Department of Languages

Spring Highlights: German and Spanish Programs Host Conference for International Business in Mexico

On February 14, the Spanish and German programs hosted the Conference for German and Spanish in International Business and Engineering: Investment in Mexico.  Faculty members Daniel García, Magdalena Matúskova and Lee Ferrell collaborated together in organizing this event with publicity and social media coordinated by Anna Grace Araiza.  Events for the day were moderated and organized by student leaders Gwyneth Terry (LAIB Spanish), Derek Dias (Finance), Emiliano Sanchez (Finance) and Anna Schmidt (Management).

Hosted in collaboration with the Department of Management and the Consulate General of Mexico, the conference brought in numerous German companies from the upstate region to speak with our students about the work they do in both the US Southeast and in Mexico. This unique opportunity allowed students to learn about the presence of German businesses in Mexico and the unique benefits they have on the region.

After opening remarks by Dean Nicholas Vazsonyi and an address by the Deputy Consul General of Mexico, the conference showcased a keynote address by BMW representatives on the benefits of conducting business in Mexico. Also featured was a panel discussion with the North American heads of Röchling Automotive and Dräxlmaier Automotive Groups as well as the Mexican Ambassador to Germany about German business and investment in Mexico. Students and attendees were also afforded the chance to participate in roundtable discussions on German business and investment through a broader regional lens.

Attendees listen to a presentation during the Conference for German and Spanish in International Business and Engineering: Investment in Mexico.

The conference concluded with a mini job fair in which students and attendees could network with representatives from various German companies and learn about internship and introductory-level jobs in their companies.

Students speak with representatives from Röchling following the conference. The mini job fair was an opportunity for students to learn about internships and entry-level jobs in German companies throughout the Upstate region.

Language and International Health Society

March 3, 2024

The purposes of the Language and International Health Society shall include:

  • Helping students succeed in the L&IH major and prepare for their future through contact with guest speakers, L&IH graduates, study abroad advisors and other campus and community resources;
  • Serving as a forum where L&IH majors can meet and exchange information, ideas and concerns about internships, study abroad and other aspects related to the major;
  • Providing opportunities where students can network with other students and professionals, explore career paths, and broaden their knowledge of global health issues and their cultural and linguistic contexts;
  • Representing the L&IH major to Clemson University.

L&IH Society Officers (2022-2023)

President: Kate Henry“My name is Kate Henry, and I am a Senior Language and International Health Major with a Spanish concentration. I am expected to graduate in May 2024.”

Vice President: Carley Hitzelberger”My name is Carley Hitzelberger, and I am a freshman Spanish Language and International Health Major. I work for Clemson University Fire & EMS, and I am expected to graduate in May 2027.”

Secretary: Laura Gorissen“Hey everyone! My name is Laura Gorissen and I am a sophomore LIH major with a minor in psychology. I was born and raised in Brazil, and have always loved traveling. I am so excited to be secretary for the LIH society this year!”

Social Media Coordinator: Jenna Gooding“My name is Jenna is Jenna Gooding, and I am a senior Spanish and International Health major! After graduating in May 2024, I hope to go to medical school!”

Treasurer: Lydia Dorroh. “Hi! My name is Lydia Dorroh, and I am a sophomore Language and International Health Major with a Spanish concentration. I am expected to graduate in May of 2026.”

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Arelis Moore, MD, PhD, MPHAssociate Professor of Community Health and SpanishDepartment of Languages

Activities

Spring 2024

  1. February 8- Hot Chocolate Social Event
  2. March 8- Every Campus a Refugee (ECAR) Webinar
  3. April 9- Clemson Rural Health Guest Speaker

Two 2023 LIH Graduates Ready to Make their Mark in Public Healthcare

The Department of Languages is proud to acknowledge two LIH graduates, Madeleine Wolfe and Rund Adelnabi, both recently featured in Clemson News.

Both Madeleine and Rund will be receiving degrees in Language and International Health with a Spanish concentration. Their unique passions and talents have led them both in different and equally impressive directions.

Madeleine Wolfe, Language and International Health ’23
Image courtesy of Clemson University

Madeleine plans to focus her future efforts on combatting the health disparities that arise in rural communities. She has already had a positive and tangible impact on the local community. During her time at Clemson, she earned her EMS certification and has been working as an EMT with the Clemson University Fire Department. Her unique background in cybersecurity as related to healthcare systems combined with her research with Clemson Rural Health no doubt will allow Madeleine to continue making her mark as she heads off to medical school.

Rund Abdelnabi, Language and International Health ’23
Image courtesy of Clemson University

Rund’s approach is more language-driven. Fluent in three languages, Rund seeks to help Arabic and Spanish speakers access and navigate the complexities of the public healthcare system. Her firsthand experience working in a public health center in Argentina while completing her study abroad program gave her valuable experience in forging meaningful patient relationships, and her goal of becoming a physician’s assistant will allow her to integrate her talents, skills, and passion to make a difference in the experiences and lives of patients in the future.

The Department of Languages heartily congratulates these talented and impressive graduates as they take the next steps in their healthcare journey!

Remembering D-Day: Clemson in London-Paris-Normandy Info Session to be held September 20

An informational meeting about the study abroad program “Remembering D-Day: 2024 Clemson in London-Paris-Normandy” will be held on Wednesday, September 20, from 5:30-7:00PM in Daniel Hall 113.

The program runs from May 14 – May 24, 2024 and takes participants to historically significant locations throughout the United Kingdom and France, including London, Normandy and Paris. Participants will have the opportunity to revisit the experiences of American soldiers during World War II and reflect on the meaning of these experiences in contexts both historical and current. Students will explore important questions and topics from a broad range of perspectives and academic disciplines. The program fulfills the GLCH (Global Challenge) 3990 and FR 3980 course credits.

For more information, contact Professor Eric Touya de Marenne, Department of Languages (etouya@clemson.edu) and Col. (Ret) Lance Young, Clemson Corps Life Emeritus (lsyoung@clemson.edu)

More information can be found on the program flyer below. The Zoom link to the information session is provided on the flyer.

Department of Languages Congratulates 2023 Student Award Recipients

The Department of Languages is excited to congratulate our 2023 Student Award Recipients:

Eli Bechtel

Eli Bechtel – Dr. Patricia Walker Wannamaker Language & International Trade Annual Award of Excellence

Kate Henry

Kathryn “Kate” Henry – Hagan Language and International Health Award for Excellence

Sara Miller

Sara Miller – Ann and Lamar Bayne Award for Excellence in American Sign Language

Eli Bechtel – Clemson Chinese Laoshi Awards – Best Achievement

Joseph Imbo – Clemson Chinese Laoshi Awards – Best Beginner

Courtney Glassburn

Courtney Glassburn – Jordan A. Dean, Sr. Annual Award in French Studies

Victoria Ann Dupre

Victoria Ann Dupre – John Bednar Award of Excellence in LAIB/French

Emily Cosgrove – Carlton Moore ’93 Excellence in German

Katelyn Franck

Katelyn Franck – Draexlmaier Language Award for Excellence in German

Austyn Sierra Barjona – JAASC Harry Watanabe Award in Excellence in Japanese

Lexie Colwell – Joan Bridgwood Award for Excellence in Russian

Robert Mitchum

Robert Chase Mitchum – Roger K. Simpson ’76 Annual Memorial Award for Excellence in Spanish

Congratulations to all on their outstanding achievements!

ASL and Creative Inquiry Students Return to Martha’s Vineyard for Research, Outreach

Assistant Professor of ASL Jody Cripps and his Spring 2023 ASL Creative Inquiry team in Lambert’s Cove, Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

A Return to Martha’s Vineyard

Last April, Assistant Professor of ASL Jody Cripps and seven ASL students traveled to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, as part of their Creative Inquiry course to initiate a community outreach program aiming to help revive the historic signed language community on the island. This Spring, a new team of students led the way: on April 9-15, Professor Cripps and six of his Creative Inquiry students returned to Martha’s Vineyard for Clemson’s third visit. The group’s project allowed for students to engage in unique and important field research while collaborating with local cultural and historical institutions.

The Deaf Legacy of Martha’s Vineyard at a Glance

Martha’s Vineyard, an island of just over 17,000 residents off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has a rich history in deaf genealogy and signed language that goes back centuries.

The earliest deaf settlers in Martha’s Vineyard arrived in the late 1690s, the first of which was Jonathan Lambert, for whom Lambert’s Cove, visited by Professor Cripps and his students, was named. Due to the prevalence of hereditary deafness in the genealogy of many of the island’s residents, the number of deaf individuals rose from the late 17th century onwards until its decline in the 19th century. The last native islander with deaf genes was Eva S. West-Look, who died in 1950. Martha’s Vineyard Signed Language (MVSL) is a unique piece of the legacy which arose from this community, and in the past, it was used by both hearing and non-hearing members of the community to varying degrees. The last resident who knew and used Martha’s Vineyard Signed Language was Katie West, who died in 1952.

Today, the deaf legacy is kept alive in Martha’s Vineyard through various cultural and historical institutions which preserve and educate the public about deaf history on the island. Katie West’s home was purchased by the town in 1956 and is now the Chilmark Library, which houses the Chilmark Deaf/Signed Language Community Digital Archive. The Martha’s Vineyard Museum maintains several important artifacts related to deaf history on the island, including Alexander Graham Bell’s notebook on his investigations into deaf genealogy on the island in the 1880s. Other local landmarks and historic places make tangible efforts to acknowledge their links to past deaf residents and history.

The team in front of the house of Katie West, the last user of Martha’s Vineyard Signed Language. West’s house was purchased by the town in 1956 and is now the Chilmark Library.

Past Creative Inquiry Projects

Last year, Professor Cripps and his Creative Inquiry students spearheaded several community outreach opportunities working alongside local institutions with the aim of promoting deaf history in the community and reviving the signed language tradition on the island.

Professor Cripps and his students visited and collaborated with local institutions such as Martha’s Vineyard Signs Then & Now, a project under a public access MVTV station, where they had the opportunity to interview local deaf residents, discuss the history of the deaf community with Joan Poole-Nash, the Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language Archivist, and talk about Clemson’s Creative Inquiry outreach projects on the program. They also had the chance to collaborate with the Chilmark Library and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, whose efforts to “bridge the gap” comprise a mix of promoting historical awareness and fostering a strong and accessible community for both deaf and hearing residents through various outreach programs.

Creative Inquiry Filling in the Gaps

This year’s Creative Inquiry team consisted of six of Professor Cripps’ ASL students: Allison Rambo, Stacy Lawrence, Brie Moose, Tariq Copeland, Emerald Withers, and Cassie Fischer. Their project aimed to investigate the direct genealogy linking the Lambert and West families, expanding Lane et al.’s (2010) work on the history of the two families’ link to deaf genetics. The team used historical and genealogical sources found in the Chilmark Library, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and town hall in their research. They also used information from the US Census Bureau to verify genealogical connections and hearing status as well as fill in gaps in Lane et al.’s work, such as census numbers and birth/death dates. Source material from books by Alexander Graham Bell (1884) and Charles Banks (2021) was also utilized in research on the West family.

The results of their research were exhibited in a poster presentation entitled “From Lambert to West Families: Deaf Genes on Martha’s Vineyard, 1700s to 1950s” by Professor Cripps and his students at the Research Symposium at Watt Family Innovation Center on May 10, 2023.

Professor Cripps and his students present their research at the Research Symposium on May 10.

The CI team’s other outreach activities focused on interacting with residents and institutions to brainstorm and demonstrate ways to facilitate the use of signed language among community members. In one instance, students met with medical professionals from Vineyard Complementary Medicine, with whom they exchanged ideas for future sessions on learning ASL and training with deaf patients. Students also had the opportunity to teach some sign language basics by presenting “Try Your Hand at Sign Language” at Oak Bluffs Library.

Future exciting collaborations are in the works: Professor Cripps and student Allison Rambo worked with Lynn Throp, producer of MV Signs Then and Now, and Bow Van Riper, Research Librarian of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, on a booklet highlighting the daily life and enrollment of Martha’s Vineyard deaf students at the American School of the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1825 to 1892. The booklet will be issued later this year. Additionally, last April, Professor Cripps and several past CI students had a meeting with Bow Van Riper to discuss and brainstorm a museum exhibition about the deaf islanders. This exhibition will be opened on July 1, 2023, and continue through February 18, 2024.

ASL students present “Try Your Hand at Sign Language” at Oak Bluffs Library in Martha’s Vineyard.

Further Information and Useful Links 

For more information on Dr. Cripps and his students’ Creative Inquiry projects in Martha’s Vineyard, please see the team’s website.

For more information on the future exhibit on deaf islanders in the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, please see the museum’s website.

Three Department of Languages Faculty Receive CAAH Awards

Three exemplary Department of Languages faculty received CAAH awards for Academic Year 2022/2023:

Principal Lecturer of Spanish Ellory Schmucker was awarded CAAH Advisor of the Year.

Associate Professor of French Pauline de Tholozany was awarded a Creativity Professorship for the Humanities.

Associate Professor of Spanish and Community Health Arelis Moore received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Congratulations to all on these outstanding and well-deserved achievements!