Dr. Mariselle Meléndez

Professor

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Biography

Mariselle Meléndez is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Colonial Spanish American Literatures and Cultures. She is a LAS Alumni Distinguished Professorial Scholar and a recipient of various prestigious awards, including the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend in 1997. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and coloniality in the context of eighteenth-century studies and the Enlightenment. Meléndez has authored notable works, such as "Deviant Useful Citizens: Cultural Production of the Female Body in Eighteenth-Century Peru" and edited books on colonial identity and culture. Her articles are featured in several academic journals, reflecting her extensive contribution to the field. Currently, she is working on her book project, "Fluid Spaces and Transient Bodies," which explores Spanish American ports during the eighteenth century. In addition to her teaching and research, she has served on the NEH Review Panel and held leadership roles in professional associations. Her work continues to advance the understanding of cultural and racial dynamics in colonial Latin American literature and society.

Research Interests

Awards

#2025

Frances O’Connell Endowed Faculty Scholar

2025-01-01
#2023

University of Illinois Executive Officer Distinguished Leadership Award

2023-01-01
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LAS Alumni Distinguished Professorial Scholar

2021-01-01
#2001

Outstanding Young Puerto Rican

2001-01-01
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Conrad Humanities Scholar Award

2011-01-01
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University of Illinois President’s Executive Leadership Program Fellow

2019-01-01

Courses

SPAN 466: Between Border Crossings Bodies Water: Colonialism Identity Constructions Spanish America SPAN 324: Africa Colonial LatinaAmerica: Diasporas Cultures Within SPAN 324: Why Eat Eat: Food Culture Colonial Spanish America SPAN 324: Ecology Natural Disasters Colonial Spanish America SPAN 324: Objects Motion: Circulation Culture Colonial Spanish America SPAN 535: Indigeneity Latin America SPAN 535: Africa Colonial Spanish America: Experiences, Identities, Colonial Negotiations SPAN 314: Ecocriticism Nature Writing Colonial Spanish America SPAN 324: Spanish American Cultural Studies, pre-Columbian-1799 SPAN 466: Geographies Knowledge Colonial Spanish America SPAN 535: (Re)visions Colonial Past Contemporary Colonial Spanish America SPAN 314: Latin American Literatures Special Topic: Cinematographic Renditions Colonial Spanish America: Visualizing Written Texts SPAN 466: Narratives Risk Colonial Spanish America SPAN 535: Hispanic Enlightenments: Geographies Knowledge Patriotic Epistemologies Spain Spanish America SPAN 250: Introduction Literary Analysis

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.