Priscelina Patajo-Legasto

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Priscelina Patajo-Legasto earned her B.A. English , M.A. Comparative Literature, and Ph.D. in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines in Diliman. She is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the Department of English and Comparative Literature (DECL), of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman. She teaches courses in literary, cultural, feminist, and Marxist theory and criticism; Philippine theater history; and postcolonial studies. She was the former Dean of the joint Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities and the Faculty of Science & Technology (1999-2002) at the University of the Philippines Open University. She previously held the positions of Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs, Director of the University of the Philippines System Information Office, and Director of the Office of Alumni Relations of the University of the Philippines System (2002-2005). She has edited or written for over twenty publications. She is a board member of the Philippine Studies Association and of the Network of Outstanding Teachers and Educators and edits the Diliman Review.

She has won various awards for teaching including a national award (Metrobank Foundation Search for the Most Outstanding Teacher-College Level, 1998) and U.P. awards (Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Professor, 1996 and College of Arts and Letters Gawad Leopoldo Yabes for Outstanding Professor, 2001). Her research on theater—Women and Contemporary Theater: ‘Usapang Babae’ and Sarswelang Pangasinan garnered the U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Best Research of 1994 and for Best Book in 1997, respectively. She also received the U.P. Gawad Chancellor for Outstanding Researcher in 1997. Filipiniana Reader won the 1998 National Book Award (Anthology) from the Manila Critics’ Circle. Patajo-Legasto has received Fulbright fellowships as a Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor at Cornell University; University of California, Berkeley; New York University; University of California, Los Angeles; and University of Southern California.

Patajo-Legasto has a long list of projects and interests. She wants her teaching of literature, theater, and feminist and Marxist theory to have an impact on those studying the Philippines from the United States and elsewhere. The success of Filipiniana Online has been to bring high-level course work to Filipinos in remote locations in that country. The next course should also allow students from around the globe to engage with her and other scholars of Filipino culture. Online discussions took place via the Filipiniana Cafe , an electronic mail list for course participants to read and post to. Each section of the course was led by a Philippines expert in a given field—the literature section by U.P. Diliman Professor J. Neil Garcia, noted poet and literary theorist; the section on popular culture by Soledad Reyes, a prominent scholar from Ateneo de Manila University.

[edit] Awards and Honors

Metrobank Foundation Search for the Outstanding Teacher (SOT) Winner, College Level
National Book Award from the Manila Critics Circle
Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship
Fulbright Exchange Professorship
Visiting Scholar, Cornell University
Visiting Scholar, University of California, Berkeley
Visiting Professor, University of California, Los Angeles
Visiting Professor, New York University
Visiting Professor, University of Southern California
U.P. Diliman College of Arts and Letters Gawad Leopoldo Yabes for Outstanding Professor
U.P. Gawad Chancellor Award for Outstanding Teacher (Professor level)
U.P. Gawad Chancellor Awards for Outstanding Research
U.P. Gawad Chancellor Award for Researcher of the Year