John Beusterien , Ph.D. Professor of Spanish
john.beusterien@ttu.edu
John Beusterien , Ph.D. Professor of Spanish
John Beusterien was born in Detroit, Michigan, and received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). His Ph.D. is from the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
Dr. John Beusterien brings a poetic sensibility to the literature, culture, and history of medieval and Golden Age Spain. Aside from his scholarship in those fields, he publishes on the history of Spanish-speaking culture on the Southern High Plains. He also is a published poet. His classes include creative projects and field trips.
Before joining Texas Tech in 2005, Beusterien taught at Albion College (Michigan), Colby College (Maine), and the University of Miami (Florida).
He is developing a museum, Lubbock Waters, to educate about the ecosystem of the southern high plains.
His awards include the Don D. Walker Prize for best essay on the literature and culture of the North American West.
Professor Beusterien has written 3 monographs, 7 edited or co-edited books, 41 articles and chapters, a short story, and 12 poems. His research focuses on literature and culture from the Spanish-speaking world, including the work of Miguel de Cervantes; Spanish Golden Age theater; the history of blood and race; and early modern Spanish cultural studies. His research also focuses on the environment and animals; creative writing; and regional and place-based studies.
Beusterien has directed 8 Ph.D. dissertations. He serves as the managing editor of Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America. He has published 16 book reviews.
Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
Courses Commonly Taught
- Poetry and Culture
- Environmental Humanities and Animals Studies
- Miguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote
- The Llano Estacado
- Literature of the Spanish Golden Age
Ph.D. Dissertation Advisees
- Missael Duarte Somoza, 2024 (Lecturer, Louisiana State University)
- Isabel Carmona Ojeda, 2023
- Zachary Brandner, 2022 (Assistant Professor and Murphy Fellow, Hendrix College)
- Julio César Pérez Méndez, 2017 (Assistant Professor, Universidad del Sinú, Colombia)
- Heath Wing, Outstanding Dissertation Award in Humanities and Fine Arts and Dissertation Completion Fellowship, 2015 (Professor, South Dakota State University)
- Martine Price, 2016 (Senior Lecturer of Spanish, University of North Texas)
- Catherine Grissom, 2016
- John Baron, 2016
Administration
- Governing Committee and Affiliated Faculty in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Governing Committee in Comparative Literature
- Ambassador for International Digital Storytelling Festival Our New Gold
Areas of Research
- Environmental Humanities
- Southern High Plains
- Miguel de Cervantes
- Theater in Early Modern Spain
- Creative Writing
- Animals
- Water
- History of Race
Awards
- Don D. Walker Prize for Best Essay on the Literature and Culture of the North American West (offered by the Western Literature Association)
- Co-author Timothy Foster. " The Thirsty Llano Estacado: The Manuel Maés Ballad Corpus."Great Plains Quarterly 42:1-2 (2022): 17-48.
- Short Story
- Hunger is the Same Hunger
- "Hunger Is the Same Hunger" is a fascinating discussion about the tension between traditional culture and digital culture. It is immersive and stays with you as you consider the implications of what these characters experience and how that relates to our reality. Honorable Mention, Friends of the Chautauqua Writers' Center Writing Contest.
- Hunger is the Same Hunger
Recent Publications
- Elephants and Ivory in China and Spain. 2025. Co-author with Stephen West. Eds. Geraldine Heng and Susan Noakes. Cambridge Elements Series on Global Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- “Birdsong and the Earth’s Polyrhythm: The Life of a Caged Blue Rock Thrush in Early Modern Spain.” Beyond Human: Decentering the Anthropocene in Spanish Ecocriticism. Eds. Shanna Lino and Maryanne Leone. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. 2023. 56-75.
- “What’s in a Name? Animals and Humanities Biogeography.” A Companion to Spanish Environmental Cultural Studies. Ed. Luis I. (Iñaki) Prádanos. Woodbridge: Tamesis. 2023.119-124.
- “Callejeando Sevilla histórica: Una caminata antirracista por la ciudad [Exploring the Streets of Historic Seville: An Anti-Racist Walk through the City].” Co-authors Chloe Ireton and Sara Pink. Hispania: Official Journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese 104.3 (2020): 332-339."
- Co-edited with Ana Laguna. Goodbye Eros: Reassessing the Ethos of Love in Age of Cervantes. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
- Transoceanic Animals as Spectacle in Early Modern Spanish (Amsterdam University Press, 2020)
External Links
Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures
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Address
CMLL Building, 2906 18th St, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.3145 -
Email
cmll@ttu.edu