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Fall Newsletter, 2004-2005 |
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Former President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carazo Odio with Dr. Calvin Jones. |
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A word from the Chair of Foreign Languages and Literatures….
To all alumni and friends of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures I extend a cordial welcome at the beginning of a new year. This newsletter offers a glimpse into the many activities and successes of our Department and provides information about our new faculty, academic achievements, activities of our graduates, student accomplishments here at South and on study-abroad programs, and our plans for the future. We are encouraged by the strong enrollments this year and by the success of our students. We appreciate your interest and support and share with you the belief that a thriving Foreign Language Department has much to offer to this University and this region.
Calvin N. Jones, Chair
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NEW FACES
Although he is not new to the department, we would like to formally welcome Dr. Calvin Jones as our new chair. Dr. Jones has stepped into the position vacated by Dr. Bernard Quinn who served the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures for twenty-five years. While Dr. Quinn will be missed, he has left us in very capable hands.
Additionally, we would like to welcome the following new faculty members: Dr. Christian Fantoni (French) who is joining us from North Dakota, and Dr. Zoya Khan (Spanish) who has been with us for a year after completing her degree from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Ms. Maxanna Nichols-LeFebvre (French) who is with us for this school year has worked with us in the past. We are happy to welcome her back. Since there have been a few years in between newsletters, there are other faces here in the department that you may not recognize. We would like to invite you to visit us and get to know us! Go to the Faculty page or stop by in person.
WHERE DID THEY GO?
During the school year some of the faculty at U.S.A. seem to disappear for a day or two and some for even a week. Where could they be? While they are working on classroom materials and grading exams, they research topics that are related to their particular fields of interest and gather information for presentations at conferences as well as publications.
This past year, Ms. Kristy Britt and Dr. Federico Pérez-Pineda presented a paper at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching that was held in Mobile. Dr. Pérez-Pineda also gives presentations to the Club de lectores which meets at the Mobile Public Library. Dr. Isabel Z. Brown presented a paper at the 5th Biennial International Conference of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, and she and Dr. Zoya Khan both had presentations at the South Eastern Council on Latin American Studies. Both of these events took place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Dr. Khan also gave a presentation to the 5th Women in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies Conference in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Dr. Heide Lomangino traveled to Chicago to give a presentation at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages last November, and Dr. Susan McCready went to Tucson, Arizona to present a paper at the Nineteenth-Century French Studies Conference. Dr. Scott Rex was also on the travel circuit presenting a paper at the Rocky Mountain Modern Languages Association Conference in Missoula, Montana. Additionally, Dr. Rex was in charge of the Spanish Study Abroad program and worked with students in Xalapa, Mexico this past summer. Dr. Calvin Jones gave a paper at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association Convention in Roanoke, Virginia.
In case some of you wonder if any of the faculty actually vacation or do research in other countries, they do! Dr. Calvin Jones made a trip to Germany this summer. Our part-time Spanish teachers, Mr. Mark Bryant and Mr. Carlos Holly spent two months in Colombia and Ms. Polonia Boyd went to Chile. Dr. Khan visited her family in India and Ms. Maxanna Nichols-LeFebvre spent time in France. Ms. Connie Yu traveled to China and Dr. Joseph Mozur spent time in Russia checking out a potential study-abroad site.
USA STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS
As many alumni can testify, if the opportunity for study abroad arises, GO!!!! Study abroad has become a requirement for the new Foreign Language major and students receive supplemental grants (according to availability) for their trip.
Here are some of the comments from students who studied abroad during 2004.
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“During this past summer I was able to go to Frankfurt am Main in Germany. While in Germany I was able to visit some of the historical and cultural sites that I had studied in classes here at South. With the help of the Caldwell Scholarship and a Foreign Language grant I was able to attend the Goethe Institute, an internationally recognized language institute. Throughout my nine-week stay in Germany I was able to visit sites that most students only get to study out of books and in classrooms. I was able to see beautiful cathedrals, such as the Cologne Dom with its two spires reaching into the sky, as well as historically significant places, such as the House of the Wannsee Conference where top Nazi officials during the beginnings of World War II decided the fate of the Jewish people. I was also able to take a proficiency test while in Germany and receivecredit for the exam here at South Alabama. I look forward to when I will be able to go back to Germany and visit all the people that I met again.” |
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Rachel Kleinpeter’s class
in Germany |
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---- Rachel Kleinpeter, Germany Summer 2004 |
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“My summer in Mexico was a wonderful learning experience, and I will never forget it. I think every foreign language major or minor should do a study abroad trip because you learn to listen more effectively to a native speaker, learn the language better, learn about a totally different culture, and see beautiful places you may not see otherwise. When I returned to the States after my trip to Mexico, I was more enthusiastic about talking in Spanish to my professors and not scared about speaking in Spanish. It really does help studying abroad for foreign language majors or minors. It's a great experience for students.”
---Skye Bartlette, Mexico 2004 |
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On the picture: Skye Bartlett with friends, Cynthya, Murial, Ashley Ripple, and Carmen Moody. |
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KUDOS!
Even though this is news from this past spring, we want to offer congratulations to Mr. Carlos Holly for being named one of Mobile County's Teachers of the Year, to Dr. Susan McCready for her election to the Faculty Senate, and to Dr. Federico Pérez?]Pineda for being elected Arts & Sciences Caucus Leader for the Faculty Senate. Additionally, Dr. Isabel Z. Brown was elected as president of SECOLAS (South Eastern Council of Latin American Studies).
We also have some students who have impressive accomplishments that we would like to recognize. After offers from Georgia and Florida, David Counselman (Spanish & French) chose to do graduate studies at Penn State. Justin Edmondson (Spanish) has also been accepted at Penn State and Andy Pigott (French) will be going to Bryn Mawr for his MA in French with a full scholarship. Crystal Samples (French) successfully completed an internship in Paris with “Eurotexte”. Stephanie Nemeth (German), the first Fulbright Scholar that the university has had in six years, is presently in Germany studying chemistry. Sarah Goodloe is spending a year studying Russian in St. Petersburg. Dr. Mozur spoke with her recently and said that he was “very impressed with her Russian.”
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Stephanie Nemeth is congratulated by President Moulton. |
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Congratulations to you all! When you look good, you make us look good too! |
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ALUMNI NEWS
Kenny Jobin (German, ’03) went to Kirghizstan with the Peace Corps this past fall. Terrill Schrock (French and Russian ’03) is working for UPS and RusTech in Tallahassee, FL and will be going to either Eastern Europe or Central Africa as a Language Surveyor for Wycliffe Bible Translators, sometime this year.
Several of our graduates have become teachers in the area. Gretchen Snyder is teaching at St. Paul’s, Ashleigh Russell is at LeFlore, Charlotte Gunn is at Vigor and Christine Dexter is at Murphy High School.
We would love to hear about our alumni for future newsletters. Please write to us and keep us informed! Send any updates to:
University of South Alabama
Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures
c/o Terri Wilbanks
322 HUMB
Mobile, AL 36688
FLL TRIVIA
Which part-time instructor was featured in the “Fashion Ambush” of the Mobile Register? (answer at the end of the newsletter!)
BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND REVIEWS FROM OUR FACULTY
Dr. Isabel Z. Brown translated El tiempo del olvido which in English is: Of Forgotten Times by Marisela Rizik and has also written a chapter in a book on female hispanic authors. Additionally, Dr. Brown has published an article on Jeannette Miller’s allusions to Trujillo in her works.
Dr. Calvin Jones published an article in the Journal for the Association of the Interdisciplinary Study of the Arts and Dr. Susan McCready was published in the prestigious Modern Drama.
Dr. Joseph Mozur had two book reviews for World Literature Today and Dr. Scott Rex published and article on rethinking grammar in the classroom.
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VISITING DIGNATARIES
Thanks to the work of Mr. Antonio Briceño-Iturbe, one of our part-time Spanish instructors, we were able to secure the former president of Costa Rica as the speaker for the commencement address for the fall graduation. Rodrigo Carazo Odio not only spoke at graduation but was gracious enough to agree to a forum the day before. Faculty were able to meet President Carazo and ask questions about the University for Peace which he founded in Costa Rica. Everyone agreed that not only is President Carazo one of the most interesting speakers that we have invited, but also one of the most personable ones. We look forward to building the relationship between the University of Peace and the University of South Alabama.
Many thanks to Mr. Briceño for bringing this about! |
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| A special thanks to USA photography for supplying so many of our photos! |
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- Dr. Matilde Tellaetxe-Isusi and her husband, Dr. Tim Sherman and their son William welcomed a new baby boy, Peter Gorka Sherman Tellaetxe into their family on April 3, 2004. Congratulations!
- Dr. Julien Lartigue and Dr. Susan McCready were married May 30, 2004at Mobile Botanical Gardens. We wish the newlyweds all the best!
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Answer to FLL Trivia: Carlos Holly was featured in the “Fashion Ambush”. |
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