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Ph.D. History, University of South Florida
M.A. Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies, University of South Florida
B.A. Spanish Literature, North Carolina State University
Certificate, Superior Knowledge of Business Spanish, University Alcalá de Henares of Madrid, Spain
Dr. Jason Old joined the Department of Humanities at Southeastern University in 2007. A specialist in modern Latin America, his research explores how the United States has historically engaged with the Caribbean Basin of Latin America.
As an Associate Professor of History and Spanish, he teaches all levels of Spanish, as well as courses in nineteenth- and twentieth-century US and Latin American history. Professor Old’s history courses focus primarily on the United States’ historical—political, economic, military, and cultural—relationship with Latin America. He teaches several courses on these topics, among them, “American History II, 1877 to Present,” “US Interventions in Latin America,” “Latin American Literature,” and “Latin American Film.” He also directs language, history, and culture study abroad programs to Cuba and Nicaragua, teaching courses on the “History of Cuba, 1898-present” and "Nicaraguan History and Culture.”
In addition to his teaching role, he is actively engaged in scholarly research. His most recent articles, “Transnational Surfistas and the Development of Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast,” and "Empire at Play: The United States' Cultural Influence on Nicaragua's National Sports’ Identity,” were published in the International Journal of the History of Sport (IJHS) in 2021 and 2023, respectively. His current book project, The Politics of Waves: Nicaragua’s Evolution from Rural Coastal Periphery to International Surfing Epicenter, spans the mid-twentieth century through the present, paying close attention to the development of southwestern Nicaragua—a coastline that transitioned from a rural periphery reserved for agro-business and fishing to an international surf tourism epicenter over the course of six decades.
Professor Old is also the founder and host of "The Surfing Historian” podcast and was the co-founder and executive director of CAN Fútbol Foundation (2008—2018), a sport and development nonprofit organization that uses soccer to promote education and community development initiatives in Roatan, Honduras.
