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Department of Languages and LAIB Program host annual Language and International Business Conference

The Language and International Business Program will be hosting its annual Language and International Business Conference on Wednesday, March 5, in the Hendrix Student Center Ballrooms A & B. The conference is an excellent opportunity for all members of the Clemson University community to learn about the role of international businesses in the region, make valuable connections with companies and their representatives, and explore post-graduation career options.

The morning session will begin at 10 AM with a welcome address, keynote speech, and an alumni panel discussing career opportunities for language majors after graduation and the evolving role of women in the business world.

Following the morning session, a free networking lunch is provided for all attendees

The afternoon session will feature three roundtable discussions with various hosts. The conference will conclude with a job fair, offering students valuable networking and career opportunities.

For more information, please see the flyer below or visit the event’s website.

“Food Insecurity: Global and Local” Event Series (Mar 3-Mar 6)

On Wednesday, March 5, Public Forum on Food Insecurity at1 PM in the Honors College Great Hall as a part of the four-part “Food Insecurity: Global and Local” series.

The third event in the “Food Insecurity: Global and Local” series, attendees of the Public Forum will learn valuable insights from a panel of practitioners and researchers working on the topic of food sovereignty and security.

The event will feature diverse and experienced speakers from across numerous departments in the University, including Arelis Moore (College of Arts and Humanities), Jagger Harvey (College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences), Brooke Brittain, (College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, and Clemson student Ellison Fleming. The Public Panel will also feature community leaders from across the upstate.

Other events in the series include :

Book talk featuring William Moseley, DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography and Director of the Food, Agriculture, and Society Program at Macalester College. Moseley will speak on his new book, Decolonizing African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology, and the Need for Radical Transformation. (March 3; 5:00 p.m.; Hardin 100)

Lecture featuring Former South Carolina governor David Beasley, who accepted the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the United Nations World Food Program. (March 4; 4:00 p.m.; Strom Thurmond Institute Auditorium)

Film screening of food justice documentary Rooted (2024). (March 6; 4:30 p.m.; Watt Family Innovation Center Auditorium)

For more information see the attached flyer and event description from Clemson News.

As we come to the end of another exciting semester, the Department of Languages is excited to share some of the highlights from the Department in Fall 2024.

Inaugural Semester of “Passport” Living and Learning Community

The new student Living and Learning Community (LLC), Passport, has completed the first semester of its inaugural year. Clemson’s Living and Learning Communities give students a way of navigating college life with a cohort of peers with shared interests and goals. An idea spearheaded by Faculty Sponsor and Principal Lecturer Ellory Schmucker (Languages), the Passport LLC brings together first-year students who share an interest in languages to live, learn, and grow together in a diverse, engaging residential community.

This semester, Passport, which is housed in Gressette residence hall, hosted 16 students from an array of diverse backgrounds and academic concentrations with the aim of creating a multilingual residential space for students to immerse themselves in languages and cultures from around the world. Their common interest in languages coupled with their diverse backgrounds and academic interests enable them to experience a supportive and active community eager to learn from and with one another.

Department of Languages Hosts 51^st Annual Poetry Declamation Contest

The Department of Languages hosted the 51^st Annual Poetry Declamation Contest on October 27, 2024.

Begun in 1971, the annual Declamation Contest brings together high school students from schools across South Carolina and Georgia to compete in a poetry recitation in their languages of study. This year, contests were held in eight languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Students of all levels may take part in the contest, ranging from absolute beginner to native speaker. This year, over 360 students and 26 schools participated in the event.

During the contest, students recited two poems from memory in the target language: a mandatory selection and their choice of a second selection. They were judged by a panel of judges comprised of Department of Languages faculty and guest judges from the community. After the contest, students, teachers, and parents attended an awards ceremony in Daniel Hall during which Dean Vazsonyi and the members of the Declamation committee presented contests winners with their respective medals.

The Declamation Contest is one of the Department of Languages’ longest standing and most exciting traditions. It continues to be a way to give high school language teachers and students a goal to work toward in their classes, as well as to give students a chance to visit and learn about Clemson University in person by taking a campus tour. The event is made possible by the contributions of current and former faculty, student volunteers, and community judges, as well as the hard work of the Declamation committee: Su-I Chen, Lee Ferrell, Stephanie Morris, Amy Sawyer, Julia Schmidt, and Melva Persico.

7^th Annual Day of the Dead Celebration Held on Clemson Campus

The Department of Languages once more participated in the 7^th Annual Day of the Dead celebration on November 1.

Typically observed on November 1 or 2, the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a celebration of life originating in Mexico and now celebrated throughout Latin America and the United States. It is a time for friends, family, and community to come together to celebrate and honor the lives and memories of departed loved ones.

Clemson’s Day of the Dead event aims to share the joyous Día de los Muertos traditions with the Clemson community and growing Latino communities throughout the upstate.

Day of the Dead celebrations typically include colorful symbols such as marigolds (cempasúchitles), skeletons (calacas), and altars (ofrendas) where family members can honor departed loved ones with photos and offerings of food and drink. Traditional foods include the bread of the dead (pan de muerto) and sugar skulls (calaveras de azúcar).

As in previous years, this year’s Day of the Dead event featured traditional food trucks, face painting, a mariachi band, an outdoor screening of the film “Coco,” and an elegant “Catrina”, a skeleton in traditional dress.

The Clemson Day of the Dead celebration is organized and sponsored by several departments, organizations, faculty, students, and individuals from across Clemson and the wider Clemson community. The Department of Languages thanks in particular Nora Logue, Arelis Moore, Rosa Pillcurima, Anne Salces y Nedeo, Debra Williamson (Languages) and Jessica Garcia (CAAH) for their invaluable contributions to the event’s organization and success since its inception in 2018.

Today, Tuesday, April 16, the Department of Languages welcomes guest speaker Dr. Jacqueline Loss from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Loss will give a talk about Cuban-Russian connections with a focus on Russia in 21st-century Cuban film.

The event will take place in Daniel Hall 123 at 4:30 p.m.

Join us for a screening of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest on Wednesday, April 3rd, at 5:30 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of Watt Family Innovation Center. Panel discussion to follow.

The Zone of Interest focuses on the life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, who live with their family in a home in the “Zone of Interest” next to the concentration camp. The film won the Best International Film at the 96th Academy Awards and the Grand Prix at Cannes.

Official Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-vfg3KkV54 

Official Trailer 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFNtVaAuVYY 

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.

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.

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.

On September 21st, the LIH Society and several Clemson organizations collaborated to host the 2022
Commission on Latino Affairs Symposium. Dr. Maria Elena Botazzi of Baylor College of Medicine
presented about her work creating vaccines for Neglected Tropical Diseases to a crowd of students,
faculty, and community members. Following Dr. Botazzi’s presentation, a panel of community health
leaders shared the successes and challenges they have experienced while promoting health in Latinx
families and communities during the pandemic. The Symposium concluded with a poster session covering
a wide range of topics led by Clemson student and faculty researchers. Thank you to everyone who made
the event a great success! For those who were unable to attend, please take advantage of the recordings of
Dr. Botazzi’s presentation and the panel session included below.

Dr. Botazzi’s Presentation                             Community Health Panel Session

Photos:

Nick Longo, LAIB Chinese major, has received the prestigious Fulbright Foreign Scholarship award for 2022/2023.

The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship award aims to foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations and cultivate the sharing of knowledge across cultures and communities. Recipients are selected by a 12-person president-appointed board to participate in exchange programs in partner nations around the world.

Nick will be conducting his Fulbright exchange in Taiwan, China, during Academic Year 2022/2023.

The Department of Languages congratulates Nick on this outstanding achievement!

An interdisciplinary colloquium on the invasion of Ukraine will be held from March 30-April 5. The colloquium will consist of conversations, discussions, and film screenings led and presented by faculty from departments across the University. The series includes 7 events and will feature a mix of in-person sessions and Zoom talks.

Schedule of Events:

Wednesday, March 30

100 Hardin Hall, 4:00-6:30 PM

Donbass (2018, dir. Sergi Loznitsa)

Film Teach-In with Steven Marks (History) and Luca Barattoni (Languages)

Friday, April 1

100 Hardin Hall, 4:00-6:30 PM

The Rain Will Never Stop (2020, dir. Alina Gorlova)

Film Teach-In with Maziyar Faridi (English/World Cinema) and Aga Skrodzka (English/World Cinema)

Wednesday, April 6

100 Hardin Hall, 4:00-5:30 PM

Becoming Zelensky: Media, Politics, and Resistance

In conversation with Lucian Ghita (English) and Johannes Schmidt (Languages)

Thursday, April 7

100 Hardin Hall, 5:00-7:30 PM

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965, dir. Sergei Parajanov)

Film Teach-In with Olga Volkova (Languages/World Cinema) and Aga Skrodzka(English/World Cinema)

Tuesday, April 12

100 Hardin Hall, 5:00-7:00 PM

The Earth is Blue as an Orange (2020, dir. Iryna Tsilyk)

Film Teach-In with Jamie Rogers (English) and Gabriela Stoicea (Languages/World Cinema)

Wednesday, April 13

Zoom, 4:00-5:00

Geopolitical Mapping and Ukraine: Using Virtual Reality to Shape Reality

In conversation with William Terry (Geography/World Cinema)

Thursday, April 14

Zoom, 4:00-5:00

Stolen History, Stolen Heritage: Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Russian Colonialism

In conversation with Kate Malaia (Architecture, Mississippi State) and Andreea Mihalache (Architecture)

Please see the flyer below for times, dates, and locations.

Sponsored by the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, the School of Architecture, the Department of Languages, the Department of English, the Department of Geography, the Humanities Hub, and the World Cinema Program.

A piece of signed music by Jody Cripps, Assistant Professor of ASL, will be featured on the virtual Blackwood Gallery as part of the presentation series “Translation, Camouflage, Spectatorship”. Dr. Cripps’ signed piece, “Rain”, will be discussed in relation to visual translation and will feature on the gallery from January 22nd – January 27th.

“Rain” can be viewed here and will stream on the Blackwood Gallery (below) along with other projects from 2PM Jan 22 – 5PM Jan 27.

For more information, go to: https://www.blackwoodgallery.ca/program/translation-camouflage-spectatorship