Professors

Samer Ajour El Zein Ph.D.

International Money and Finance.
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Background: Applied Math and Finance.

About me: Masters in Finance from UPF and a Ph.D. from UPC.

I love to teach: International Finance Sustainability.

Someone I admire: Leonard Bernstein.

My pillow book: The Black Swan – Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Favorite place in BCN: La Rambla de Catalunya.

Caty Álvarez

Spanish Language and Culture.
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Background: Degree in Journalism and in Spanish Philology. Masters Degree in Teaching Spanish to Foreign Students.

About me: I’ve been teaching Spanish for more than 15 years now. I found my place and my people in teaching young Americans studying abroad!

I love to teach: I love teaching any cultural content.

Someone I admire: All Women.

My pillow book: Any book by Eva Illouz.

Favorite place in BCN: Plaça Sant Felip Neri

Tod Bergstrom

The Legal Environment of Business / Business, Government and Society
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Background: Tod has taught undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Washington since 2000. In addition to teaching, he coaches case competitions and leads overseas programs.

A.B., Political Science, Stanford University; A.M., History, Stanford University; J.D., The University of Washington.

About me: Tod Bergstrom has also practiced law for more than 30 years, and has tried more than 120 jury trials.

I love to teach: Can businesses voluntarily self-regulate?

Someone I admire: Nelson Mandela.

My pillow book: Books I can build a class around…current events…

Favorite place in BCN: Getting coffee every morning outside my apartment in the Gothic Quarter, in front of a 15th-century church.

Luis Castilla

Spanish Language and Culture.
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Background: Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication and a Master’s Degree in Teaching Spanish Language and Literature, I have been working for many years teaching Spanish as a second language.

About me: Enthusiastic, modern and always up to date. My background is very diverse, always trying to look ahead in my teaching methods.

I love to teach: Spanish Literature and Culture.

Someone I admire: Richard Dawkins, David Attemborough, Maria Montesori.

My pillow book: A good book of Spanish Grammar & On the Origin of Species.

Favorite place in BCN: Los Jardines del Guinardó.

Marina Diaz-Cristóbal Ph.D.

Catalonia and Barcelona in a Globalized World / Western European History. History of Spain.
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Passionate about international education.

About me: After travelling the world, I made Barcelona my home. I love teaching its history and its idiosyncrasies.

Lessons I love to teach: The world is a complex place! Beware of the simple

Someone I admire: Artist Marcos Grigorian.

My pillow books: Moby Dick

Favorite place in BCN: Santa María del Mar

Massimo Di Ricco Ph.D.

Mediterranean Politics.
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Background: BA Literature and History (University of Bolonia); MA Research in Media and Communication (UAB Barcelona); PhD Mediterranean Cultural Studies (URV Tarragona).

About me: I love reading non-fiction books and long form article, doing historical research on the recent past and write.

Lessons I love to teach: The Arab world and the West.

My pillow books: History Is a Contemporary Literature: Manifesto for the Social Sciences – Ivan Jablonka

Favorite place in BCN: Montjuic

Cesar Duch Ph.D.

International Trade: Theory and Policy.
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Background: Ph. D in Economics. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Doctoral Courses in Economics (Concentration: Marketing Research) October 1993 Thesis title: “Técnicas de investigación de mercados aplicables al sector industrial” (Industrial Market Research Techniques) Qualification: Cum laude.

About me: Since 2004, I have been teaching in English to International students.

I love to teach: International Trade, International Marketing.

Someone I admire: Akio Morita( Sony).

My pillow book: Change Ressistance – Elizabeth A. Broyles and Thomas R. Harvey.

Favorite place in BCN: Olimpic Port.

Adriana Espinet

International Business: Global & Local / Marketing Concepts.
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Background: Bachelor and Master Program in Business Administration and Management from ESADE-Ramon Llull University.
Certified facilitator in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
Ph.D. candidate and researcher in the area of international business with a focus on the service industry.

About me: Born and raised in Catalonia. Passionate about the Service Industry. At present, mixing freelance consulting and lecturing in the areas of business and management. Currently involved in supporting entrepreneurs develop their new ventures & exploring new training methodologies based on design thinking and gamification to improve strategic decision-making and contribute to creativity and innovation within organizations.

Lessons I love to teach: That there is no such thing as the solution to the problem. Often, it’s more about the questions rather than the answers.

Books that got me into reading when I was younger: The Perfume – Patrick Süskind. The Inspector Montalbano Series – Andrea Camilleri.

Pillow books any work from Zygmunt Bauman, George Steiner and Nuccio Ordine.

Favorite place in BCN: Walk and get lost, there are always new places to discover no matter how long you have lived here.

Dolors (Loli) Hernández

Spanish Language and culture.
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Background: I have worked in American study abroad and Erasmus programs at the Pompeu Fabra University. I have also worked at the ESADE Executive Language Center teaching Spanish to Master students and have participated in a Berlin Senate project as a Business Spanish teacher. I have designed and developed Spanish courses for special purposes.

About me: I was born in Barcelona and I´ve been working as a Spanish teacher for 20 years. I love cooking, cinema and photography.

I love to… Conversar con los estudiantes en español

My pillow book: The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair – Joël Dicker.

Favorite place in BCN: Plaça de Sant Felip Neri

Claudia Ledesma

Spanish for Professional Development.
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Background: In company Spanish Language Teacher.

About me: I think it’s essential to understand student needs & how they learn so as to know what motivates them and drives their learning.

I love to teach: Intercultural Business Communication.

Favorite place in BCN: Cadaqués.

Craig Markarian

History of Art and Architecture / Hands-on Barcelona.
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Background: BA (Architecture), BFA, Rhode Island School of Design.

About me: I’m an architect, artist and designer, and professor. I teach university courses in drawing for apparel and graphic design.

I love to teach: Velázquez and Goya and 20th-century avant-garde.

Someone I admire: Artist Marcos Grigorian.

My pillow books: Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann. Wicked – Gregory Maguire. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger.

Favorite place in BCN: The beach at sunset.

Francesc Muñoz Ph.D.

Urban Planning and Architecture.
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Background: Urban geographer. Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

About me: Expert in urban planning. Books and texts on urban studies such as ‘Urbanalization. Global Landscapes, Common Places’.

I love to teach: Lessons on audiovisual support and city field trips.

My pillow books: Soft City – John Raban. Short Stories – J.G. Ballard.

Favorite place in BCN: Apart from ALBA… El Clot and Gracia neighborhoods.

Carles Murillo Ph.D.

Intercultural Communication: Sojourners / European Perspectives & Spanish Film & Literature.
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Background: Degree in Humanities (Philosophy: Ethics & Aesthetics, UPF Bcn). Masters in Comparative Literature (University of Edinburgh) & Masters in Literary Creation (UPF, Barcelona). PhD in Contemporary Spanish Literature (University of Edinburgh).
Taught at an undergraduate level in Scotland, Italy (Ca’Foscari, Venice) and in a Masters program for UPF, Barcelona. Currently working for Study Abroad Programs in Barcelona. Academic publications in the area of Literature and Cinema.

About me: As a Guest Lecturer for other Universities and Business Master Programs, I teach philosophical ideas through current TV Shows to students and professionals.

I love to teach: Question the answers.

Someone I admire: David Lynch.

My pillow books: Tokyo does not love us anymore – Ray Loriga.

Marc Rocas

Business, Government and Society / Leadership & Organizational Behavior / Cross-cultural Communications.
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Background: Ph.D. candidate at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). Master’s Degree Programme in Information and Knowledge Society. Master’s Degree in Teaching. Business Administration. Electrical Engineer.

About me: I love to teach because I love to learn. I am addicted to subscriptions.

Lessons I love to teach: Lessons on inequality, ethics, and globalization.

Someone I admire: Noam Chomsky

Pillow book: Liquid life – Zygmunt Bauman.

Favorite place in BCN: Café del Centre, a coffee shop from 1873.