Paul A. Schroeder Rodríguez's direct ancestors are from Puerto Rico and Germany, and growing up Boricua, he enjoyed reading and exploring the subtropical forests of the island with friends and family. At Amherst College, where he serves as the R. John Cooper '64 Presidential Teaching Professor of Spanish, he uses a variety of pedagogical methods including circle practice, embodied learning, and community-engaged research. His publications include the books Tomás Gutiérrez Alea: The Dialectics of a Filmmaker (New York and London: Routledge, 2002) and Latin American Cinema: A Comparative History (Oakland: University of California Press, 2016), and essays on community-based filmmaking in Abiayala.