Thomas Garza

Thomas Jesús Garza is University Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Slavic and Eurasian Studies and the Director of the Liberal Arts Texas Language Center. He is also Affiliated Faculty in the Program in Comparative Literature, and the Center for Mexican-American Studies.

He teaches Russian language and literature at all levels, foreign language pedagogy, and courses in contemporary Russian culture. He has been traveling to and researching in Russia since 1979 and has lived in Moscow for over five years. A native Texan, Dr. Garza received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1987.

During his twenty-nine tenure at the University, he has received numerous prizes for undergraduate and graduate teaching, including the Texas Excellence Award, the President's Associates Award, the Harry Ransom Award, was inducted into the University Academy of Distinguished Teachers in 2003, selected for a Regents Outstanding Teaching Award in 2009 and was named to the Texas Ten by the Texas Exes Alumni Association in 2018.

His current research is on intensive language teaching methods, and cultural portraits of machismo in contemporary Russian and Latino cultures.

WEB MATERIALS From Dr. Garza:

“Surfing the Russian Net: Tools and Materials for Conducting Basic Internet Research in Russian,” Web-based tutorials funded through FAST-Tex, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas, 2010-2011. Available as online OER as “Café Russia: Get Ready, Get Set, Go!”
http://laits.utexas.edu/cafe-russia/

“Culture in Foreign Language Teaching: The Fifth Skill,” teacher training module for on-line methods course, funded through the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services and the Texas Language Technology Center, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas, 2008-2010.
http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/culture/

“The Language Teacher,” teacher training module for on-line methods course, funded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services and the Texas Language Technology Center, College of Liberal
Arts, University of Texas, 2008-2010.
http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/teacher/

“Teaching with Different Orthographies,” teacher training module for on-line methods course, funded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services and the Texas Language Technology Center, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas, 2008-2010.
http://www.coerll.utexas.edu/methods/modules/writing/01/orthographies.php

“Retro Russian,” a multi-level proficiency-based online program for using vintage music video to introduce Russian culture and history while practicing relevant language, in collaboration with Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services and the Texas Language Technology Center, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas, 2009-2010.
http://coerll.utexas.edu/rr/retro/

“Viewing for Proficiency: Using Video Materials in Concert with Russian language textbook project Live from Russia!” an on-line guide for teachers using authentic video in teaching Russian, in conjunction with the Russian: Stage One textbook project, 2008.
http://www.livefromrussia.org/content/teacher/docs/Video%20Guide.pdf

“Rockin’ Russian,” a multi-level proficiency-based Russian language and culture instruction program online, based on contemporary Russian rock music videos with level-relevant exercise materials, in collaboration with Liberal Arts
Instructional Technology Services and the Texas Language Technology Center, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas, 2007-2008.
http://coerll.utexas.edu/rr/index.html

“Russian History Online: The Khrushchev Years,” a collaborative multimedia cultural history project with the University of Texas at Austin, Moscow State University and Abamedia, LP, with substantial funding from the Carnegie Foundation, 2005.
http://russianarchives.com/rho/index.html