Dr. Shields's area of specialization is the Caribbean, specifically literature and Caribbean nation-building. She has presented papers throughout the Caribbean and in Africa. She has also been involved with the television show CaribNation and is part of the emerging theatre group, CariVision. She is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Engaging El Dorado: Literature and Pan-Caribbean Citizenship. In the Fall of 2006 she is teaching "Spitting in the Wind: American Women, Art, and Activism." This Women's Studies special topics course examines manifestations of activism in the arts and the social and political spheres throughout the Americas.