Macarena Gordillo de Paz

Macarena is a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney (USYD). She has been teaching Spanish language and culture, as well as International Studies, for more than fifteen years in Australia. She has experience as an academic coordinator, researcher, curriculum designer, curriculum examiner, teacher trainer, and lecturer at the university level. Furthermore, she is a supervisor and examiner of the Master's Degree in Spanish as a Foreign Language: Didactics and Research at the University of Nebrija.

Since 2012, Macarena has been working in the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the USYD and the School of International Studies and Education at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She currently coordinates Contemporary Spain and International Intensive Electives, as well as being a supervisor for the In-country Study Fieldwork in Spain. Throughout her career, Macarena has received numerous awards for her outstanding contribution to teaching methodology and student learning.

Macarena is a certified examiner of the Diploma in Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) from basic to advanced levels (A1 to C2). She collaborates with the Cervantes Institute, the Spanish Department of Education in Australia and Asia, as well as the NSW Department of Education, where she develops teacher training and the Spanish exams for the Higher School Certificate.

Macarena's research is aimed at the disciplines of Cultural and Linguistic Studies through Teaching-Learning Pedagogies and Intercultural Education. She is a cultural theorist who analyses how the evolution of Spanish national identity in the popular culture context has shaped Contemporary Spain, revealing the underlying historical narratives of gender and transnational politics. In her forthcoming book, which she co-authored with Dr Nick Manganas, 'The Politics of Gendered Life Stories in Spain: From Private Lives to Public Revolution', they examine how personal narratives travel, gather force, and become sites where political and cultural boundaries are redrawn. Furthermore, Macarena disseminates these Spanish cultural and linguistic studies into the Australian Anglophone culture. She develops creative and innovative approaches to teaching and learning through the embedding of cultural and linguistic studies, as well as GenAI, to create an engaging educational environment that inspires and supports students' lifelong journey. Macarena's innovative approaches and research have led her to hold conferences in Australia, Beijing, Germany, Hong Kong, Lithuania, and Spain.