Languages, Literature and Culture Research
At Adelphi University, we invite our students to explore how language, storytelling and cultural expression shape the way we understand the world.
From your first year, you can explore areas such as literature across languages and periods, cultural and critical theory, translation and interpretation, comparative literary studies, and the relationship between language, identity and cultural expression. Through coursework and independent study, students learn to analyze texts and cultural artifacts, construct well-supported interpretations and understand how language and literature shape the way we experience the world.
To receive credit for research:
- Speak with faculty about their research areas early in your first year
- Identify topics that align with your interests and goals
- Develop a research question with faculty guidance
- Register for independent study or honors research with approval
Students present their work at the Adelphi Scholarship and Creative Works Conference and may also share their research at regional and national conferences.
Through the SPARK Center (Scholars Pursuing Arts, Research and Knowledge), students can receive funding, mentorship, and support for independent research and conference presentations.
Faculty Research and Areas of Focus
Ignacio Arellano Torres, PhD is a scholar of Early Modern Spanish literature specializing in Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and the cultural dynamics of the Hispanic world. His research explores literary space, travel writing, and intercultural exchange, with a focus on how Spanish literature reflects and shapes broader cultural and historical movements. His work also bridges literary analysis, pedagogy and contemporary adaptation.
Jonathan R. Hiller, PhD is a scholar of nineteenth-century Italian literature, music, and scientific writing, with expertise in the cultural period between Italian unification and the outbreak of World War I. His research examines opera, the Scapigliatura movement, and figures such as Cesare Lombroso, with attention to the intersections of literature, science, and society. He is also an experienced literary translator and professional interpreter working in the New York area.
Priya Wadhera, PhD is a scholar of twentieth-century French literature and an internationally recognized expert on the work of Georges Perec. Her research explores experimentation in literary form, intertextuality, and cultural memory. Her book, Original Copies in Georges Perec and Andy Warhol (2017), examines repetition and originality across literature and visual art. Her current research focuses on representations of food and absence in French culture and literature.