Juan Arias

Dr. Juan Manuel Arias is an interim Preceptor in Spanish in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, where he completed his PhD in 2024. His literary research focuses on medieval and early modern literature, with a particular emphasis on animal ethics and human-animal relationships.

Dr. Arias has extensive experience teaching both literature and language in Spain, Colombia, and the United States. During his doctoral studies, he collaborated with the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning as a Pedagogy Fellow and co-founded RLL in the Classroom, a monthly newsletter developed with his colleague Luca Politi to foster dialogue and innovation within the department and to highlight the hard work of RLL’s outstanding Teaching Fellows and Teaching Assistants. In his approach to pedagogy and course design, Dr. Arias is especially interested in decolonizing the language curriculum and integrating sustainability into his classes—both theoretically and practically. He has been recognized with the Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching and the Community Building Award from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. He strives to create inclusive, reflective learning environments that engage students with global and ethical perspectives.

Currently, Dr. Arias coordinates the beginner levels of Spanish at Harvard, overseeing Spanish 10, 11, and 15, where he works closely with students to help them build a strong foundation in language skills and cultural understanding.