The Department of Languages welcomed the following new faculty members at the beginning of the Spring 2017 semester.
Alma García Rodríguez, Lecturer of Spanish
Alma, a native of the Dominican Republic, earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Spanish at St. John’s University in New York. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida and expects to finish her dissertation this year. Her research focuses on the representation of the city in six novels from the Hispanic Caribbean: Santo Domingo, La Habana and San Juan. She is taking a Neo-Baroque perspective to study these cities as elements that stand against an established order and authority in order to create a new identity that governs itself. She plans to continue researching Caribbean literature after finishing her dissertation. Alma teaches elementary Spanish at Clemson. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her husband and to dance.
Toshiko Joerger, Lecturer of Japanese
Toshiko was born and raised in Okayama, Japan. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Tokai University, Japan. She teaches elementary Japanese as well as Japanese conversation and composition at Clemson. In her free time, she regularly volunteers to present Japanese culture to elementary and middle school students in the Greenville area. Toshiko lives in Greenville with her husband and their four children.
Erin Stigers, Lecturer of French
Erin holds a Bachelor’s degree in World Language Education and a Master’s degree in French linguistics from the University of Georgia. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, and foreign language pedagogy. Erin teaches intermediate French at Clemson. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing piano, and baking.
Saori Suto, Lecturer of Japanese
Saori obtained an M.A. in Linguistics with an emphasis on teaching Japanese as a Second Language from California State University, Long Beach. She teaches first- and second-year Japanese at Clemson. Outside of teaching, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends. She is also a big fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
