Department of Languages

Spring Highlights: German and Spanish Programs Host Conference for International Business in Mexico

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.

Attendees listen to a presentation during the Conference for German and Spanish in International Business and Engineering: Investment in Mexico.

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.

Students speak with representatives from Röchling following the conference. The mini job fair was an opportunity for students to learn about internships and entry-level jobs in German companies throughout the Upstate region.

Fall 2020 Reflections: Language and International Health (L&IH) Society Sponsors Webinar

With Spring Semester 2021 underway and the Clemson community adapting to challenges in innovative and impressive ways, it is interesting to look back and reflect on some of the ways the Department of Languages students, faculty and alumni have been navigating these unusual times. Fall Semester 2020 brought with it many unique experiences and ways to stay engaged and make connections. In our “Fall 2020 Reflections” posts, we are excited to take a look at specific events, opportunities and accomplishments that we saw last semester and which set the stage for even more exciting opportunities this Spring and beyond.

NOVEMBER, 2020

On November 25, the Language and International Health (L&IH) Society sponsored “La Canasta Básica: Culturally relevant healthy food options for Latinx communities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Rut Rivera speaks during a webinar hosted by the L&IH Society. (Photo courtesy of Arelis Moore de Peralta)

Rut Rivera, a manager of the health promotion organization, PASOs in Greenville, SC, presented her experience with program development and community relations within the unique context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the webinar, Rivera discussed a new initiative set forth by a collaboration between the Hispanic Alliance and PASOs of Greenville, Canasta Básica, which seeks to provide culturally appropriate food to the local hispanic community suffering from food scarcity as a result of the pandemic. The coalition boasts having connected 2,879 community members with resources during these challenging times.

Her presentation gave students the opportunity to volunteer in the program’s future events and connect with other project managers from PASOs and the Hispanic Alliance. Students were also encouraged to inquire about life in the field of community development. Rivera’s passion for community outreach was obvious and inspiring to all those who attended.

Spanish students present research in Fall courses

Dr. Tissera’s students in SPAN 3040 explored literary themes, symbols, and techniques.

This semester, students in two Spanish classes offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera had the opportunity to present their research on literary topics connected to Spanish literature and film. Madison Barbor, Kathleen Fallon, Mauricio Gallegos Leal, Chandler Gilliard, Nariah Haeffner, Alexandra Hitchens, Laura Issel, Rachel Jones, Akim Koutsioukis, Jillian Marlowe, Elle McDermott, Wyatt Meadors, Valerie Peters, Abigail Tiller, Madison Williamson, and Hannah Winnie presented their research in the course ‘Introduction to Hispanic Literary Forms’ (SPAN 3040) offered by Dr. Tissera in the Fall 2019 semester. Students analyzed works by Emilia Pardo Bazán, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Ana María Matute, Carlos Fuentes, Mario Vargas Llosa, Luis de Góngora, Francisco de Quevedo, José de Espronceda, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Rubén Darío, José Martí, Osvaldo Dragún, and Federico García Lorca to research themes, messages, symbols, and techniques related to narrative, poetry, and drama.

Students in the course ‘New Spanish Fiction’ (SPAN 4010) also presented their research on works by Spanish authors. Students analyzed works by Spanish writers and film directors of international renown: Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Carmen Laforet, Pío Baroja, Carmen Martín Gaite, David Roas, Jesús Fernández Santos, Antonio Hernández, Enrique Urbizu, Isidro Ortiz, David Carreras, and Fernando Trueba. The research presentations focused on male and female psyche, urban legends, perception of justice, conscious and unconscious mind, spiritual worlds, historical memory, and international relations among other topics.

Students of SPAN 4010 presented on Spanish literature and film in Fall 2019.

Students taking part in presentations included Victoria Badura, Elena Barraza, Andrew Butterfield, Caroline Calder, Carol Capps, Michael Cox, Anastasia Galasso, Emily Jordan, Steve Kurtz, Michelle Logan, Brenna O’Kelley, Adriana Peralta Bernardino, Hunter Rivers, Layna Shutack, Kelly Waters, Brie Weiss, and Angel Werth.

Students honored at CAAH awards ceremony

(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

Congratulations to our outstanding students!

Spanish students present research in spring courses

Students present their research on literary topics

Students in SPAN 3040. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
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.
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.
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).

News from French and Spanish student societies

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.
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.
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.
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.

Spanish student presents research at national conference

Jamie Plummer at the conference. Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.
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.

Faculty news, Fall 2018

Jody H. Cripps, assistant professor of ASL, served as editor-in-chief of the Society for American Sign Language Journal, which released its second volume. He presented his article from the journal “Stuttering-Like Behaviors in American Sign Language” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in Boston. Cripps published another article, “Exploring Signed Language Pathology: A Case Study of Professionals Working With Deaf Students Who Have Delay/Disorders in Signed Language Development,” in conjunction with his undergraduate student who was doing a research study at a residential school for the deaf on the topic of signed language pathology.

Stephen Fitzmaurice, assistant professor of Interpreting: ASL, published the chapter Teaching to Self-Assess: Developing Critical Thinking Skills for Student Interpreters” in “The Next Generation of Research in Interpreter Education,” edited by Cynthia Roy and Elizabeth Winston (Gallaudet University Press). The South Carolina Educational Interpreting Center grant he received in 2016 was renewed and its funder has published the 2018 Annual Report. Fitzmaurice also presented “Reducing Your Grading Time: Student Self-Assessment Practices That Work” at the international Conference of Interpreter Trainers in Salt Lake City. He was elected to a four-year term as secretary on the board of directors for the Conference of Interpreter Trainers. He was also an invited presenter at the Southeastern Regional Symposium for College Educators of Teachers of the Deaf, and Educational Interpreters, in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he presented new empirical evidence regarding “Predicting Interpreter Performance.”

Joseph Mai, associate professor of French, published an extensive review of the Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh’s most recent film, “Graves Without a Name,” in The Mekong Review. This poetic documentary is an autobiographical exploration of mourning and reconciliation, 40 years after genocide during the Pol Pot regime.

Tiffany Creegan Miller, assistant professor of Spanish, gave the presentation “Uk’u’x kaj, uk’u’x ulew: Ecocritical and Ecofeminist Kaqchikel Maya Epistemologies in the Film ‘Ixcanul’ (2015)” at the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present (ASAP/10) held Oct. 17-20 in New Orleans. Miller also gave a guest lecture by videoconference on Oct. 22 to a medical Spanish class at Brown University about her work with underserved Kaqchikel Maya patients in Guatemala.

Salvador Oropesa, professor of Spanish and Department Chair, participated in the roundtable discussion by language department chairs on October 15 at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Languages Conference at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Roberto Risso, assistant professor of Italian, published a book, “La penna è chiacchierona: Edmondo De Amicis e l’arte del narrare,” about Edmondo De Amicis (1846-1908), an Italian novelist, journalist, poet and writer of short stories. Risso’s book is the first to explore the entirety of De Amicis’s vast body of work.

Kumiko Saito, assistant professor of Japanese, appeared on “Writing Dystopia Now,” a radio program in The Cultural Frontline series on BBC World Service. On the Decemeber 9 broadcast, she spoke about cyberpunk and Japanese popular culture. The program is available on demand.

Daniel Smith, associate professor of Spanish, has been listed as an advisory board member on a European Research Council Advanced Grant application, “Cross-Community Bilingual Usage Patterns and Their Acquisition by Children.” His research on Spanish-English bilingualism in northeast Georgia is cited in the proposal for a potential project at the University of Cambridge. This will be the first major study of its kind to conduct a cross-community investigation of geographically separated groups of people who are nevertheless speakers of the same pair of languages, Spanish and English, in various locations in Europe and the Americas. He also presented “The Order of Morpheme Acquisition: Spanish and English in Contact” at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Jae Takeuchi, assistant professor of Japanese, was invited to give a lecture at the University of Washington in Seattle as part of their Japan Studies Program Lecture Series. The title of the talk was “Who Knew? How Japanese Language Learners Negotiate the Challenges of Dialect in Small-Town Japan.

Graciela Tissera, associate professor of Spanish, published “‘The Appeared’ (2007) by Paco Cabezas: Redefining the Book of Hidden Memories and Cyclical Time” in “Terrifying Texts. Essays on Good and Evil in Horror Cinema,” edited by Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper (McFarland & Company). She presented the research paper “Los castillos en la ficción cinematográfica: sobre los enigmas del espacio laberíntico” at the III Congreso Xàtiva: Historia, cultura e identidad. The conference on the theme of castles in history and fiction was held October 17-19 in Xàtiva, Spain, and was organized by the Universitat de València, Institució Alfons el Magnànim and city of Xàtiva. She also explored the historical memory of the civic-military dictatorship of Argentina (1976-1983) in her paper “Argentina ante la memoria de la última dictadura: percepciones fílmicas de la intrahistoria.” She presented her research at the conference “III Congreso Internacional Art-Kiné: estéticas de la memoria. Prácticas sociales del recuerdo: el cine, los medios de comunicación y la cultura,” which was held November 6-9 at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Eric Touya, professor of French, read a paper titled “Claudel dans/pour l’avenir: diplomatie, économie, éco-critique” at the Colloque International Paul Claudel Résolument Contemporain, sponsored by Sorbonne University, the National Library and the Comédie Française at the Université de Paris IV Sorbonne in Paris. He gave the presentation “Bonnefoy, Badiou, et l’avenir de la poésie: divergences et rapprochements at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association Conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He also presented “Teaching Hélé Béji, Post-Colonialism, and the Arab Spring: Perspectives From Baudrillard, McClintock, Giroux” at the conference’s Teaching Women in French Roundtable. Touya published an article, “Le poète et le philosophe: Bonnefoy, Badiou, et l’avenir de la poésie,” in Revue européenne de recherches sur la poésieNo. 4. Paris: Classiques Garnier, and a book chapter titled “Teaching Hélé Béji, Post-Colonialism, and the Arab Spring: Perspectives From Baudrillard, McClintock, Giroux” in “Rethinking the French Classroom: New Approaches to Teaching Contemporary French and Francophone Women,” edited by E. Nicole Meyer and Joyce Johnston (Routledge, New York).

Spanish students present research

Students in two 3000-level Spanish courses presented their research on literary themes as well as on social, economic, and political topics.

SPAN 3040 students. (Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.)
SPAN 3040 students. (Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.)

SPAN 3040 students Elisabeth Amini, Erin Clark, Anna Corontzes, Kara Donovan, Courtney Grayson, Madison Herin, Sarah Mcerlean, Allie Mchugh, Melissa Pratt, Hannah Reach, Maegan Reed, Keasler Rothemich, Bryson Rudolph, Mary Elizabeth Schaible, and Jacob Stackelhouse presented their research in the course ‘Introduction to Hispanic Literary Forms’ offered by Dr. Graciela Tissera. Students analyzed works by Jorge Luis Borges, Ana María Matute, Mario Vargas Llosa, José Martí, Rubén Darío, and Federico García Lorca to research transcendental themes and distinctive techniques related to narrative, poetry, and drama.

SPAN 3050 students. (Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.)
SPAN 3050 students. (Photo courtesy of Graciela Tissera.)

The following students in Tissera’s SPAN 3050 class also presented their research: Ryan Beale, Peyton Bramlett, Anna Clare Eckrich, Meredith Franchi, Laura Issel, Rachel Kral, Michelle Logan, Jamie Plummer, Hunter Rivers, Van Robertson, Emily Rowe, Courtney Sciarro, Hannah Shaffer, Heather Sloan, Cassidy Tom, and Natalie Ward. The presentations focused on controversial topics and on the analysis of the film City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, 2002). Students explored themes such as diversity and gender, the psychology of willpower, the circle of poverty, personal and community identity, hope and survival, and the social impact of the arts.

Department hosts 46th Annual Declamation Contest

The Declamation awards ceremony in Tillman Hall. (Photo courtesy of Clemson University.)
The Declamation awards ceremony in Tillman Hall. (Photo courtesy of Clemson University.)

On October 27, 2018, the Department of Languages hosted the 46th Annual Declamation Contest. This poetry recitation contest brings together middle- and high-school students from the region, who come to the Clemson campus for the day to show off their language skills. This year, 485 students from 31 middle and high schools in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina registered to compete in ASL, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish. Clemson students also volunteered to set up, help with registration and parking, supervise contest rooms in Daniel Hall, and lead campus tours. The campus tours were a new offering this year, with approximately 80 contestants and their families participating.

Some members of the Declamation Committee. From L-R, Anne Salces y Nedeo, Amy Sawyer, Su-I Chen, Julia Schmidt, and Dolores Martín. (Photo courtesy of Clemson University.)
Some members of the Declamation Committee. From L-R, Anne Salces y Nedeo, Amy Sawyer, Su-I Chen, Julia Schmidt, and Dolores Martín. (Photo courtesy of Clemson University.)

Competitors recited two poems, a mandatory selection and a second selection. They were evaluated by 64 judges, who included Clemson faculty and staff and members of the community. After the judging was complete, students and their families attended an awards ceremony in Tillman Hall. The event also gave participants a chance to explore the campus, eat in a dining hall, and learn more about the school by joining a tour. Past Declamation participants have attended or are now attending Clemson to study foreign languages.

The contest’s continued success is due to the hard work of the Department’s faculty and staff, all of whom volunteer at the event, especially the Declamation Committee of Su-I Chen, Melva Persico, Doroles Martín, Anne Salces y Nedeo, Amy Sawyer, and Julia Schmidt. The Department is grateful for the continued support of donors Dr. Rob Roy McGregor, Jr. and Dr. Ralph Rynes; the volunteer judges; and the Dean’s Office of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.