Dr. William Worden, a professor of Spanish and director of the Spanish program in the College’s Department of Modern Languages and Classics, has been named the winner of the 2013 Post-Secondary Award by the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers. The award recognizes a top instructor of foreign language in the state. Worden will be honored this spring at the organizations’ annual conference.

Worden earned his Ph. D. from Brown University and has been a faculty member in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics since 2002. His area of specialization is Spanish Golden Age literature with a particular emphasis on the work of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the classic Don Quixote. Worden has written about the novels of Cervantes, as well as on Colonial Latin American theater. He regularly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on Spanish Golden Age prose, poetry, and theater.

Before pursuing a doctorate degree in Hispanic studies, Worden taught Spanish at the high school level for five years.

“One reason I enjoy working with the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers is because it is made up of Spanish teachers of all levels, from elementary and middle school teachers to high school teachers to university professors,” he said.

Worden has been asked to lecture and participate in numerous conferences, and is a member of several professional organizations including the Alabama chapter of The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. He has also lived and studied in both Spain and Mexico.