Innovation in Language Learning

Christine Ristaino is Professor of Practice and the Director of the Emory College Language Center. She teaches Italian and social justice classes at Emory University. She has co-authored an academic publication titled Lucrezia Marinella and the “Querelle des Femmes” in Seventeenth-Century Italy through Farleigh Dickinson Press as well as the first edition of a book series called The Italian Virtual Class, which teaches language through cultural acquisition. She writes and publishes articles, essays, OpEds, and non-fiction, and presents her work in various forums throughout the U.S. and abroad. Ristaino has also published an award-winning memoir titled All the Silent Spaces, which was released in July of 2019 and confronts the topics of violence, identity, and discrimination. In addition, Ristaino was a Fellow in The OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship at Emory University and has published articles in the Guardian, Pacific Standard, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, Ms. Magazine, Visible Magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on child advocacy, coping with violence, and topics around diversity.

Ristaino specializes in Italian pedagogy, Italian language and culture, memoir, immigrant identity through food, diaspora studies, and the Reggio Emilia Approach to education. She serves on the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Emory University and also works with undocumented students at Emory, which has been the most rewarding part of her career. In addition, she participates in efforts around social justice and violence prevention. Ristaino is an award-winning advisor and teacher and has experience organizing powerful symposiums, seminars, conferences and events. She leads workshops on the topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, trauma Informed teaching, transformative teaching and learning, writing and talking about difficult topics, and creating a public voice.

Area/s of Expertise: Italian Pedagogy, Italian Language and Culture, Memoir, Immigrant Identity through Food, Diaspora Studies and the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education