Writing & Research:
Neuroscience, Literature & Education
Amelia’s writing spans neuroscience and ancient wisdom, Latin American literature, and transformative education — reflecting a lifelong commitment to understanding how we learn, heal, and belong.
Borges on Life and Death
New York Times · 1986
A rare and intimate conversation with the great Argentine master — exploring mortality, memory, and dreams. One of the last major interviews before his death.
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Borges, Buddhism and Cognitive Science
Journal of the Institute for World Religions · 2009
The surprising convergences between Borges’ labyrinthine imagination, Buddhist teachings on the nature of mind, and findings of contemporary cognitive neuroscience.
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Shamanic Dreams and Experiences in Borges and Arguedas
Elixir · 2006
Two giants of Latin American literature share a profound fascination with dreams and indigenous shamanic wisdom — opening a portal between visible and invisible worlds.
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Marginalidad y Chamanismo en Borges y Arguedas
El Colegio de México · 2008
Cómo dos voces fundamentales de la literatura latinoamericana utilizan la marginalidad y el chamanismo como espacios de resistencia, identidad y transformación.
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De Brújulas y Nepantlas: Identidad y Fronteras en Borges y Anzaldúa
Itinerarios · 2009
Una exploración del espacio liminal entre culturas, lenguas e identidades — a través del diálogo entre Borges y Gloria Anzaldúa.
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Learning to Learn: Neurobiology and Cognitive Science as Bases of Autonomous Learning
UC Berkeley Language Center · 2008
What does neuroscience tell us about how we truly learn? A foundational text reimagining education — placing student autonomy and embodied experience at the center.
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Teaching Intercultural Citizenship through Intercultural Service Learning
Foreign Language Annals · 2021
How students become genuine global citizens through service. Documents Amelia’s groundbreaking UC Berkeley course where language students served asylum seekers and underserved communities.