The Department of Languages welcomed the following new faculty members at the beginning of the Fall 2017 semester.
Bo Clements, Lecturer of American Sign Language
Bo is relocating from Tampa Bay, Florida after having spent 20 years teaching ASL courses at the University of South Florida. As the current President of the Florida American Sign Language Teacher’s Association (ASLTA), Bo holds ASLTA Professional Certification and recently presented several workshops at the ASLTA national conference. Bo holds an M.S. degree from Florida State University and an undergraduate degree from Gallaudet University. Bo loves Modern Art, traveling and is a proud daddy of a DODA (Dog of Deaf Adult), a golden retriever named Ryley.
Daniel Holcombe, Lecturer of Spanish
Daniel is from Asheville, North Carolina and was raised in northern Virginia, where cultural diversity and cultural competence began to play major roles in his life. He holds a B.A. in Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, an M.A. in Spanish and a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from Arizona State University. His specialization focuses on the 400-year history of illustrated editions of Don Quixote, Salvador Dalí as the illustrator of a special 1946 edition, and how both fit into this history. Research interests include the reinterpretation of quixotic iconography in cultural production, such as in film and graphic novels; gender and masculinity studies as applied to Latin American film and literature, as well as early modern Spanish literature, especially works by Cervantes; the role of Don Quixote in the development of twentieth-century U.S. Hispanic Studies, and medical interpretation and translation. He has served as a volunteer or contract Spanish-English medical interpreter for 30 years and has written and taught medical interpretation courses in North Carolina since 2012. Daniel teaches intermediate Spanish, intermediate Spanish grammar and composition, and comprehensive writing in Spanish. He enjoys spending time with his family in Asheville, writing and publishing, and performing editorial service for academic journals and bibliographic service for the Modern Language Association.
Jason Hurdich, Lecturer of American Sign Language
Jason is relocating from Charleston, South Carolina where he recently worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation counselor and was referred to as a “Rock Star” by Her Honorable and a fellow Clemson Alumnus, Governor Nikki Haley for his role as a Deaf Interpreter during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Jason is a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Boston University and his Master’s of Education in Signed Language Interpretation from the University of North Florida. Jason has instructed college level ASL classes for twenty-three years and looks forward to joining the Clemson team. Read more about Jason here.
María Rosa Júdez, Lecturer of Spanish
María Rosa was born and raised in Mexico City. She earned her M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) along with several postgraduate fellowships and certifications. She has 30 years of clinical experience as a General Practitioner with expertise in obesity, diabetes and nutrition. In addition to her clinical experience, María Rosa has taught medical clinics and public health university courses in Mexico, developed continuing education courses for physicians and nurses, and coordinated several studies of obese and diabetic patients, among other accomplishments. She has published several articles and co-authored a book on obesity. After moving to South Carolina, she earned a certification via the Medical Assistant Program at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton. At Clemson, she teaches a Spanish for Health Professionals course in the Language and International Health program. María Rosa has four children who live in Cancún. She loves learning, reading, exercising, and Latin dancing with her husband.
Isabel Meusen, Lecturer of German
Isabel received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of South Carolina. Her main research interests are in the areas of Holocaust literature and film. In addition to a comparative focus on the literature of the Holocaust, Isabel’s research and teaching interests include postwar and contemporary German literature, trauma theory, women’s and gender studies, and the graphic novel. She is currently working on a book titled Unacknowledged Victims: Lesbian Women’s Experiences of Persecution during the Holocaust. Before joining the Clemson faculty, Isabel taught at the University of Memphis and Middlebury College. At Clemson, she teaches elementary German.
Stephanie Morris, Lecturer of Russian
Stephanie is from northern New Jersey and teaches beginning Russian as well as an intermediate Russian lab course. She earned a dual B.A. in Russian and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire and her M.A. in Russian and East European Studies from the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University. Her research interests have centered on the cultural and historical interactions between Russia, Estonia, Finland, and the Finno-Ugric peoples. In her free time, she enjoys playing the violin, painting, and writing.
Kumiko Saito, Assistant Professor of Japanese
Kumiko holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on modern Japanese literature and culture, especially how Westernization impacted Japanese concepts of gender and technology. Her current book project examines the concept of romantic love through Japanese women’s literature and popular culture including novels, manga, anime, and video games. Before coming to Clemson, she taught Japanese language and popular culture at Grinnell College for two years. Prior to that, she worked as a translator in the automotive industry. At Clemson, Kumiko teaches Japanese literature courses in English and Japanese. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games.
Satomi Saito, Lecturer of Japanese
Satomi earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa. His research interests include the modern Japanese novel, the intellectual and cultural history of Japan, and Japanese popular media, such as anime and manga. Prior to joining the Clemson faculty, he taught Japanese language, culture, literature, and film courses at Colgate University. At Clemson, he teaches elementary Japanese.
Ellory Schmucker, Lecturer of Spanish
Ellory grew up in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and earned her B.A. and M.A. in Spanish from the University of South Carolina. She taught intermediate Spanish at Clemson from 2011 to 2015 and returned to the same role this fall. In addition to her work teaching Spanish, Ellory has worked as a translator and transcriber and has interpreted on behalf of people with disabilities and Medicaid patients for the Department of Social Services. Ellory has authored a Spanish language children’s book and hosted a Spanish language radio show on WSBF, and she wrote her Master’s Thesis on the role of women in the Spanish surrealist movement. Outside of her interest in Spanish, Ellory is also a fan of tomatoes, the theremin and trap music.
