Dr. Daniela Maldonado Castañeda

Biography

Daniela Maldonado Castañeda earned her Bachelor's degree in Literature from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Her meritorious thesis focused on Calila e Dimna, a collection of framed tale stories originally written in Sanskrit and translated into Arabic and Spanish during the Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula. She has spent years promoting writing and reading programs for vulnerable communities in Colombia before relocating to Canada to pursue her Master's and Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature and Culture at the University of Toronto. Daniela teaches a variety of Spanish language and literature courses. Her doctoral dissertation centers on El Conde Lucanor by Don Juan Manuel, a well-known book written in Castile during the Middle Ages. Her research and teaching interests revolve around the rich literary culture and history of Medieval Iberia, with particular emphasis on the interactions of cultures and languages that led to literary borrowings and adaptations. Her research has been supported by the Vanier Scholarship and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. Daniela is also deeply passionate about teaching Spanish as a foreign language and has served as a facilitator for a Community-Engaged Learning program in Spanish at the University of Toronto. Additionally, she is part of the team of authors who created "parar bien la oreja: Cuaderno de comprensión auditiva," a handbook published as an open educational resource focused on listening comprehension skills for intermediate to advanced-level Spanish learners.

Research Interests

Courses