Elisa Gironzetti

Elisa Gironzetti is an Associate Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, affiliated with the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She holds dual doctorates: a Doctorate in Spanish Language Teaching (University of Alicante, 2013) and a Ph.D. in English Applied Linguistics (Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2017). Her research focuses on humor studies, pragmatics, and Spanish as a heritage language, with particular emphasis on multimodal analysis and the integration of multiliteracies in language education.

Her academic leadership roles include serving as Associate Director for Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and coordinating lower-level Spanish language courses. She supervises graduate teaching assistants and teaches courses on applied linguistics and Spanish language pedagogy at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Gironzetti is a prominent editor in her field, founding the E-JournALL open-access journal, co-editing the Routledge Innovations in Spanish Language Teaching book series, and serving on editorial boards for journals like Journal of Spanish Language Teaching and HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research. Her publications include monographs such as The Multimodal Performance of Conversational Humor (2022) and co-edited volumes like The Routledge Handbook of Multiliteracies for Spanish Language Teaching (2024).

Her research explores intersections between humor, visual cues (smiling/gaze), and language teaching methodologies. She advocates for a non-linguocentric approach to humor studies, emphasizing embodied cognition and multimodal interaction. Current projects include studies on heritage language education, multimodal pedagogy, and the role of technology in language learning.

Gironzetti's work bridges theoretical research and practical classroom applications, contributing to advancements in Spanish language teaching methodologies and curricular design. She is actively involved in professional development initiatives for language educators and serves as Director of Publications for ASELE (Asociación para la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera).