José L. Magro
School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Assistant Clinical Professor, Spanish and Portuguese
Language Program Director
magro@umd.edu
2224 Jiménez Hall
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Education
Ph.D., , The Graduate Center (City University of New York)
Research Expertise
Applied Linguistics
Critical Race Theory
Raised in Alcorcón, Madrid, and a long-time resident of Brooklyn, he is Assistant Clinical Professor and Language Program Director in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The University of Maryland, College Park, where he works on antiracist curriculum development and teaches Sociolinguistics and all levels of Spanish. With a Ph.D. in Hispanic linguistics, a M.Ed., and a B.S. in Social Psychology, Dr. Magro specializes in Critical Applied Sociolinguistics. His research interests are Critical (Antiracist) Pedagogies, Hip-Hop Pedagogies, Second and Heritage Language Learning and Teaching, Bilingualism, Language and Identity, Language Ideologies, and Spanish in the USA. He has published book chapters and articles in journals such as Linguistics and Education and the Journal of Sociolinguistics. His book, Language and antiracism: An antiracist approach to teaching (Spanish) language in the USA, was published by Multilingual Matters in 2023
Courses
SPAN-687/478P/498G, Critical Pedagogies for Language Justice: Anchored in a critical interdisciplinary approach focusing on the sociopolitical and ideological dimensions of language, this course offers students the opportunity to explore and apply critical language teaching practices. Through socially responsive pedagogies, students will learn how to promote change towards equity and justice in the (language) classroom and beyond. The course includes a practical final project. Taught (mainly) in Spanish.
SPAN-408T, Making Languages: A Political History of Spanish(es): Explores the political and social history of Spanish, tracing its development from its roots to its present global presence. It examines how historical events, colonialism, migration, and cultural exchanges shaped Spanish and its varieties. Viewing languages as non-discrete and hybrid, the course studies the influence of political power, identity, and resistance on Spanish's evolution and standardization. Through readings, discussions, and research, students gain insight into the interplay between language and politics. Ideal for students in linguistics, history, cultural studies, Latinx studies, and Latin American studies.
ARHU-158, Language and antiracism (Explorations in Arts and Humanities): This sociolinguistics seminar is taught in English and is designed for incoming ARHU majors, especially those interested in teaching languages at various educational levels. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, Hispanic applied linguistics, linguistic anthropology, sociology, social psychology, race studies, Latinx studies, language acquisition, education, and Hip-Hop studies. It explores the social, political, and ideological dimensions of language and aims to raise linguistic awareness through the implementation of antiracist language teaching methods in the classroom.
SPAN-420, Spanish in the Unites States: This sociolinguistics course provides a comprehensive examination of Spanish in the United States (US). It covers the historical, linguistic, cultural, sociological, and political aspects of Spanish within diverse Spanish-speaking communities in the US. The primary goal is to develop critical awareness of the relationship between language, individuals, and society in these communities.
SPAN-372, Spanish and the Law: This experiential learning course is part of the Spanish for the professions curriculum. It offers students the opportunity to enhance their Spanish linguistic and intercultural communication skills in legal practice contexts. The course adopts a critical perspective, with a particular focus on issues related to migration and racism within the legal system.
SPAN-318, Translation of Technical Texts: This advanced translation course combines translation theory with sociolinguistics. It adopts a content-based approach that emphasizes the development of critical thinking and anti-racist awareness. Students engage in the translation of technical texts, integrating sociolinguistic considerations into the translation process.
All levels of Spanish.
Publications
Language and antiracism: An antiracist approach to teaching (Spanish) language in the USA
This book equips language educators with practical strategies for antiracist pedagogy, grounded in critical race theory and sociolinguistics. It argues that antiracist teaching is essential to decolonizing universities and includes online resources for ad
Author/Lead: José L. MagroBeginning from the premise that being non-racist–and other ‘neutral’positions–are inadequate in the face of a racist society and institutions, this book provides language educators with practical tools to implement antiracist pedagogy in their classrooms. It offers readers a solid theoretical grounding for its practical suggestions, drawing on work in critical race theory, critical sociolinguistics and language ideology to support its argument for antiracist pedagogy as a necessary form of direct action. The author contends that antiracist pedagogy is a crucial part of the project of decolonizing universities, which goes beyond tokenistic diversity initiatives and combats racism in institutions that have historically helped to perpetuate it. The author’s pedagogical suggestions are accompanied by online resources which will help the reader to adapt and develop the material in the book for their own classrooms.
Foundations for Critical and Antiracist Heritage Language Teaching
This chapter explores Critical Linguistic Awareness in heritage language education, emphasizing language ideologies, racialization, and antiracist pedagogy, and offers practical guidance for training educators to implement CLA-informed, antiracist teachin
Author/Lead: José L. MagroThe main goal of this chapter is to provide readers with a solid understanding of key theoretical and practical issues in Critical Linguistic Awareness (CLA) and Critical Linguistic Awareness pedagogies (CLAp). The first part of the chapter will discuss issues related to language attitudes and ideologies, language and racialization, and antiracist pedagogies in HL education. This part will also address the much-needed turn from multicultural perspectives in curriculum development within the US educational context towards an explicit antiracist pedagogical approach. The second part of the chapter will begin with a description of the foundations of a critical perspective to HL teacher education and continue with some suggestions for preparing pre- and in-service educators to effectively teach HL courses under a CLA framework with an antiracist approach.
“Dope!! Puta vergona”: Identity “en el middle” and Language Choice in Instagram among Urban Music Affiliated Male Spanish Legacy Speakers from Da DMV
This book examines how Latinx youth in the D.C. area use Spanish and Hip-Hop Nation Language on Instagram to express identity, resist racial labels, and negotiate belonging through urban music culture.
Author/Lead: José L. MagroOver the past decades, U.S. public discourse has often framed Latinx immigrants as a cultural and linguistic threat, reinforcing racialized ideologies that push Spanish speakers to assimilate. Similarly, African American English is stigmatized as “incorrect,” despite its systematic nature and cultural significance. Yet both Spanish and Hip-Hop Nation Language (HHNL) serve as tools of resistance against racial categorization and assimilation. This study examines how Hispanic immigrant youth in the Washington, D.C. area use Spanish and HHNL on Instagram to construct identity, affiliate with Hip-Hop, and negotiate issues of race, language, and belonging.
