MEDIA RELEASE
PROFESSOR ALFONSO GUERRIERO RECEIVES GRANT FROM JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
NEW YORK, NY-February 2, 2015–AlfonsoGuerriero, Professor of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College,has been awarded a $1,500 grant by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston to support his research with English Language Learning (ELL) students. The grant will allow ProfessorGuerriero to travel to Boston, home of the largest Ernest Hemmingway collection in the world, to conduct more research on his study linking the success of ELL students in academic literacy to the works of Ernst Hemmingway. “A Preliminary Study of ELL College Students and their Development of Academic Literacy through Ernest Hemingway's Journalistic Style” explores the connection between ELL studentsuccess and engagement in the classroom with the stylistic works of the famed author. Professor Guerrierofirst realized the connection when working with students in his Great Works of Literature II class who had difficulty with the readings of assigned authors, but who became more engaged when reading and discussing Hemmingway’s short stories.
“Many of these students have difficulty in meeting some of the academic literacy standards required by the course.” said Professor Guerriero.“Since English is not their native language, ELL students have difficulty in reading some of the assigned authors. Many of these works include translated versions of Voltaire, Machado de Assis, Mustafa Effendi, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as well as English and American writers such as John Keats, William Blake and Herman Melville. However, when Hemingway’s short stories are assigned, I noticed more students are engaged in the reading and are able to read his written works.”
“Based on the data gathered, I developed a hypothesis that explains why ELL college students are more engaged in the classroom and confident in their expressive language. Because Ernest Hemingway was a journalist trained to write in short sentences, using dialogue, repetition, and simple grammar, his writing style allows ELL intermediate and advanced students, to be more successful in achieving academic literacy.”
Professor Guerrierohas spent the past 3 years collecting data for his study and has traveled to Cuba several times over the past decade with Dr. Wayne Finke. In 2010, he taught a Feit seminar class about Cuban Cinema/History.
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About Baruch College:
Baruch College is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) with a total enrollment of more than 18,000 students, who represent 164 countries and speak more than 129 languages. Ranked among the top 15% of U.S. colleges and the No. 4 public regional university, Baruch College is regularly recognized as among the most ethnically diverse colleges in the country. As a public institution with a tradition of academic excellence, Baruch College offers accessibility and opportunity for students from every corner of New York City and from around the world. For more about Baruch College, go to
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