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My Work Experience

in a nutshell

2001 - Present

Professor of Spanish and Hispanic Studies

Ph.D. from Cornell University
MA and BA from Univ. of Kansas
B.J. in Journalism from Univ. of Kansas
Also, taught at SUNY Fredonia, Middlebury College, and Cornell University
Faculty Mentor to the Posse Foundation

2010 - Present

Leadership in the Arts and Humanities

Co-director of 4Humanities

Director of NY6 Think Tank

Principal Investigator, Mellon Planning Grant “Our Shared Humanities”

Creator of The Arts and Humanities in the Twenty-first Century Workplace

2005 - Present

Key Leadership Positions

Director of Faculty Development 
Chair, of the Department of Modern Languages
Chair, Division of Arts & Humanities
Co-chair, Scholar Program Redesign Task Force
Director of Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Associate Director of Academic Programs

2014 / 2007

Leadership Training

Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Wellesley Institute.
American Council on Education (ACE) Southern Regional LeadershipForum for Women Administrators

 

Here's Some of What I Teach

in English and in Spanish

Students Call for Social Change

Challenging Times: Global Citizenship and Creative Engagements

Sustainable Living: Be Part of the Solution

How Does Social Justice Build a More Equitable International Education?

Arts and Humanities: Don't Leave College Without Them

Youth Culture and Protest in Spain

Social Innovation in Spain

Digital Storytelling & Electronic Literature of the Hispanic World

 
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Students Call for Social Change

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Below you can see the volumes we've published (available on Amazon, all proceeds donated)

Through a series of courses at Union College, and through independent projects, participants write and publish books and blogs to inspire the change they wish to see in their world. 

The books in this series are sold on Amazon and all proceeds are donated to C.O.C.O.A House, an after-school mentoring program in Schenectady, NY.  We keep the price of the books low ($9.50).

This initiative is driven by the belief that we need to hear the voices of today’s young people—who we are calling Generation Now. What is on their minds? What concerns them? What have they experienced? And what change do they wish to see in their lives? By spreading their words through the largest book distribution platform in the world, we hope to connect individuals of all ages and from all parts of the world, build community through personal stories that come from the heart, and, over time, build a movement meant to emphasize the importance of people-centered and fearlessly courageous change.

This effort is focused on the concept of the “everyday change maker.” The term—driven today by the Ashoka organization and Case Foundation—implies a sense of agency over one’s own life and the communities in which we live. “Everyday change making” comes from a deeply human and honest place of meaning-making and civic purpose that begins with us.

 
 
 

Ongoing Projects

The Entrepreneurial Arts & Humanities is a forthcoming book project co-developed with Alain-Philippe Durand from the University of Arizona. In this book we will feature fresh and electrifying essays and interviews by individuals, groups, and collectives from around the world who, directly or indirectly, apply the knowledge and skills learned through arts and humanities disciplines to create change and economic or social value.

Arts & Humanities:
Don't Leave College Without Them

This guide expands students understanding of the professional opportunities through the Arts and humanities. This guide includes concrete examples about possible career options and opportunities through personal essays, student interviews, portraits of young professionals, information about career choices, facts and figures, and answers to some of your most commonly asked questions.

This project features blogs, extracts, and quotes meant to provide concrete examples and further dialogue about the applicability of the Arts and Humanities in all professional fields. On these pages readers will discover that deep and thoughtful learning in literature, art, classics, history, philosophy, languages, music, theatre, and more, has lasting and positive effects on a person’s professional future as well as on global economic competitiveness, civic engagement, ethical responsibility, innovation, exploration, knowledge building and understanding.

4Humanities: 

Advocating for the Humanities

4Humanities is an advocacy initiative for the humanities focused on placing the value of the humanities before the public. We draw in particular on the expertise of the international digital humanities community. Digital methods now play a key role in showing why the humanities must be part of any vision of a future society. Advocacy viewpoints, projects, and research by 4Humanities and its local chapters use today’s means to shout out for the humanities

 

Who am I ?
I am a parent, partner and professor who is passionate about empowering our young.

What do I do?
I teach, mentor, and advocate for the importance of a balanced and holistic education through which students expand their thinking into new and creative directions.

What problem am I trying to solve?
Despite an ever-increasing need for more human-centered solutions, the Liberal Arts and the Arts and Humanities get a bad rap, and as a result fewer kids are enrolling in these programs.

What is my solution?
I am passionate about reimagining and refreshing, as well as assessing and designing new curricular programs that integrate and apply the arts and humanities across a wide variety of professional fields, in theory and in practice.


I build bridges between professional and academic communities to enhance communication and share mutually beneficial ideas and solutions.


I engage and empower students and young professionals to share their own understanding of what the arts and humanities are and how they can lead to more innovative, profitable and purposeful careers. 

What makes my work different?
Like many, I want to show students and parents the wondrous world of the arts and humanities and the cross-disciplinary opportunities they afford. But I do so with an eye toward the future and the needs of the future workforce. I include the voices and visions of the next generation through a holistic approach to our work-lives and to the building of diverse and inclusive communities. 

Why do I do what I do?
Because my dream was to be graphic designer or a set designer. But I had no mentor, no money, no understanding of what I could do with a degree in the arts. So I took a different path. Today, I want every young person—especially first generation students—to understand how they can turn passions into meaningful and creative careers.


And because I believe that to reimagine tomorrow, we need more education about global citizenship, intercultural communication and understanding, and tolerance of one another through constant self-reflection and authentic expression.
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Recent Publications

DIGITAL BOOK

Hybrid Storyspaces: Redefining the Critical Enterprise in Twenty-First Century Hispanic Literature

C-edited with Debra Castillo

Hispanic Issues Series, 2012

University of Minnesota's Digital Conservancy

EDITED VOLUME

Market Matters

Co-edited with Alejandro Herrero-Olaizola

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies

Vol. 9, 2015

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Finding Humanity: Social Change on Our Own Terms
The Scholar as Human: Research and Teaching for Public Impact.
Ed. Anna Sims Bartel and Debra A. Castillo.
Cornell University Press, 2020. Pgs. 129 - 142.

On the Fine Art of Being Portal:
Seeing a Greater Range of Possibilities for Higher Education
Leonardo’s Children: Stories on Creativity by Fine Arts Leaders that will Blow your Mind. 

Co-edited by Aldemaro Romero Jr. and Steven J. Peters.

Publisher: International Council of Fine Arts Deans.

Taking the Future By the Horns:
Making Change Happen From The Ground Up. 
Modern Languages Journal. Vol. 101. Issue 2. 436-39.I 2017.

The Future of Hispanic Studies: An Interactive Conversation with Journal Editors.
Co-edited with Benjamin Fraser. 
Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies. Vol. 18, 2015. 135-180.

In/Authenticities: Movida Youth Culture in Motion
Towards a Cultural Archive of the Movida. 

Edited by William Nichols and Rosi Song. 

Ode to Trash: The Spam Poetics of Agustín Fernández Mallo.
Cuaderno Internacional de Estudios Humanísticos y Literatura.Vol. 16: Otoño 2011. 239-247

Spanish Mutant Fictioneers: Of Mutants, Mutated Fiction and Media Mutations
Ciberletras 24 (Dec. 2010)

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

 
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Generation X Goes Global

This website is  dedicated to expanding scholarship and engagement with Generation X around the globe.

 

But, Who Am I really?

What Drives Me?

My passion? Develop change makers and empower the next generation. I love being part of positive change, making a difference in other people's lives and coming up with creative solutions. Want to brainstorm ideas? Count me in. I have many! Want to think big? I'm there.


Let's reimagine how we work, learn, live together. Let’s make it happen. I’m an optimist. A constant innovator. A do-er. I listen. I learn. I empower. I teach. I get things done. And I can work organically and strategically to accomplish big and impactful visions for 3-5-10 years down the road, one day at a time. Because when it comes to supporting our children, making their lives better, building more balanced, healthy, and meaningful environments, I would give everything.

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With compassion, lots of love, support, and a good sense of humor and daily laughter (and yes, some play too), I wish to empower others to be all they wish to be.

 

Let’s Connect

If you'd like to contribute or collaborate, I'd like to hear from you.

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If you need a consultant to evaluate and collaboratively redesign an arts and humanities program, please reach out.

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If you are working to elevate the arts and humanities across communities and professional fields, I'm all ears.

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Or, if you just feel like connecting, send me an e-mail.

 

©2021 by Christine Henseler.