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Michelle Geoffrion-Vinci, associate professor of Spanish, will speak on “Theobroma Cacao (Food of the Gods): The Impact and Allure of Chocolate in Western Civilization” 8 p.m. tonight in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights room 104.

Free and open to the public, the talk will be followed by a reception.

As co-recipient of the 2004 Thomas Roy and Lura Forrest Jones Lecture Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Teaching, Geoffrion-Vinci will present the findings of her research on the history and evolution of chocolate and its complex role in the shaping of diverse socio-cultural realities in the Western hemisphere.

“Since its discovery in the 7th century, chocolate has evolved from the aphrodisiacal drink of Aztec kings to a multi-faceted, multi-cultural culinary phenomenon consumed and celebrated nearly everywhere in the Western world,” says Geoffrion-Vinci.

She will examine several questions, including: How has chocolate evolved throughout history to become the passionately popular comestible it is today? Why does chocolate hold such universal appeal in Western societies, figuring prominently in art, literature, and film as well as wrappers and Valentine’s boxes?

Playing a vital role in preparing this presentation is Andrea Dietz ’05 (Scituate, Mass.). A double major in Spanish and international affairs, Dietz has collaborated with Geoffrion-Vinci on this project under the auspices of the EXCEL Scholars program since August.

In addition to her active participation in the project research, Dietz is the lead designer and architect of the technology that will be used in the presentation. She shares Geoffrion-Vinci’s passion for both Hispanic studies and the “food of the gods.”

A member of the foreign languages and literatures department since 1998, Geoffrion-Vinci is a specialist in the contemporary literature of Spain, applied linguistics, and language-teaching methodologies. In addition to several articles on contemporary Spanish poetry and prose, she has written two books, Woman as Symbol in the Poetry of Rosalía de Castro (Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 2002) and ¡Sí se puede! (Yes You Can!) An Intermediate Textbook for Spanish for Native Speakers (forthcoming from Houghton Mifflin in 2005).

Geoffrion-Vinci teaches courses on Spanish literature and civilization from the 18th century to the present and language courses at all levels of fluency. An avid food enthusiast, Professor G-V, as she is commonly known, also teaches a course entitled On Cooking, Culture, and Cinema as part of the First Year Seminar series. Chocolate is a key component of this class whose in-depth examination students and teacher engage with tremendous enthusiasm.

Last school year, Geoffrion-Vinci mentored Marquis Scholar Angela Guarino ’04 (Springfield, Pa.) in her research on a 17th century Spanish author’s work for an ambitious honors thesis written and defended entirely in Spanish. They had published two articles based on a related EXCEL Scholars collaboration.

Geoffrion-Vinci holds masters and doctoral degrees in Spanish from Stanford University, where she was the 1996 recipient of the coveted Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish and economics, awarded cum laude from Wellesley College.

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A National Leader in Undergraduate Research. Angela Guarino ’04 coauthored an article on her collaborative research with Michelle Geoffrion-Vinci, associate professor of Spanish, in Anales de la Literatura Española Contemporanea.

Categorized in: Academic News