Bio

Dr. Arizpe was born in Madero, Texas, a Mexican-American community three miles south of Mission, Texas. He graduated from Mission High School in 1964. In 1965 he joined the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1969. He received his B.A. in Spanish from Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas in 1972. In 1982, Dr. Arizpe received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He taught for three years at Ohio State University before joining Texas A&M in 1983.

Dr. Arizpe was the recipient of the Ford Foundation Fellowship for Mexican Americans and the Ford Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1988). Dr. Arizpe’s research interests are Peninsular Spanish language and literature: Golden Age Spanish prose, drama, poetry, rhetorical studies and Spanish American colonial literature.

In teaching, Dr. Arizpe received the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (1990). In 1992, students recognized Dr. Arizpe’s commitment to teaching by naming a ”Fish Camp” in his honor. In administration, he has served as Interim Head for the Department of Modern and Classical Languages (1990-1992); founding Director of the International Studies Degree Program (1993-2000); Coordinator of the Hispanic Studies Minor and Founding Head of the Department of Hispanic Studies (2004-2008). He is a founding member of the Mexican American U.S. Latino Faculty Association (MALFA) at Texas A&M. Dr. Arizpe is a member of Texas A&M University Press Editorial Board (2006-present), and a Member of the Clásicos Hispánicos (Spain) Advisory Board.

Research Interests

• Spanish Golden Age
• Spanish American
• Colonial Studies
• Cultural Studies