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Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Chalene Helmuth

Associate Professor of Practice, Director of Vanderbilt Center for Languages
Affiliated Faculty, Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies

Chalene Helmuth teaches courses in Spanish language, Latin American literature, and tourism and sustainability.

She is the author of two books, The Postmodern Fuentes, on the Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes, and Culture and Customs of Costa Rica. Her teaching and research interests include Latin American narrative and identity, sustainability and tourism, and the development of cultural competencies in study-abroad contexts.

Dr. Helmuth was appointed Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Languages in August, 2022.

Dr. Helmuth was Director of the VISAGE program in Costa Rica from 2008-2013.

From 2007-2022, Dr. Helmuth served as Faculty Head of Sutherland House in the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, engaging residents in stimulating discussions about identity, culture and language, as they consider how best to navigate the university experience.

Before joining Vanderbilt, Dr. Helmuth was an Associate Professor at Centre College.