowship Graduate Language Fellowship, 2026-27

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, European Union Center, 2025-26

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, 2024-25

Awards and Honors

Best Graduate Paper, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, Spring 2026

List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent By Their Students (Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Summer 2025)

Courses Taught

LLS 100 TA: Introduction to Latina/Latino Studies

SPAN 228: Spanish Composition

SPAN/LLS 248: Latin American Diaspora Through Film

LAS 199/289: Internship Experiences

LAS 302: Professional Experiences

Additional Campus Affiliations

Graduate minor in Cinema Studies, Department of Media & Cinema Studies

Graduate minor in Queer Studies, Department of Gender & Women Studies