Professor of Spanish, Ph.D., MLIS
Alejandro Lee is a native of Panama. A first-generation college student, he earned a BA in French and Spanish with Honors from Pitzer College, followed by an MA and PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures, as well as a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Lee previously taught in Southern California at UCLA, the University of Southern California, and Scripps College (Claremont Colleges), as well as in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2016 he joined the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Santa Monica College, where he teaches Spanish for heritage learners and second-language learners. Dr. Lee has served on the Student Instructional Support Committee and is a liaison for the Modern Language Tutoring Center; he regularly advises several campus clubs, including the Spanish Club and APIDA, and is proud to support students in Hombre a Hombre and Men of Color Action Network (MOCAN).
Dr. Lee has served as a faculty mentor for the Heritage Teacher Workshop hosted by the National Heritage Language Resource Center (2010-2021); as the Community College representative for the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (2020-2022), and as the chair of the College Board’s CLEP Spanish Test Development Committee (2019-22). He currently is part of the Editorial Committee of History and Perspectives, the journal of the Chinese Historical Society of America, and the Editorial Committee of Plurilingual & Pluriculturales: A Newsletter on Critical Language Education (2020-), a member of America’s Languages Working Group (2021-) and a co-founder of Heritage Language Exchange (2021-). He is a guest editor for the 2025 issue of the Revista Luso-Hispánica. In collaboration with colleagues from various institutions, Dr. Lee has co-authored three open educational resources for students of Spanish.
Outside of his work as an educator, Dr. Lee enjoys swimming and yoga, traveling, meeting new people, exploring new restaurants and cuisines, and participating in cultural events in Southern California, which he is delighted to call home.
Education
BA in French and Spanish, Pitzer College
MA, MLIS, and PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures, UCLA
Current Course Offerings
- Spanish 2
- Spanish 3
- Spanish 4
- Spanish 11
-
Spanish 12
Publications
- Tarea Libre: A workbook for first-year Spanish (OER), LibreTexts, May 2023.
Authors: Cristina Moon, Sarah Harmon, Alejandro Lee, and Nancy Ballesteros. - Entrada Libre: A Manual for Second-Year Spanish (OER), LibreTexts, 2020. Authors: Nancy
Ballesteros, Alejandro Lee, Nicolás Crisosto and Cristina Moon. - “The Process of Adoption, Implementation and Institutionalization of Spanish Heritage
Language
Programs at Two U.S. Regional Comprehensive Universities,” with Alegría Ribadeneira, for A Handbook on Heritage Language Education: From Innovation to Program Building, ed. Olga Kagan, Maria Carreira, Claire Chik. New York: Routledge, 2017. 379-93. - “Polly Bemis (1853-1933)” and “Chinese Immigration to South America,” Chinese Americans: The
History and Culture of a People. Ed. Jonathan H. X. Lee. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2015: 18; 53-55. - “At the Margins of the Nation: Chinese Immigrants in Contemporary Spanish American
Fiction.”
Amerasia Journal 38.2 (2012): 85-101. - “Arora, Shirley Lease. (1930- ).” Encyclopedia of Latino Folklore (3 vols). Vol. 1. Ed. María
Herrera-Sobek. Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio, 2012: 56-58. - “‘Preferible es un hijo deforme que una docena de hijas sabias como Buda’: refranes
y resistencia en
Hija de la fortuna de Isabel Allende.” Proverbium 26 (2009): 187-216. -
"’Matar dos pájaros de un tiro’: Usos de la paremia en el Diálogo de la lengua de Juan de Valdés."
Proverbium 25 (2008): 207-18.
Research Interests
Chinese diaspora in Latin America, paremiology, Asian American and Latin American literature, heritage language education, and gastronomy.
Professional Memberships
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP)
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT)
Awards and Honors
AATSP Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Award, 2024
2022 Full-Time Faculty Excellence Award, Santa Monica College Academic Senate, May 2022
Student Transition and Academic Resources (STAR), Honored Faculty by David Sedano and Vania Zuno, Central Washington University, 17 May 2016
Honoring Our Professor’s Excellence (HOPE) Award, National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Central Washington University, nomination by Jasmine Gonzalez, 4 May 2016
Inspiration Leadership Certificate Award, Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT), Oct. 2015
Student Transition and Academic Resources (STAR), Honored Faculty by Maura Ruiz and Gabriela Martinez, Central Washington University, 15 May 2014
Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Arts and Humanities, Central Washington University, 12 May 2014
Honoring Our Professor’s Excellence (HOPE) Award, National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Central Washington University, nomination by Melinda Gallagher, 21 May 2013
Student Transition and Academic Resources (STAR), Honored Faculty by Alejandro Cabrera-Villa, Central Washington University, 16 May 2013
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of California, Los Angeles
Collegiality Award, 1999-2000, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of California, Los Angeles
Gabriela Mistral Award, Sigma Delta Pi, 1994, Claremont Colleges
Last updated on August 23, 2024.