Dr. David Towles

Professor of Spanish

detowles@liberty.edu
(434) 582-2091

Education

• Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, Virginia Tech
• M.A. in Spanish, California State University, Sacramento
• B.A. in Spanish/English, Tarleton State

Biography

David Towles has been teaching at Liberty for over 40 years. Initially, he taught English 100, 101, and 102 exclusively. Once the languages program began, he taught a combination of English and Spanish courses until he attained a full load of Spanish. He also served as Department Chair.

In 1998, Dr. Towles founded the Liberty University Spanish Institute, a program designed to help students obtain on-the-field instruction in Spanish. The centerpiece of this program is a yearly two-month summer stay in Guatemala, where students take intensive Spanish courses while using their Spanish primarily for ministry and evangelism.

Dr. Towles has a dual focus on electronic media within the classroom and evangelism beyond it.

Courses Taught

• SPAN 101 – Elementary Spanish I
• SPAN 102 – Elementary Spanish II
• SPAN 201 – Intermediate Spanish I
• SPAN 202 – Intermediate Spanish II
• SPAN 301 – Grammar & Composition
• SPAN 302 – Composition & Conversation
• SPAN 304 – Latin American Culture & Civilization
• SPAN 321 – Peninsular Literature
• SPAN 322 – Hispanic Literature
• SPAN 323 – Latin American Literature
• SPAN 450 – Capstone course

• Language instruction in the electronic classroom: currently conducting a comparative study between an electronic classroom and a traditional classroom.
• Has written three eBooks for use in teaching Intermediate Spanish II, the paradigm of text-based language instruction. One features readings from the Spanish Bible, another features Latin American short stories, and the third features a combination of Bible readings and Latin American short stories.

Institutional Service

• Director, Liberty University Modern Languages Committee (1980-2012)
• Creator, Liberty University Modern Languages program (1980-present)
• Director, Liberty University Spanish program (1980-present)
• Self-Study, Steering Committee (1985, 1995)
• Creator, Liberty University Spanish Institute (1999-present)
• Each year served one or more times as member or leader of an evangelistic trip to Guatemala, Hope of Life International (2000-2013)
• Under the auspices of Liberty University Spanish Institute, led leaders of Liberty University academic programs in trips designed to help the poor of Guatemala while also providing hands-on learning opportunities for our students, specifically in connection with the hospital that Hope of Life has recently constructed in Guatemala, Hope of Life International (2011-2013)