Raquel Anido, assistant professor of Spanish, was promoted to associate professor with tenure.
Su-I Chen, senior lecturer of Chinese, presented at the Chinese Language Teachers’ Association (CLTA) Annual Conference in Seattle, April 5-7, 2019. She and her collaborators presented a roundtable session entitled “Understand Cultural Pluralism Through Differential Instructions on Movies.” They used three movies (Wolf Totem 狼图腾, On Happiness Road 幸福路上, and Our Shining Days 闪光少女) to share the teaching results/proposals for different levels and different classroom settings to introduce a diversity of cultures presented in the films. Chen shared her teaching of the cultures in Wolf Totem in her CHIN3060 class in the Spring 2019 semester at Clemson.
On January 14, together with Salvador Oropesa, Lee Ferrell, senior lecturer of German, presented the characteristics and nuances of the Clemson Language and International Trade program to students of the MA Seminar of Culture and Identity led by Professor Wilfried Dreyer at the Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule in Regensburg, state of Bavaria in Germany.
Harris King, lecturer of German, was promoted to senior lecturer.
Kumiko Saito, assistant professor of Japanese, presented her paper “Mapping the History of the Future: Politics of Enlightenment in Translated Works of Science Fiction in Meiji Era Japan” on January 20 at the Southeast Regional Conference of the Association for Asian Studies in Memphis, Tennessee.
Kansai University Professor Keiko Ikeda (left) welcomed Professor Philip Ngyuen (center) and Clemson University Professor Kumiko Saito (right) to IIGE in preparation for their Fall 2019 “Business and Japanese People” COIL collaboration. Photo courtesy of IIGE.
Kumiko Saito, assistant professor of Japanese, visited Kansai University’s International Plaza and Institute for Innovative Global Education (IIGE) on June 11, 2019 to discuss plans for Kansai and Clemson’s new collaborative endeavor in international virtual and physical exchange. Her trip was made possible thanks to a Global Learning Seed Grant awarded by Clemson’s Office of Global Engagement. Kansai University is a private university located in Osaka, Japan.
Saito will teach a new course on business and Japan starting in the Fall 2019 semester in which 6-8 weeks of virtual exchange, known as COIL (collaborative online international learning), will be embedded. During the COIL period, students will collaborate online with students at Kansai University to learn about Japanese business and management through hands-on experiences.
Students who wish to expand this virtual exchange to on-site experiential learning in Japan will be able to participate in “Clemson in Japan,” a new short-term summer program at Kansai University which Saito will start in Summer 2020. This summer program, open to all Clemson students, will include an intensive Japanese course and optional internship in Japan. Students who enroll in the COIL course in Fall 19 and participate in the summer program in 2020 will be awarded a JASSO scholarship, which pays approximately $800/month toward expenses in Japan thanks to IIGE’s support.
Jason Hurdich, lecturer of ASL, was an honorary guest at May River High School’s Class of 2019 graduation in Bluffton, South Carolina. He served as the interpreter of the ceremony and met Deaf student Rodney Nunez, one of May River’s graduating seniors.
Hurdich was featured in a local news article. Beaufort County School District’s YouTube channel also uploaded the following video about Hurdich’s visit:
CLEMSON – The efforts of Clemson University to increase opportunities for students and faculty to engage globally continue to move forward with the creation of a $250,000 endowment and a $250,000 fund thanks to a donation from the Michael W. Schwehr family of The Woodlands, Texas.
The gift will create the Schwehr Family Global Service Learning Annual and Schwehr Family Global Service Learning Endowment, both of which will support service-learning, research and engagement in under-resourced communities.
L&IT alumna Victoria Leigh Schwehr (left) with her family. Photo courtesy of Clemson University Relations.
“The generous gift will not only make a lasting impact on the Clemson community but will allow faculty to expand the use of service learning models and open opportunities outside of the traditional study abroad locations,” said Sharon Nagy, associate provost of Global Engagement at Clemson. “Faculty and students will positively impact communities while addressing many of the challenges faced by societies today. Students will be able to do their part to change the world while being changed themselves by the experience.”
The Schwehr Family Global Service Learning Annual will be used immediately to support student and faculty opportunities in developing countries. It will provide annual competitive seed-funding grants to faculty for the development of new Global Service Learning programs. The first call for proposals will be announced in August 2019 and will be reviewed and awarded by the Council for Global Engagement for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Once fully funded, The Schwehr Family Global Service Learning Endowment will provide financial support to programs designed for students from any of the colleges.
Submitted proposals will be reviewed by the Office of Global Engagement and funding will be awarded to selected proposals for service-learning projects and international program development for students in under-resourced communities worldwide.
“We’re blessed to be able to help others in the Clemson family participate in missions at locations of need around the world,” said Schwehr. “Hopefully, with this early contribution, others will join me and my family in this great opportunity to help others”
Global service learning is not new at Clemson. Whether through courses, Creative Inquiryand student organizations, Clemson students, faculty and staff are solving problems and serving communities in Tanzania, India, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Peru, Guatemala and Dominica. These initiatives include bioengineering students working with low-resourced communities to find affordable solutions to health care challenges; agriculture faculty engaging around the world to develop drought-resistant crops and technologies to improve food security; engineers addressing water quality; and the School of Nursing’s Global Health Certificate, for which students address health-delivery systems in Peru.
“It is an honor to receive this gift from the Schwehr family. Having spent time in his career working and raising his family abroad, Mike recognizes the importance of preparing students for meaningful lives and careers in our globalized world,” said Nagy. “The Schwehr family’s commitment and altruism are evident in the careful thought they put into the ideas of global service learning. Their gift will give in ways we can hardly imagine today.
The $500,000 gift was made by Schwehr family members Michael William ’81, Linda Pogue, Laurel Michelle and Victoria Leigh ’16.
Michael W. Schwehr graduated from Clemson with a degree in mechanical engineering. After Clemson, he went to ExxonMobil, where his career spanned more than 35 years. During his time there he served in various assignments, including refining, products supply, retail marketing, environmental remediation and real estate. He traveled and lived abroad on numerous occasions and his work led him to Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.
Schwehr’s daughter, Victoria Leigh, graduated from Clemson with a degree in language and international trade. As an undergraduate she studied and worked abroad in Paris, France. After graduation she joined Amazon in Louisville, Kentucky, and later progressed to AeroTek, a prominent national staffing and placement firm.
Professor of French Eric Touya. Photo courtesy of Clemson University Relations.
CLEMSON – Professor of French Eric Touya came to Clemson 11 years ago from the “south-west of the south-west of France,” somewhere between Dax and Bayonne, near the birthplace of Vincent de Paul and Maurice Ravel, and not very far from illustrious authors and thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu. It’s about as far away from South Carolina, geographically and culturally, as one can get—but Touya has made it his life’s work to bring those two worlds together and show his students the Earth is much smaller than we imagine.
“Eric Touya brings to Clemson the best of the philological and enlightened European traditions of thought. It is a tradition of research and teaching rooted in the evolution of ideas and the inalienable concept of citizenship,” said Salvador Oropesa, chair of Clemson’s Department of Languages. “The idea is that we, students and professors, are citizens of the world, with rights and duties; we learn from the past to make a better future. Dr. Touya has been a champion of the Language & International Trade program because it puts together the humanities and the ethical creation of wealth to make a better world.”
Touya researches and teaches the French language and 19th-21st century Francophone culture (cultures shared by groups of French-speaking people from different areas) and literature courses. He emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to literature, art, theory, ethics and society in his extensive list of classes. Some of the courses he offers include studies in French literature and theater that introduce students to authors like Proust, Sartre, Camus and Simone de Beauvoir. His “Contemporary French Civilization” class invites students to approach the social, cultural and political issues that define France in the 21st century. He also teaches a “Francophone Women Authors” class that examines the works of women authors, characters, themes, genres and movements in Francophone literature, and “French Feminism and Theory” in which he explores the works of major figures of French feminism such as Monique Wittig, Hélène Cixous, Julia Kristeva and Luce Irigaray.
“I enjoy the interaction with the students who are curious learners, and eager to examine through literature major philosophical and political questions but also explore cultures and modes of thoughts different from their own,” said Touya. “I am particularly interested in the progress each student can make and I like to impart to them a certain rigor and a sense of enjoyment.”
While he loves bringing French language and culture to his students in the classroom, his favorite thing is bringing the classroom across the ocean to France.
“A defining moment for me was when I began to co-lead in 2010 with Col. Lance S. Young the ‘Paris-Normandy program’ through which Clemson students revisit the journey of American soldiers during WWII in Normandy, Paris and Northern France,” he said. “I felt a bond with the students as an American, even though I am originally from France, as we reflected on the past and paid homage to Clemson students who now rest in Normandy and gave their lives for the liberation of my native country and the world.”
Touya continues to lead groups of American students to France every summer, offering them the opportunity to learn about their country’s and world history “but also about themselves.”
In his free time Touya enjoys the beauty of Clemson’s campus, and of nearby wilderness areas like Table Rock Park. He received his D.E.A. in Comparative Literature at the Université de Paris IV, Sorbonne, and his Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago. He received the John B. & Thelma A. Gentry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities in 2012 and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Service in 2017. His most recent book is Simone de Beauvoir: le combat au féminin (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France/Humensis, 2019).
(From L-R) CAAH Dean Richard Goodstein, Destanee Douglas, and Languages Department Chair Salvador Oropesa. Photo courtesy of Clemson University.
The following students were honored at the annual College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities (CAAH) awards ceremony on April 12 at the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts:
Joey Martinek, Award for Excellence in Spanish
Katrina Killinger, Japan-America Association of South Carolina (JAASC) Award for Excellence in Japanese
Harrison Kerr, Clemson Chinese Laoshi Award for Best Beginner
Matthew Hagan, Joan Bridgwood Award for Excellence in Russian
Destanee Douglas, Language and International Health Award for Excellence
Katie Ann L. Day, Jordan A. Dean, Sr. Annual Award in French Studies
Bennett Andrew Maeres, Draexlmaier Language Award for Excellence in German
Mari Lentini, Patricia Walker Wannamaker Language and International Trade Award for Highest Merit
Students present their research on literary topics
Students in SPAN 3040. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
Andrew Gasparini, Clare Howley, Maggie Langland, and Joanna Lilly presented their research in the course ‘Introduction to Hispanic Literary Forms’ (SPAN 3040) offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera in the Spring 2019 semester. Students analyzed works by Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Mario Vargas Llosa, José de Espronceda, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rubén Darío, Ángel González, Osvaldo Dragún, and Federico García Lorca to research transcendental themes and distinctive techniques related to narrative, poetry, and drama.
Students present their research on works by female authors
Students in SPAN 4030. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
Bailey Beasley, Scout Beddingfield, Julianne Bruno, Sarah Burt, Amber Chopelas, Annabelle Daniels, Margaret Eberly, Nina Gallimore, Morgan Guest, Alice Harrison, Sarah Jackson, Hannah Martin, Caitlin Matthews, Ethan Melton, Elizabeth Nealon, Allison Nye, Rebecca Roth, Mary Elizabeth Schaible, Elkie Shramek, Abigail Stoddard, and Elena Womble presented their research in the course ‘Spanish American Women Writers’ (SPAN 4030) offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera in the Spring 2019 semester. Students analyzed works by female writers and film directors of international renown, including Delmira Agustini, Dulce María Loynaz, Juana de Ibarbourou, Lucrecia Martel, Lucía Puenzo, Solveig Hoogesteijn, María Luisa Bombal, and Griselda Gambaro. In their research presentations, students explored the intuitive female perspective on topics related to order and chaos, cultures in contact, objectification, censorship, witchcraft, existential questions, scientific experiments, and the reality of dreams.
Students present their research on social, economic, and political topics
SPAN 4050 students. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
Bryan Barton, Kyle Cole, Cassady Cook, Michael Cox, Anna Clare Eckrich, Rachel Elston, Asa Gray, Claire Hasenoehrl, Sophia Lamb, Jordan Mitchell, Angela Mondragon, Haley Nichols, Dana Phan, Sarah Reynolds, Eneida Rivera, Julia Rogers, and Katie Violette presented their research in the course ‘International Trade, Film & Literature’ (SPAN 4050) offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera in the Spring 2019 semester. Students analyzed articles and films to explore the impact of immigration, capital cities and urban poverty, culture and bureaucracy, political power, social classes, and working conditions in the Hispanic world. Their research presentations focused on the following films: Secuestro Express (Jakubowicz, 2006), El juego de Arcibel (Lecchi, 2003), La estrategia del caracol (Cabrera, 1993), and Subterra (Ferrari, 2003).
FPS members Sheridan Cofer, Mari Lentini, Anna-Caroline Bridgeman, and Kelly Burns (far end of table) with the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Carolinas at a networking event in Greer. Photo courtesy of Mari Lentini.
French:
The French Professional Society (FPS) is a pre-professional society for students with a strong interest and background in French and/or French-American relations that wish to apply these interests to their career. FPS meets monthly as a club as well as informally with individual members who want to learn more about the opportunities available to French L&IT/L&IH majors. Meetings throughout the semester focus on professional development and aim to introduce and inform members about study abroad, internships, and career paths.
FPS member Kelly Burns (right) at the Language and International Business Conference. Photo courtesy of Mari Lentini.
The Spring 2019 semester began with a joint meeting with the Clemson French Club where students learned from the editor of the on-campus international affairs magazine, The Pendulum, about the opportunity to write an article of an international affairs topic of their choosing, experience the research and editing process, and become published in a magazine. As part of the Language and International Trade Council, FPS helped to plan and develop the 2019 Language and International Business Conference. The society also strengthened its relationship with the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Carolinas (FACCC) and partnered with them for a networking night in Greer and attended FACCC networking nights in Columbia. At these events, FPS members connected with French Language and International Trade alumni and American and French business associates in the upstate region.
The incoming 2019-2020 FPS President is Mary Veideman. More information is available on the FPS Facebook page.
Sigma Delta Pi 2019 induction ceremony. Photo courtesy of Anna Whitfield.
Spanish:
The Iota Phi Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, hosted its annual induction ceremony on March 2nd in The Brown Room of Cooper Library. Six new members were inducted. During the ceremony, Angelica Werth gave a presentation about her experience studying abroad in Córdoba, Argentina. The event was organized by chapter sponsor Rosa Pillcurima, lecturer of Spanish.
Jamie Plummer at the conference. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
Jamie Plummer, a psychology major and Spanish minor, completed her research in SPAN 4970 (Creative Inquiry Project: The Hispanic World through Film, Literature, and Media) offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera in the Spring 2019 semester. Jamie presented her research paper “Machismo, Poverty, and Gender Violence in City of God (2002) by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund” at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Kennesaw State University, April 10-13, 2019. Her presentation discussed the impact of machismo, poverty, and gender violence on the lives of people portrayed in the film City of God (Cidade de Deus), directed by Meirelles and Lund (Brazil, 2002). Based on the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, the film portrays life in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and the realities of urban poverty. Examples of these realities include juvenile delinquency, gang violence, gender violence, drug trafficking, and power corruption. Jamie’s research explored characters, conflicts, themes, symbols, and techniques in the context of the social environment, connections among diverse groups of people, levels of education, and economic resources. Her presentation at the national conference was made possible through a travel grant awarded by the Creative Inquiry Program.
Students at a roundtable discussion. Photo courtesy of Clemson University.
The Department of Languages hosted the annual Language and International Business Conference (formerly the Language and International Trade Conference) on March 13 in the Hendrix Student Center. The conference provides leadership opportunities to students of foreign languages, promotes awareness of international businesses in Upstate South Carolina, and gives students networking and job opportunities. The theme of this year’s event was “applying language in the global marketplace.” The 2019 conference included a keynote speech by Justin Prescott, a Clemson alumnus and Senior Consultant at Ernst and Young in Tokyo; a panel discussion with Chamber of Commerce members; and a roundtable discussion with Clemson students and international business leaders.
