Category: Language department

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 17^th century onwards until its decline in the 19^th 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.

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.

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.

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 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!

Adriana Witalis, LAIB French major, has been awarded the Department of Management Academic Achievement Award.

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.

2015 Department of Languages graduate Courtney Meeks (BA, Spanish and International Trade, 2015; MBA, Business Administration, 2017) has been named a 2022 Roaring10 recipient.

The Roaring10 is a yearly honor awarded by the Clemson Young Alumni Council to ten outstanding Clemson University alumni in recognition of their contribution to business, leadership, community, educational and/or philanthropic endeavors. The honor also recognizes the awardees’ core values of honesty, integrity, and respect.  

Courtney graduated from Clemson University with a BA in Spanish and International Trade in 2015 and received her MBA in Business Administration from Clemson University in 2017. Since graduation, she has been involved in many impressive organizations and enterprises. Some of her recent achievements in leadership have included being named a
2022 United States Global Leadership Coalition Next Gen Leader and participating in Furman University’s Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative. Courtney currently serves as the current president of the Clemson MBA Alumni Council.

The Department of Languages is delighted to congratulate Courtney on this outstanding and well-deserved achievement!

For more information about Courtney, the Roaring10 award and the 2022 recipients, please visit the Clemson Alumni Association website.

Consul General Maeda and Vice Consul Nakao visited Clemson University on March 31 2023. They met with CAAH college leadership and visited a Japanese class. In the Japanese class the Consul General had a talk and answered questions from students in Japanese. The Consul General encouraged students to continue studying the Japanese language and go to Japan to further their study.

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.

October 5: Forum for German and Spanish in Latin American Business Fall 2022

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 49^th Annual Poetry Declamation Contest

The Department of Languages’ 49^th 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.

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 12^th 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.

The Commission on Latino Affairs and Commission on the Black Experience recently held the inaugural Black & Latinx Faculty Writing Retreat, which took place May 18^th – 20^th at the Horse Shoe Farm in Hendersonville, NC.

The three-day retreat, which brought together eighteen faculty participants, was co-organized by Harrison Pinckney, Assistant Professor of PRTM (Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management) and Arelis Moore de Peralta, Associate Professor of Community Health (Languages) and chair of the faculty empowerment for the Commission on Latino Affairs, with the goal of creating a productive, collaborative writing environment where Black and Latinx faculty could share ideas, support one another in the writing process, and participate in three days of focused writing. In addition to allotted focused writing time, the retreat provided opportunities for attendees to share their writing progress and challenges in Quality Review Circles, receive constructive criticism and culturally and contextually relevant feedback from peers, participate in a discussion with representatives from the Provost Office, and attend a panel on effective grant writing.

Along with providing a supportive space for making tangible progress on writing projects, the retreat allowed faculty participants to build a community with a truly unique and encouraging aim. Through events such as a barbeque, games centered on African American culture, and other social gatherings, participants were able to make valuable connections with colleagues which will continue to enhance and enrich their Clemson faculty experience through a new sense of community.

This distinctive and impressive new event is an exciting example of how Clemson University can support growth and community for Black and Latinx faculty while increasing productivity and fostering an encouraging and supportive community. We are thrilled to share these experiences and look forward to future events.

For more information on the Clemson University Commision on Latino Affairs and the Commission on the Black Experience, please see the commissions’ profiles on Clemson University’s Commissions page.

Department of Languages senior Natalie Ann Claypool received the Norris Medal at the University’s Spring Awards Ceremony on May 9, 2022.

The Norris Medal, which is awarded to the best overall student as determined by the University Scholarships and Awards Committee, is considered the most prestigious award for graduating Clemson seniors. Recipients of the award have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional leadership, academic, and personal qualities as the top scholar in their graduating class.

Natalie is a Language and International Health major with a concentration in Spanish. Her studies have also included four Creative Inquiry projects across different disciplines, which have allowed her to pursue ambitious research projects in sexual health, child development, public health, and education inequality. Some of her work has been published in academic journals, including a piece co-authored with Associate Professor of Spanish and Community Health Arelis Moore de Peralta which explores the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Latinx children.

Natalie’s studies and research projects have led to an interest in combatting education inequality in the local community. Natalie combined her passion for education and community service by co-founding the Youth Scholars Program at Pendleton Elementary School with interim associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies Mathew LeMahieu, The Youth Scholars Program seeks to motivate and inspire young students about their educational futures. Natalie’s outstanding commitment to service and betterment of the community, in particular for vulnerable children, will continue after graduation. She will be completing a year-long fellowship at Casa de Esperanza in Houston, where she will work with abused, neglected and HIV-positive children.

Natalie plans to graduate in August after completing her final undergraduate semester studying abroad at Universidad Blas Pascal in Córdoba, Argentina.

The Department of Languages congratulates this exceptional and inspirational scholar as her journey continues.

For more information about Natalie and her incredible achievements, please see the Clemson News release.

In April, Assistant Professor of ASL Jody Cripps and seven ASL students traveled to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to initiate a Community Outreach program as part of their Creative Inquiry course. This CI project will aid in reviving Martha’s Vineyard as the signed language community it once was.

A Signed Language History in the Community

Martha’s Vineyard, an island of just over 17,000 residents off the coast of Cape Cod, has a rich history in signed language that goes back centuries. As home to one of the earliest deaf communities, a regional signed language, known as Martha’s Vineyard Signed Language (MVSL), flourished in the community until the mid-20^th century and was used both by the large number of signing deaf individuals residing on the island and by hearing members of the community.

In recent years, the number of signers on the island has declined, which has not only heralded the waning of a rich tradition, but also impacted the deaf community and signing residents of the island. Martha’s Vineyard used to have a wide population of signing individuals, and this made local shops and businesses more accessible. However, many businesses and community members have been unfamiliar with signed languages in recent years. This makes it very difficult for deaf and signing individuals’ full access to the community.

Reviving a Tradition and a Plan to Spread Knowledge

In Martha’s Vineyard, cultural institutions and community members, such as the Martha’s Vineyard Signs Then & Now, a project under a public access MVTV station, are actively working to bring signed language back to the island. These efforts span educating the community and visitors on the island’s rich history and traditions through museum outreach and educational programs, as well as current programs to increase the use and reach of signed language in the community.

These efforts are an opportunity for the residents of the community to begin bridging the various communication gaps and enable them to extend a welcoming atmosphere to the many deaf and ASL signing people who visit or reside in Martha’s Vineyard. With the collaboration from the community partners (e.g., MV Signs Then & Now, MVTV station, town libraries, and the Chamber of Commerce), the community has the opportunity to create a model that promotes a society with a signed language-friendly environment.

Knowledge of signed language can bring together the community, and there are many ways to promote the growth and use of signed language in everyday settings for both hearing and signing community members. Residents can be encouraged to use signed language in daily life with their signing family members and friends and those with voice and developmental challenges; in loud restaurants and sports events; in quiet and private situations; and, importantly, with business people, caregivers, medical professionals, first responders and residents in order to bridge the communication gap with their Deaf and ASL signing visitors, patrons and patients to make the island a signed language-friendly environment for everyone.

What Future Research Holds

These promising efforts will be spearheaded by researchers from various institutions, including the projects of our own ASL program. These projects aim to supply the Martha’s Vineyard community with a variety of resources to educate and spread the word about signed language and how its use can positively impact the community.

The researchers will work with the entire community on the island to target what the residents need and want to see from our projects. The projects will be executed in an educational and informative fashion. There will be multiple signed language seminars or webinars that the researchers will host, and the participants can be anyone from the community, but especially ones from local businesses.

Furthermore, the seminars and webinars will not be the only resources. The goal is to create a variety of resources that everyone will have access to that they can use at their leisure. These resources will come in many different forms depending on the available platforms we can reach on the island. Outreach is significant, and our projects will also be advertised to spread the word about the efforts that are being made to make Martha’s Vineyard a signed language community again. Spreading the knowledge of signed languages is vital in order to preserve the history of this island and community.

Here is an exciting look at some of what our ASL students and Dr. Cripps experienced during their trip:

All photos courtesy of Jody Cripps.

Further information on some of the historical and cultural institutions visited by Dr. Cripps and his students:

Martha’s Vineyard Museum – some artifacts related to Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language can be found in the museum. A portrait of Joseph “Josie” West, a deaf farmer, is on the permanent display, as well as Alexander Graham Bell’s notebook on his investigations for deaf people on the island in the 1880s.

Chilmark Library – The town purchased the house of Katie West, the last deaf descendant with deaf genes and a native of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language, and turned it into the library in 1956. This library maintains the Chilmark Deaf/Signed Language Community Digital Archive.