Besides my activities as a language educator, I have been involved in several research projects connected to Hispanic Literature and Culture, focusing on Contemporary Spanish Literature. Recently I completed a book based on my research, García Lorca`s Trip to Cuba, and have just started a new project about Lorca`s surrealist plays, poems, drawings and filmscript.
Another field I am interested in is the history and analysis of cinematography, especially in contemporary Spain. On one hand, this topic is related to García Lorca, and the Generation of 27. On the other, this subject is a particular asset in the teaching process, especially at advanced levels, because of the wealth of information they provide about people not only speaking the language but also acting in different situations. Even though students today enjoy the opportunity to travel widely, I believe that films fulfill a critical function in allowing access to other worlds and cultures. Films serve as a very effective classroom tool for many and varied purposes: to increase opportunities for oral expression in different contexts, to illustrate cultural and behavorial differences, and to improve sociocultural competence. Films can act as a perfect springboard for debates, role play and much more, so I am working on methodological questions related to the use of films in teaching Cross Cultural Communication.
Since 2007 I have been conducting researches related to Spanish contemporary history focused on the figure of Spanish diplomat Ángel Sanz Briz who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust in Budapest. I also have been interviewing Hungarian survivers and have been collaborating in several documentaries about these topics.