Adriana Witalis, LAIB French major, has been awarded the Department of Management Academic Achievement Award.
Award Recipient Adriana Witalis
The Department of Management Academic Excellence Awards are awarded to outstanding undergraduate students who are pursuing an area of concentration in the Department of Management. Awardees are selected on the basis of their outstanding academic performance in the undergraduate curriculum as well as in their areas of concentration.
The Department of Languages congratulates Adriana on this commendable achievement!
Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese – Clemson University College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities: Languages
Location: Clemson, SC Open Date: Apr 10, 2023
Description We are hiring a Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese, beginning August 15, 2023, with possible renewal up to three years.
Specialization is open, but candidates should be able to teach Japanese language courses at all levels and may have the opportunity to teach content courses in their field. Teaching load will be three courses per semester. Native or near-native fluency in Japanese and English are required. Candidates will be required to have their PhD in hand at the time of appointment.
Clemson University is an R1 institution and a highly selective public university situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Greenville, SC. Greenville boosts a thriving Japanese community with numerous Japanese and international businesses, while Atlanta has a Japanese consulate which acts as a Japanese cultural center. Additional information about Clemson University can be found at: http://www.clemson.edu/.
Application Instructions Application materials must be submitted to Interfolio. Please submit the following documents via Interfolio: http://apply.interfolio.com/124101
Cover Letter addressing your research and teaching
CV
Teaching evaluations from one course
Two letters of recommendation
Sample lesson plan (for a Japanese language class of any level)
Applications received by April 24th, 2023 are guaranteed review; however, the search will continue until a suitable candidate is found.
Questions about the position or application materials can be addressed to Dr. Satomi Saito ssaito@clemson.edu, committee Chair.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Clemson University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate against any person or group on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, pregnancy, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or genetic information. Clemson University is building a culturally diverse faculty and staff committed to working in a multicultural environment and encourages applications from minorities and women.
As the Fall semester draws to a close, we look back on some highlights from Fall 2022 in the Department of Languages. We turn the spotlight on the hard work and enthusiasm of Department of Languages’ students and faculty and the wider Clemson community as they share their valuable knowledge and experiences working toward a global, interconnected future.
September 21: Commission on Latino Affairs Symposium
The LIH Society hosted the 2022 Commission on Latino Affairs Symposium on September 21 in collaboration with several Clemson organizations. The symposium, entitled “Equity in Heath Care and Promotion Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic,” featured guest speaker and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi of Baylor College of Medicine who presented the keynote lecture, “Transformational and Adaptive Leadership in Tropical Medicine: Academic Creativity, Strategic Alliances and Diplomacy.” An hour-long discussion panel followed the keynote lecture, with various community-based health organizations sharing their experiences promoting health and resiliency in Latinx communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The symposium concluded with a networking and poster session featuring the research of Clemson students and faculty.
Keynote Speaker Professor Maria Elena Bottazzi with Professor Arelis Moore de Peralta, community panelists, and Clemson students
October 5: Forum for German and Spanish in Latin American Business Fall 2022
Students of Spanish and German speak with representatives of BMW Manufacturing Garrett and Michelle Bounds
The German and Spanish sections joined together this year to hold a Forum for German and Spanish in Latin American Business. This conference highlighting German investment in Latin America gave special focus this year to investment in the Bajio region of Mexico.
The event was organized by Professors Daniel Garcia and Magda Matuskova in Spanish and Professor Lee Ferrell in German. With both on-line and in-person sessions, there were approximately 130 attendees and 12 companies.
October 15: Department hosts 49th Annual Poetry Declamation Contest
The Department of Languages’ 49th Annual Poetry Declamation Contest returned to campus this semester for the first time since 2019, having been cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hosted virtually in 2021. The contest and awards ceremony were held in the brand-new Humanities Hall.
The Declamation contest brings together high school students from 22 different schools across South Carolina and Georgia to compete in poetry recitation in their languages of study. Contests are hosted in 9 languages (ASL, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish) and includes levels ranging from absolute beginner to native speaker. Students recite two poems from memory: a mandatory selection and their choice of a second selection. They are judged by a panel of judges comprised of Department of Languages faculty and 27 guest judges from the community. This year, 280 students participated in the event.
The return to the in-person contest allowed the students, their parents, and teachers the opportunity to learn about Clemson University first-hand and participate in campus tours.
The Department of Languages thanks the hard work of the Declamation Committee: Su-I Chen, Amy Sawyer, Melva Persico, Julia Schmidt, Debra Williamson, and Lee Ferrell. It also thanks the guest judges, Department of Languages faculty, lab assistants, and many student volunteers who make this event possible.
Students pose with the Tiger after participating in the 49th Annual Declamation Contest.
November 4: Clemson Celebration of Día de los Muertos
The Clemson community observed its fifth year of the Día de los Muertos celebration on November 4. The celebration, which is sponsored by the Clemson University Commission on Latino Affairs and Clemson Inclusion and Equity along with sponsors from the Department of Languages, the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, and Clemson Libraries, is organized by students, faculty, and community members with the aim of sharing an important cultural tradition with the Clemson community.
Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a celebration of life originating in Mexico. Now celebrated in communities throughout Latin America and the United States on the night of November 1-2, the Day of the Dead is an important celebration during which the living and dead are reunited in joyful remembrance and festivity. Day of the Dead celebrations typically include various colorful symbols such as marigolds, skeletons, sugar skulls, traditional foods, and altars where family members can honor departed loved ones with photos and offerings of food and drink.
The Clemson event featured altars, traditional food trucks, a display of the skeleton “Catrina” in traditional dress, face painting, a mariachi band, and a screening of the film Coco.
December 15-16: 12th Virtual International LiLETRAd Congress hosted by Clemson University
Clemson University hosted this year’s 12th Virtual International LiLETRAd Congress, the theme of which was “Metaversality and immersive realities: a space for (re)construction” on December 15-16.
Aimed at professors, students, and alumni of English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, the symposium featured discussions, presentations, and lectures on topics including the relationship between literature and Metaverse, the convergence and compatibility of external realities, learning languages in virtual reality, human and economic social interaction, voice-constructed world and time-space, and more. The congress concluded with a discussion on how literature, language, and translation will always be essential. Clemson’s representatives and coordinators included Professor Graciela Tissera of the Department of Languages and Elysse Newman, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs.
The Department of Languages is extremely proud of the impressive accomplishments of our talented students and faculty, and we look forward to the exciting opportunities, achievements, and successes next year will bring!
Want to see more of what we’re up to? Read more on the Department of Languages facebook page.
Five Department of Languages majors have been nominated for membership in the Clemson University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and among the most prestigious academic honor societies in the United States.
Founded in 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa honor society recognizes outstanding students of Liberal Arts and Sciences who not only demonstrate excellence in their fields of study but excellence in other branches of liberal arts along with a strong moral character.
The Department of Languages inductees are Gabrielle Garringer (Language and Intl Business), Mara MacDonald (Language and Intl Business), Olivia Moran (Language and Intl Business), Alexandra Karnes (Language and Intl Trade), and Mari Lentini (Language and Intl Trade).
The induction ceremony will be virtual and will take place later this semester.
Madison Butler, a 2015 graduate of the Language and International Health program, has received a Spain English Teaching Assistantship from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, a prestigious exchange program offered by the U.S. Department of State and funded by the U.S. government, is awarded to student scholars who, through work and study opportunities and individual research projects in various participating countries, have the opportunity to facilitate cross-cultural understanding by interacting with and fully immersing in the language, culture, and society of the host country.
Madison will be teaching English in Spain as a Teaching Assistant for elementary, middle, or high school level students.
Four other Clemson students and one alumnus were also accepted to the 2020-2021 Fulbright program.
For more information about these outstanding students, see the announcement from the Newsstand.
Language and International Health major Courtney Grayson was awarded the Dre Martin Service Award by the College of Arts and Humanities as CAAH recognized its top students last month. The Dre Martin Service Award, founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin, is awarded annually to an exemplary CAAH student who, in addition to strong academic distinction, displays a commitment to service in the community and demonstrates a passion for helping others.
Courtney, who is an L&IH major with a minor in animal and veterinary sciences, is a committed and enthusiastic student who has been able to combine her academic excellence with her passion for helping others, using her skills and compassion to make a difference in the greater Clemson community and beyond. As a student of the L&IH program, she has studied the Spanish language while gaining practical knowledge of healthcare and public health. She studied abroad in Argentina, where she had the opportunity to work rotations at a local hospital and apply the Spanish-language skills and health knowledge acquired as a student of the L&IH program to serve the local community in Argentina. Courtney has also been actively involved in the greater Clemson community, volunteering as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at a local free clinic for the past two years.
Within the Clemson community, Courtney has volunteered at Tiger Town Animal Hospital as well as with America Reads, tutoring elementary school students in reading. She has also demonstrated her commitment to service through her support of the Clemson community at large and her engagement with the campus Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA). Dr. Arelis Moore de Peralta says of Courtney’s merits and volunteer work that she has “demonstrated a true commitment to the Clemson community, which she has impacted through her volunteerism and advocacy as an interpreter for low-income Hispanic patients, as an animal healer, as a tutor to increase elementary children’s success, and as a queer community’s advocate.”
Courtney plans to pursue a career in the public health sector serving vulnerable and underserved communities in the United States.
About the Dre Martin Service Award
The Dre Martin Service Award was founded in memory of Chardrevius “Dre” Martin. A graduate of the Language and International Health program, Dre is remembered a dedicated student who was constantly serving others at the university and in the community at large. This award seeks to recognize extraordinary CAAH students that embody this selfless commitment to others. Students may be nominated by a peer, a faculty member or a staff member.
On December 5, 2019, the Clemson University German Section reactivated the German Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha, by inducting three exceptional students.
Rachael Risinger is a senior Accounting major and German minor who is currently the president of the German Professional Society. Bennett Meares is a senior Computer Science major and German minor who is a former German Club president and is currently preparing to study abroad in Landshut, Germany. Houston Everett is a junior Computer Science major and German minor who is currently the president of the German Club. All three students have contributed immensely to the German program both inside and outside of the classroom and are great examples for achieving success as German students at Clemson University.
Students attend Language Day at Pelion High School in Lexington, SC (Photo by Clark Berry, Clemson University)
On Thursday, October 17, representatives from the Department of Languages and College of Arts and Humanities participated in Language Day at Pelion High School in Lexington, SC. Language Day, which is in its second year, is an informational event held at Pelion High School in Lexington, SC in which high school students can learn about the benefits of studying languages as well as learn about the programs and classes offered at Clemson University.
The event featured an information panel led by Clemson students and alumni. (Photo by Clark Berry)
This year, 240 high school students from Lexington and Richland Counties had the opportunity to interact with students, faculty, and alumni from the Department of Languages and CAAH as well as visit activity and information tables about each language represented. The event also featured an information panel comprised of three current Clemson students, Chloe Finley, Chloe Satzger, and Claire Campbell, and a graduate of the LAIB German program, Zeb Parsons.
Representing the Department of Languages were Lee Ferrell, Julia Harvey, Kenneth Widgren, José Ortiz, Ling Rao, and Kumiko Saito, along with current and former students Chloe Satzger, Chloe Finley, Sarah McErlean, Lauren Guthre, Rachael Risinger, Claire Campbell, John Ruzzi, Montae Dean, and Zeb Parsons. Representatives from CAAH included Cari Brooks, Carolyn Crist, and Paul Hyde.
The Fall of the Iron Curtain film and event series will continue on Tuesday, October 22nd with “Dancing in the Death Strip: How Techno Reunited Germany”, a presentation by the Department of Languages’ own Harris King.
Organized by Gabriela Stoicea together with three faculty members from the Department of English (Aga Skrodzka, Kati Beck, and Lucian Ghita), the Fall of the Iron Curtain film and event series commemorates 30 years since the Fall of the Iron Curtain. The series includes screenings of five films from countries that used to be part of the Eastern Bloc (Hungary, Poland, Romania, East Germany), as well as presentations, lectures, and a workshop.
The series kicked off on October 1st with a screening of the Hungarian film “The Exam” (Dir. Péter Bergendy, Hungary, 2011), followed by screenings of the films “Goodbye, Lenin!” (Dir. Wolfgang Becker, Germany, 2004) and “Cold War” (Dir. Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland, 2018). Also included earlier this month were a lecture and a workshop by film scholar Katarzyna Marciniak from Ohio University. The series runs through Wednesday, November 6th, so be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming events in late October and early November. All films are shown with English subtitles and are introduced by Clemson faculty.
Upcoming Events in the Fall of the Iron Curtain Series:
Tuesday, October 22nd
“Dancing in the Death Strip: How Techno Reunited Germany”
6:00-9:00 PM (ASC 118)
Harris King (Dept. of Languages, Clemson University)
Tuesday, October 29th
The Paper Will Be Blue
(Dir. Radu Muntean, Romania, 2006)
6:00–9:00 PM (ASC 118)
Introduced by Lucian Ghita (Dept. of English, Clemson University)
Wednesday, November 6th
The Lives of Others
(Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, 2006)
6:00-9:00 PM (ASC 118)
Introduced by Gabriela Stoicea (Dept. of Languages, Clemson University)
Following these events, a thematic display will go up in Cooper Library highlighting some of the materials on this topic that are in the Library’s collection. Various genres will be represented: history, autobiography, fiction, children’s/young adult, and films. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the topic can stop by the display in November and check out some of these materials.
The series is generously sponsored by the Department of Languages, the World Cinema Program, the Department of History, RCID, and the Humanities Hub. All events are free and open to the public.
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.
