Greetings from the Chair - College of Liberal Arts & Science - Wayne ...
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World Talk<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
<strong>Greetings</strong> <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Chair</strong><br />
Dear Friends <strong>of</strong> CMLLC:<br />
<strong>Greetings</strong> <strong>from</strong> Classical and Modern Languages,<br />
Literatures, and Cultures. Since <strong>the</strong> Department will<br />
mark its 4th anniversary in October, we cannot really<br />
think <strong>of</strong> ourselves as new any longer. It seems to me that we<br />
are a very much established unit and a strong one at that!<br />
More <strong>of</strong>ten than not, when asked a question about policy or<br />
procedures, I have a specific answer now; I no longer turn<br />
every question into ano<strong>the</strong>r item on my to-do list for <strong>the</strong> Policy<br />
Committee. In short, we have structures, we have routines, and<br />
we have an identity as a department.<br />
Things continue<br />
What’s inside…<br />
4 Higuero Publishes Book<br />
5 Lucht Awarded University<br />
Research Grant<br />
6 Slavic News<br />
9 Italian News<br />
14 Student Receives<br />
Schindler Scholarship<br />
to change, though,<br />
both for <strong>the</strong> good<br />
and to our detriment.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> very good<br />
side is <strong>the</strong> news that<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Roslyn<br />
Schindler (German)<br />
has been serving as<br />
Associate <strong>Chair</strong> since<br />
January. Her charge<br />
is to take <strong>the</strong> lead<br />
on preparing for <strong>the</strong><br />
upcoming program<br />
review, especially<br />
in <strong>the</strong> complicated<br />
and demanding task<br />
<strong>of</strong> preparing a selfstudy,<br />
documenting<br />
who we are, what<br />
we do, and where we<br />
want to go.<br />
As you’ll see<br />
in <strong>the</strong> following<br />
pages, we have<br />
Fall 2011<br />
plenty to celebrate. Three<br />
members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> faculty<br />
were promoted: Michael<br />
Giordano (French) to<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor, and both<br />
Haiyong Liu (Chinese) and<br />
Anne Ro<strong>the</strong> (German) to<br />
Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor with<br />
tenure. We are proud <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>m all and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> many<br />
department recipients<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> State grants<br />
and awards, also set out<br />
in World Talk; it was a Margaret Winters<br />
pleasure to attend <strong>the</strong><br />
Faculty Recognition ceremony and enjoy <strong>the</strong> recognition for<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir achievements.<br />
We are sorry to say good bye to Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Annie<br />
Higgins (Near East) and Sandra Hobbs (French) who will not be<br />
returning. Ano<strong>the</strong>r loss is Esperanza Ordoñez, who has been a<br />
staff member in Romance Languages and CMLLC for over 40<br />
years. We wish her well in retirement and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs in <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
next undertakings. At <strong>the</strong> same time, we welcome Assistant<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Mohammed El Sharkawi (Arabic) and Hernán Garcia<br />
(Spanish) who have joined us this fall.<br />
This year will be a busy and, I fear, challenging one, as<br />
we face program review and budgetary limitations. We have<br />
many strengths, however, and those include our alumni and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r friends. Please do let us know what you are doing. And<br />
we will be grateful too for your donations; <strong>the</strong>y allow us to<br />
support faculty undertakings and student success in ways we<br />
cannot o<strong>the</strong>rwise. I can be reached at mewinters@wayne.edu<br />
or through <strong>the</strong> CMLLC <strong>of</strong>fice at 313 577-3002 – I’d love to hear<br />
<strong>from</strong> you! n<br />
Very sincerely,<br />
Margaret E. Winters, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor and <strong>Chair</strong><br />
a publication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF<br />
CLASSICAL AND MODERN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES<br />
and THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 1 8/26/11 4:07 PM
2<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Casielles Explores Language Evolution and Acquisition<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Eugenia Casielles (Spanish) has recently<br />
published two articles on language evolution<br />
co-authored with Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Ljiljana Progovac:<br />
“Protosyntax: A <strong>the</strong>tic (unaccusative) stage?,” to appear in<br />
Theoria et Historia Scientiarum, and “On Protolinguistic<br />
‘Fossils’: Subject-Verb vs. Verb-Subject Structures,” published<br />
in <strong>the</strong> volume The Evolution <strong>of</strong> Language. She is also<br />
continuing with her work on bilingualism and language<br />
acquisition. She recently presented her research on <strong>the</strong><br />
Carole Verhelle Retires<br />
After 36 years <strong>of</strong> service to <strong>Wayne</strong> State<br />
University, Carole Verhelle (French) has<br />
retired. Carole came to <strong>the</strong> university in<br />
1974 and worked in an administrative<br />
capacity prior to joining <strong>the</strong> French<br />
language area. In s<strong>of</strong>t and reflective tones,<br />
she spoke <strong>of</strong> her youth, and experiences<br />
growing up on a farm in South Dakota.<br />
In high school, French was not <strong>of</strong>fered<br />
as a language, so she studied Latin. Her<br />
exposure to and eventual love <strong>of</strong> French<br />
language and culture would occur at<br />
Mount Marty <strong>College</strong>, a Catholic institution<br />
in South Dakota where she graduated<br />
Magna Cum Laude. Carole subsequently<br />
attended Purdue University where she<br />
earned a Master’s degree, and met <strong>the</strong><br />
man she would eventually marry. She<br />
later spent a year at <strong>the</strong> Sorbonne in Paris<br />
pursuing fur<strong>the</strong>r study.<br />
At WSU, Carole served as Assistant<br />
Registrar for nearly four years prior to<br />
accepting a position to serve as a lecturer<br />
in French. Popular with colleagues and<br />
students, she has served as <strong>the</strong> Coordinator<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Basic French Language Sequence<br />
CMLLC Hosts Advisor Luncheon<br />
In April, <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Classical and Modern Languages,<br />
Literatures, and Cultures hosted a luncheon for advisors<br />
<strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> University Advising Center (UAC). After enjoying<br />
a potluck which featured dishes such as homemade pierogi,<br />
stuffed grape leaves, and Khachapuri (cheese bread <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Caucasus), CMLLC undergraduate advisors made presentations<br />
Fall 2011<br />
acquisition <strong>of</strong> subjects at <strong>the</strong> Hispanic Linguistics Symposium<br />
and Conference on <strong>the</strong> Acquisition <strong>of</strong> Spanish and Portuguese<br />
at <strong>the</strong> Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, and was invited<br />
to give a talk on this topic at <strong>the</strong> International Conference<br />
on Language Contact and Bilingualism organized by <strong>the</strong><br />
University <strong>of</strong> Wuppertal. Casielles is currently working on <strong>the</strong><br />
use <strong>of</strong> code-switching in bilingual texts and has presented this<br />
work at <strong>the</strong> XXIII Conference on Spanish at <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong><br />
California-Davis. n<br />
and French Club advisor, in addition to<br />
involvement with course and curriculum<br />
development. In 1998, she was <strong>the</strong><br />
recipient <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Liberal</strong> <strong>Arts</strong><br />
and <strong>Science</strong>s award for “Excellence in<br />
Teaching,” in recognition <strong>of</strong> her dedication<br />
to students and to innovative pedagogy.<br />
Verhelle said that when she began teaching<br />
French, she wanted to share her love<br />
and passion for <strong>the</strong> French language and<br />
culture with her students. “It is especially<br />
gratifying” she said, “to have students tell<br />
you that you have touched <strong>the</strong>ir lives.”<br />
What lies ahead for Carole? She is<br />
looking forward to traveling throughout<br />
<strong>the</strong> United States, as well as France and<br />
Europe. She also plans to pursue her<br />
interests in music, walking, and going to<br />
<strong>the</strong> gym. Perhaps, she might even return to<br />
visit South Dakota. n<br />
highlighting some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir courses and programs, followed<br />
by a question-and-answer period. This event was a valuable<br />
opportunity for two sections <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> university with closelyrelated<br />
goals to meet in person and exchange information and<br />
ideas. It was also a lot <strong>of</strong> fun, and we look forward to seeing<br />
<strong>the</strong> advisors again next year. n<br />
World Talk<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
CMLLC Represented at Faculty Fellows Conference<br />
Since <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong> feminist <strong>the</strong>ory<br />
to <strong>the</strong> academy in <strong>the</strong> 1970s, studies<br />
<strong>of</strong> gender and sexuality have become<br />
among <strong>the</strong> most rapidly evolving<br />
and influential areas <strong>of</strong> scholarly<br />
inquiry and activism. Sponsored by<br />
<strong>the</strong> WSU Humanities Center, <strong>the</strong> 2011<br />
Faculty Fellows Conference Gender<br />
and Sexuality, brought humanists <strong>of</strong><br />
diverse talents and interests toge<strong>the</strong>r for<br />
conversation and collaboration, with<br />
<strong>the</strong> intent <strong>of</strong> fostering innovation and<br />
creativity across humanistic disciplines.<br />
The 2011 Conference featured<br />
three CMLLC participants. Dr. Annie<br />
Higgins (Arabic) presented a paper<br />
titled “Exchange and Gender: Tell<br />
<strong>the</strong> Women at <strong>the</strong> Battlefields.” In<br />
her study, Higgins found that women<br />
were significant actors in <strong>the</strong> Shurat<br />
religious minority which developed<br />
alongside evolving Sunni and Shia<br />
interpretations <strong>of</strong> Islam. Although <strong>the</strong><br />
ideological descendents <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Shurat<br />
are a religious minority today, some <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> ideas <strong>the</strong>y promoted, such as gender<br />
parity and racial equality, took root<br />
in a wider field <strong>of</strong> intellectual growth.<br />
According to Higgins, women played<br />
significant roles as expressed in poetry<br />
by and for <strong>the</strong>m. As a result, <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
cultural production contributed to a<br />
legacy <strong>of</strong> interpreting what constitutes<br />
legitimate Islamic practice.<br />
Dr. Jennifer Sheridan Moss (Classics)<br />
investigated <strong>the</strong> problematic use <strong>of</strong><br />
Plutarch’s Life <strong>of</strong> Antony as a source<br />
for <strong>the</strong> historical Cleopatra. In a<br />
presentation titled “Plutarch’s Invention<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cleopatra,” Moss suggested that<br />
Plutarch chose to portray Antony as<br />
“an exemplar <strong>of</strong> a fall <strong>from</strong> grace,”<br />
a great man who, because <strong>of</strong> various<br />
personality flaws, did not live up to his<br />
potential. Cleopatra, who dominates <strong>the</strong><br />
biography, was a literary invention <strong>of</strong><br />
Plutarch, a concoction <strong>of</strong> stereotypes,<br />
misogyny, and tabloid journalism,<br />
created to explain <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rwise<br />
incomprehensible failures <strong>of</strong> Antony. In<br />
spite <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> obviously contrived quality<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Elena Past Receives University Research Grant<br />
Elena Past was awarded a 2011 University Research<br />
Grant for her project Ecomedia and Italian Cinema,<br />
which examines a body <strong>of</strong> contemporary films through<br />
<strong>the</strong> lens <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> growing <strong>the</strong>oretical field <strong>of</strong> “ecomedia”<br />
studies. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Past <strong>the</strong>orizes <strong>the</strong> ways in which <strong>the</strong><br />
Annie Higgins<br />
World Talk<br />
practice <strong>of</strong> making a film can contribute to its interpretation.<br />
Each cinematic text, she argues, is <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> a period <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> production’s “cohabitation” with a biotic community that<br />
subsequently becomes part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> onscreen narrative. She will<br />
use her grant to conduct research in Italy this summer. n<br />
<strong>of</strong> Plutarch’s account, said Moss,<br />
scholars to this day conform discussions<br />
<strong>of</strong> Cleopatra to his narrative structure,<br />
which keeps observers perpetually<br />
distanced <strong>from</strong> an understanding <strong>of</strong> her<br />
reign.<br />
In “The Queering <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French<br />
Revolution: Lady Oscar and <strong>the</strong><br />
Tradition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Girl-Soldier,” Dr. Anne<br />
E. Duggan (French) focused on Jacques<br />
Demy’s Lady Oscar (1979), a filmic<br />
adaptation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> popular Japanese<br />
shojo manga, The Rose <strong>of</strong> Versailles<br />
(1972-73) by Riyoko Ikeda, who draws<br />
<strong>from</strong> both European and Asian folklore<br />
about maiden warriors. For Duggan,<br />
both The Rose <strong>of</strong> Versailles and Lady<br />
Oscar are distinguished <strong>from</strong> “classical”<br />
models <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> maiden warrior. In Lady<br />
Oscar and The Rose, <strong>the</strong> heroine does<br />
not follow <strong>the</strong> typical pattern <strong>of</strong> living<br />
as a girl, donning <strong>the</strong> clo<strong>the</strong>s <strong>of</strong> a<br />
soldier to save her family honor, only<br />
to return to <strong>the</strong> unambiguous status <strong>of</strong><br />
“female.” Instead, Lady Oscar inhabits<br />
an ambiguous gender position. She has<br />
embraced <strong>the</strong> masculine identity <strong>of</strong> a<br />
soldier, which she cannot easily shed<br />
at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> story. Both Ikeda and<br />
Demy maintain <strong>the</strong> gender ambiguity <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir heroine <strong>from</strong> beginning to end by<br />
exploring non-heteronormative forms<br />
<strong>of</strong> sexuality. n<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 3 8/26/11 4:07 PM<br />
3
Edith Covensky has recently published On The Existence Of<br />
Love, a bi-lingual edition (Hebrew-English), and a tri-lingual<br />
volume, Love Embraces Love (Hebrew-Arabic-English). Poet<br />
and English translator Eduard Codish writes in his preface to On<br />
The Existence Of Love: “Edith Covensky has written a collection<br />
<strong>of</strong> poems almost designed to justify Andre Breton’s claim, that<br />
love is <strong>the</strong> fusion <strong>of</strong> existence and essence. These are not <strong>the</strong><br />
only poles, however, she insists on. The volume is a series <strong>of</strong><br />
interrelated dialectics, <strong>of</strong>ten unresolved. This is difficult poetry<br />
which repays our reading by giving us hard won wisdom.”<br />
Naim Araidi, noted Druze poet, and Arabic translator <strong>of</strong> Edith<br />
Covensky’s second new volume, Love Embraces Love, insists on<br />
<strong>the</strong> universality <strong>of</strong> Covensky’s poetry, aes<strong>the</strong>tically sculpted with<br />
both “penetrating might and subtle sensitivity.”<br />
4<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Higuero Publishes Book<br />
From <strong>the</strong> very beginnings <strong>of</strong> modernity until <strong>the</strong> mostly<br />
recent philosophical spurs, <strong>the</strong> argumentative discourse <strong>of</strong> ideas<br />
has had as a point <strong>of</strong> departure-<strong>the</strong> notion <strong>of</strong> subjectivity,<br />
including <strong>the</strong> experience <strong>of</strong> doubt. In Racionalidad Ensayistica:<br />
De Montaigne a Richard Rorty (Ediciones del Orto, Madrid),<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Francisco Javier Higuero examines <strong>the</strong> writings <strong>of</strong><br />
philosophers ranging <strong>from</strong> Descarte and Montaigne to William<br />
James, Bergson, Sartre, Popper, and Richard Rorty. The result<br />
<strong>of</strong> Higuero’s work is a valuable contribution to <strong>the</strong> knowledge<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Figueroa Receives Career<br />
Development <strong>Chair</strong> Award<br />
Victor Figueroa (Spanish) has been<br />
awarded a Career Development <strong>Chair</strong><br />
Award for Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essors. Seven<br />
awards were made as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> university’s<br />
Hebrew Poet’s New Publications<br />
CLAS Teaching Award Recipients<br />
Congratulations to Saeed Khan (Near<br />
Eastern Studies), Michele Ronnick<br />
(Classics), and Haiyong Liu (Asian<br />
Studies), who were recently honored for<br />
teaching excellence by <strong>the</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Liberal</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and <strong>Science</strong>s. Each recipient<br />
program to support outstanding tenured faculty<br />
members in <strong>the</strong> early stages <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir careers.<br />
Each award recipient receives an honorarium<br />
and unrestricted research support. n<br />
A third volume, Fuges, has been translated by Ed and Susan<br />
Coudish. Fuges, <strong>the</strong> translators say, is an “autumnal collection <strong>of</strong><br />
poems, autumnal both as Keats’ season <strong>of</strong> mists and fruitfulness,<br />
and in Stevens’ more somber auroras. Poem after poem concerns<br />
itself, and us, with time. Edith Covensky writes about it with<br />
originality. For her <strong>the</strong> centrality <strong>of</strong> time is night sweeping her<br />
into its chasm, where she later wonders on its edge wishing to<br />
curl in its womb.”<br />
Covensky teaches Hebrew language, literature and Israeli<br />
Studies. She has received many honors for her work including<br />
<strong>the</strong> International Poet <strong>of</strong> Merit award in 1996 and Editor’s<br />
Choice Poet medallion by <strong>the</strong> International Library <strong>of</strong> Poetry<br />
in 2009. n<br />
received a certificate <strong>of</strong> recognition<br />
and stipend presented by Dean Robert<br />
Thomas. n<br />
<strong>of</strong> philosophical discourse expressed under <strong>the</strong> literary form<br />
<strong>of</strong> essay. It should assist scholars not only in <strong>the</strong> technical<br />
fields <strong>of</strong> philosophy (including pragmatism, phenomenology,<br />
existentialism, conceptual analysis, and hermeneutics), but also<br />
in <strong>the</strong> humanities and social sciences disciplines (including<br />
literary criticism, political <strong>the</strong>ory, and post-modern studies).<br />
As Higuero mentions in <strong>the</strong> concluding pages <strong>of</strong> his work, this<br />
kind <strong>of</strong> research is opening new approaches and development<br />
to <strong>the</strong> discourse <strong>of</strong> ideas and philosophical thought. n<br />
World Talk<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Felecia Lucht Receives University Research Grant<br />
Felecia Lucht, Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> German and Coordinator<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Basic German Language Sequence, was awarded a 2011<br />
University Research Grant for her book project, Life after<br />
Language Death: Language Variation, Shift, and Change in<br />
a German-American Community. Lucht’s work documents<br />
language use in <strong>the</strong> community, traces <strong>the</strong> shift <strong>from</strong> German to<br />
English, and examines language change within <strong>the</strong> varieties <strong>of</strong><br />
Jorgelina Corbatta -<br />
Author and Guest Speaker<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Jorgelina Corbatta (Spanish) has been very<br />
active in <strong>the</strong> past year, writing papers, authoring a<br />
book, and serving as an invited speaker and conference<br />
presenter. In <strong>the</strong> fall, Corbatta served as guest speaker at <strong>the</strong><br />
Open House <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute in Ann<br />
Arbor where she delivered a paper titled “Psychoanalysis<br />
and Literature.” She was later featured as a special guest on<br />
a program by Radio Mitre (Buenos Aires, Argentina) where<br />
she spoke about her book on Juan Jose Saer. Most recently,<br />
Corbatta was invited by <strong>the</strong> Hispanic Outreach Committee <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Dallas Psychoanalytic Center to speak on: “The Literary<br />
Work <strong>of</strong> Manuel Puig: Its Significance for <strong>the</strong> Study <strong>of</strong> Culture<br />
and Psychoanalysis.” She is also revising her book manuscript<br />
on Jorge Luis Borges titled: Borges y yo/Borges y los otros<br />
(under contract with Editorial Corregidor, Buenos Aires), and<br />
she presented two papers at <strong>the</strong> Annual Convention <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Midwest Modern Language Association titled: “Representation<br />
<strong>of</strong> Repression and Censorship in Two Argentine Films,” and<br />
“Sexuality, Normality, and Terror: XXY by Lucia Puenzo.” n<br />
Laura Kline Wins Excellence in Teaching Award<br />
Dr. Laura Kline (Russian) has been<br />
awarded <strong>the</strong> President’s Award for<br />
Excellence in Teaching. The award is<br />
given annually in recognition <strong>of</strong> superior<br />
teaching at <strong>Wayne</strong> State University.<br />
World Talk<br />
Associated honors include an award<br />
<strong>of</strong> $2,500 and a citation which was<br />
presented at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> State University<br />
Academic Recognition Ceremony held on<br />
April 28. 2011.<br />
German and English spoken in <strong>the</strong> area. One <strong>of</strong> her objectives<br />
for <strong>the</strong> summer is to examine <strong>the</strong> contents <strong>of</strong> a regional Germanlanguage<br />
newspaper read widely <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> mid 1800s to 1900s<br />
in <strong>the</strong> community under study to find articles which discuss<br />
language-related issues and help create a community portrait <strong>of</strong><br />
language attitudes, while fur<strong>the</strong>r adding details to <strong>the</strong> timeline <strong>of</strong><br />
language shift that is emerging <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> data. n<br />
Giordano Receives Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Governors Award<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Michael<br />
Giordano (French) has<br />
been awarded <strong>the</strong> Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Governors Faculty<br />
Recognition Award for<br />
his book The Art <strong>of</strong><br />
Meditation and <strong>the</strong><br />
French Renaissance<br />
Love Lyric. The award<br />
is given annually by<br />
<strong>the</strong> University’s Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Governors for<br />
outstanding contribution<br />
to scholarship and<br />
learning. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Giordano received a citation, engraved plaque, and a grant<br />
in recognition <strong>of</strong> his accomplishments at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> State<br />
University Academic Recognition Ceremony in April. n<br />
Dr. Kline’s research interests include<br />
Russian writer Varlam Shalamov, <strong>the</strong><br />
literature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gulag, and language<br />
pedagogy. n<br />
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5
6<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Slavic Studies Opens <strong>the</strong> Door to Opportunity<br />
by Laura Kline and Alina Klin<br />
Only seven years ago, <strong>the</strong> WSU Slavic faculty created<br />
<strong>the</strong> Slavic major with concentrations in Polish and<br />
Russian and minors in Polish and Russian. Since that<br />
time <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> students choosing <strong>the</strong>se degree programs<br />
has continued to grow, as have <strong>the</strong> number and variety <strong>of</strong><br />
courses we <strong>of</strong>fer. Among <strong>the</strong> new courses introduced this year is<br />
Topics in Slavic Studies (SLA 3800). Under this heading we have<br />
<strong>of</strong>fered Literature, Art, and Song <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gulag, Advanced Russian<br />
Reading (both will be taught again this fall), Russian and Polish<br />
Drama, and Pierogi and Beyond: Issues in Contemporary Polish<br />
Literature and Culture.<br />
The growth <strong>of</strong> our program is also due to <strong>the</strong> enthusiastic<br />
efforts <strong>of</strong> our dedicated part-time faculty: Anna Huk-Gleaser<br />
and Izabela Nychter in Polish, Olga Blum and Tatyana Sherman<br />
in Russian, and Natalia Mayorchak in Ukrainian. Olga Blum led<br />
our newly created Russian Culture Study Abroad Program to<br />
<strong>the</strong> cities <strong>of</strong> Moscow and St. Petersburg, and to <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong><br />
Borovsk. Natalia Mayorchak, who joined us last August, recently<br />
designed a new course, Ukrainian Conversation (UKR 2030),<br />
which will be <strong>of</strong>fered for <strong>the</strong> first time in Winter 2012.<br />
We are very proud <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> achievements <strong>of</strong> our students. Here<br />
are some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir recent accomplishments. Michael Chrusciel<br />
was awarded a Frank Filipek FPA scholarship, as well as an<br />
Undergraduate Research Grant to conduct research in Poland on<br />
<strong>the</strong> attitudes <strong>of</strong> Polish medical students toward cell and organ<br />
transplants. Maxim Ermakov received <strong>the</strong> Delta<br />
Sigma Pi Scholarship Key, which is presented to<br />
<strong>the</strong> graduating student with <strong>the</strong> highest cumulative<br />
grade-point average (4.0) in <strong>the</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Business<br />
Administration. He has accepted a position with<br />
Ford Motor Company as a financial analyst. Yuliya<br />
Harris was accepted into <strong>the</strong> Center for Academic<br />
Excellence for National Security Intelligence<br />
Studies at WSU. Nicholas Krol, who will spend <strong>the</strong><br />
next year studying Polish in Krakow, is a recipient<br />
<strong>of</strong> an ACPC Scholarship for Summer Study in<br />
Poland, as well as an FPA Fine <strong>Arts</strong> scholarship.<br />
Ka<strong>the</strong>rine Nolde was accepted to <strong>the</strong> prestigious<br />
American Councils Summer in Russia study<br />
abroad program and will be studying at Herzen<br />
University in St. Petersburg. Michael Chrusciel,<br />
Mariola Koplejewska, Rebecca Magerovskiy, Raffi<br />
Nersessian, and Shugmi Shumunov all received<br />
WSU Slavic Scholarships.<br />
We are also very pleased that more and more <strong>of</strong> our students<br />
continue <strong>the</strong>ir studies in graduate and pr<strong>of</strong>essional programs in<br />
<strong>the</strong> US and abroad. In <strong>the</strong> fall Jonathan Ciarkowski (‘09) will go<br />
to Krakow, Poland to pursue a master’s degree in Transatlantic<br />
Studies, while Kelly Kietur (cum laude ‘09) will go to Glasgow,<br />
United Kingdom to study Information and Library Management.<br />
Eric Szydlowski (’11) was admitted to <strong>the</strong> WSU School <strong>of</strong><br />
Pharmacy. Alison Christy (cum laude ‘07) is completing<br />
a master’s in drama at <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Houston and has<br />
been accepted by <strong>the</strong> Ph.D. program in Theatre Studies at <strong>the</strong><br />
University <strong>of</strong> Kentucky on a Russian Theatre Fellowship. Lauren<br />
Gillis (‘09), who has been studying in <strong>the</strong> master’s program at<br />
<strong>the</strong> European University in St. Petersburg, will be attending <strong>the</strong><br />
Transnational Security Studies program at George Washington<br />
University for Fall 2011. Richard Kruczynski (magna cum laude<br />
‘04), currently pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration at<br />
WSU, was recently recognized for Academic Excellence by <strong>the</strong><br />
Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. He also received a School <strong>of</strong><br />
Business Administration Scholarship. Janusz Krupa (cum laude<br />
‘09) was accepted to Ross University School <strong>of</strong> Medicine in NJ.<br />
The 2010–2011 academic year in <strong>the</strong> Slavic area was again<br />
full <strong>of</strong> exciting events that enriched <strong>the</strong> cultural life on <strong>the</strong> WSU<br />
campus and <strong>the</strong> Greater Detroit area. We organized lectures,<br />
film screenings, traditional Slavic celebrations, workshops,<br />
Continued on page 7<br />
World Talk<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Slavic Studies<br />
Continued <strong>from</strong> page 6<br />
and outings to concerts. The Slavic<br />
Club again did an outstanding job this<br />
year helping with <strong>the</strong> majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Slavic events and also putting toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
some events <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own, including<br />
fundraisers.<br />
By far <strong>the</strong> most exciting undertaking<br />
for Polish-language students was <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
involvement in creating <strong>the</strong> “Solidarity”<br />
Exhibit at <strong>the</strong> WSU Walter Ru<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Library. Students and faculty translated<br />
<strong>the</strong> panels for <strong>the</strong> exhibit and attended<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial opening ceremony, where<br />
<strong>the</strong>y had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity<br />
to meet Lech Walesa, <strong>the</strong> first leader <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Solidarity movement and former<br />
president <strong>of</strong> Poland.<br />
Accomplishments <strong>of</strong> our full-time<br />
faculty include Ken Brostrom’s editorial<br />
work on Guy Stern’s translation <strong>of</strong><br />
Susanna Piontek’s Have We Possibly<br />
Met Before? and O<strong>the</strong>r Stories (Culicidae<br />
Press, 2011). Alina Klin and Laura<br />
Kline each received FLTC Minigrants<br />
to develop courses this summer. Laura<br />
Kline is writing a new third-year Russian<br />
textbook; <strong>the</strong> grant will be used by Olga<br />
Blum to design online exercises for it.<br />
Alina Klin, in collaboration with Izabela<br />
Nychter, will be creating online materials<br />
for teaching Polish medical terminology.<br />
Laura Kline also received <strong>the</strong> President’s<br />
Excellence in Teaching Award.<br />
For a complete description <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Slavic area’s activities and achievements<br />
this past year, go to: http://www.clas.<br />
wayne.edu/slavic/. n<br />
World Talk<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Adrina Garbooshian - Alumni Update<br />
Adrina Garbooshian received<br />
her PhD in Modern Languages<br />
at <strong>Wayne</strong> State University in<br />
2006. In her words, she felt fortunate<br />
to have Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Donald Spinelli (now<br />
Emeritus) as chair <strong>of</strong> her dissertation<br />
committee. The experience allowed<br />
her to write a dissertation that focused<br />
on her interest in French literature,<br />
American history, and <strong>the</strong> history<br />
<strong>of</strong> ideas. The pr<strong>of</strong>essors she studied<br />
with helped her to perfect her skills in<br />
French language and literature, and<br />
provided opportunities to delve into<br />
historical research using a wide range<br />
<strong>of</strong> primary source material. It was this broad skill set that landed her a job as<br />
postdoctoral associate at <strong>the</strong> Papers <strong>of</strong> Benjamin Franklin, Yale University, in<br />
2007. The following year she was promoted to Assistant Editor, a title which<br />
she currently holds.<br />
The Papers <strong>of</strong> Benjamin Franklin has published 39 volumes, and will publish<br />
<strong>the</strong> total corpus <strong>of</strong> Franklin’s extant papers. In her position, Dr. Garbooshian<br />
transcribes documents, pro<strong>of</strong>reads letters, and writes annotation. She has<br />
also taken trips to <strong>the</strong> American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia) and to<br />
<strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Congress, where she has viewed <strong>the</strong> original manuscripts to<br />
verify <strong>the</strong> accuracy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Franklin typescripts. Garbooshian and staff are<br />
currently working on <strong>the</strong> period in which Franklin was serving as a diplomat<br />
in France; she was hired to help annotate much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French correspondence.<br />
The emphasis that <strong>the</strong> program at <strong>Wayne</strong> State placed on grammar skills, she<br />
feels, greatly helped her to make sense out <strong>of</strong> some difficult letters written<br />
in phonetic French. She has worked on correspondence between Franklin<br />
and French scientists, physicians, and artists, including Félix Vicq d’Azyr<br />
(secretary <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Société royale de médecine in Paris) and <strong>the</strong> sculptor, Jean-<br />
Antoine Houdon. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, she has written headnotes summarizing letters<br />
by Europeans who desired to emigrate to <strong>the</strong> United States and who requested<br />
Franklin’s help in <strong>the</strong>se endeavors. In <strong>the</strong> past year, she has gone on to<br />
annotate letters by British and American correspondents as well, including<br />
George Whatley, <strong>the</strong> treasurer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> London Foundling Hospital, Thomas<br />
Jefferson, and Mason Locke Weems, an Episcopal minister <strong>from</strong> Maryland.<br />
According to Garbooshian, <strong>the</strong> research she conducted for her dissertation,<br />
which treated both <strong>the</strong> French and American Enlightenments, allowed her to<br />
learn about new sources which she currently uses regularly, and thus prepared<br />
her for <strong>the</strong> extensive research she undertakes each day.<br />
Dr. Garbooshian spoke warmly <strong>of</strong> her WSU experience. “The success I have<br />
enjoyed in my present career is largely due to <strong>the</strong> dedicated and open-minded<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essors in <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Classical and Modern Languages. They opened<br />
up new horizons and supported my enthusiasm for learning.” n<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 7 8/26/11 4:07 PM<br />
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8<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Jerry Klaft - Alumni Update<br />
Jerry Klaft is currently employed<br />
as an adjunct instructor in Spanish at<br />
Alpena Community <strong>College</strong>. A 1994<br />
graduate with an M.A. in Spanish,<br />
he retired <strong>from</strong> Comerica Bank in<br />
2004. Jerry currently spends his<br />
summers in Rogers City, and winters<br />
in Boynton Beach, Florida. “I have<br />
fond memories <strong>of</strong> many wonderful and<br />
helpful colleagues. I hope to be able<br />
to read and hear about <strong>the</strong>ir news in<br />
a future newsletter. I miss <strong>the</strong>m and<br />
wish everyone <strong>the</strong> best.” Jerry’s e-mail<br />
address is pier410@charter.net. n<br />
Ann Mandelbaum - Alumni Update<br />
Ann Mandelbaum (Spanish) received her Ph.D. in 1987. A<br />
resident <strong>of</strong> Franklin, MI, she is Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hispanic Education<br />
for Lifeskills Project. The Lifeskills Project is a free, all-volunteer<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Margaret Winters Participates in Far Eastern Conferences<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Margaret E. Winters (French,<br />
CMLLC <strong>Chair</strong>) recently presented two<br />
papers at linguistics conferences in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Far East. The first titled “Syntax:<br />
Symbolic or Autonomous,” was<br />
presented at <strong>the</strong> Eleventh International<br />
Cognitive Linguistics Conference in<br />
Xi’an, China. The second presentation<br />
titled “Prediction and Language Change,”<br />
was presented at <strong>the</strong> International<br />
Conference on Historical Linguistics in<br />
Osaka, Japan, with Dr. Ge<strong>of</strong>frey Nathan.<br />
This was Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Winters’s first visit<br />
to <strong>the</strong>se countries, and she appreciated<br />
<strong>the</strong> opportunity to experience first-hand<br />
some aspects <strong>of</strong> two cultures which<br />
form part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Department’s degree<br />
<strong>of</strong>ferings. n<br />
program, and teaches English to <strong>the</strong> Hispanic community in <strong>the</strong><br />
city <strong>of</strong> Pontiac and greater Oakland County (MI). n<br />
Near Eastern Studies Faculty Participate in<br />
National Conference Roundtable<br />
Are you Shi’a or Sunni?” This was just one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
subject areas covered in a roundtable discussion for<br />
Islamic Studies instructors at <strong>the</strong> Middle East Studies<br />
Association annual meeting in San Diego. Organized by Saeed<br />
Khan, with participation <strong>from</strong> Near Eastern Studies colleagues<br />
May Seikaly, Soraya Saatchi, and Vanessa DeGifis, <strong>the</strong> session<br />
explored <strong>the</strong> challenges that Islamic Studies faculty experience<br />
in approaching <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> Islam. According to <strong>the</strong><br />
participants, <strong>the</strong> past decade has witnessed an unprecedented<br />
interest in Islamic Studies, though this interest has been<br />
fostered in a polarized world. Today’s instructor, <strong>the</strong>y maintain,<br />
must confront <strong>the</strong> preconceived notions about Islam among<br />
Muslim and non-Muslim students. There may be instances<br />
when instructors face direct challenges to <strong>the</strong>ir authority <strong>from</strong><br />
students suspicious <strong>of</strong> an instructor’s political or religious<br />
orientations. “The dynamics within <strong>the</strong> classroom are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
directly influenced by public discourses on gender, human<br />
rights, law, war, citizenship, and identity politics,” according<br />
to Khan. How <strong>the</strong>n can an instructor navigate <strong>the</strong> contentious<br />
fault lines that may exist in <strong>the</strong> class room and still provide<br />
a healthy class environment on a social phenomenon such as<br />
Islam? The design <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> session was intended to create an<br />
ongoing dialogue. Hopefully, it will continue into <strong>the</strong> future,<br />
addressing both challenges and potential solutions. n<br />
World Talk<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Italian News<br />
by Silvia Giorgini-Althoen<br />
The Italian program enjoyed an<br />
exceptional year, filled with many<br />
activities and celebrations. In<br />
October, we celebrated <strong>the</strong> 10th Annual<br />
Settimana della lingua italiana nel<br />
mondo, “Week <strong>of</strong> Italian Language.” It<br />
is a worldwide event inaugurated by <strong>the</strong><br />
Italian Foreign Ministry in collaboration<br />
with <strong>the</strong> prestigious Accademia della<br />
Crusca. Each year <strong>the</strong> Minister <strong>of</strong> Foreign<br />
Affairs selects a topic relevant to <strong>the</strong><br />
exploration <strong>of</strong> Italian language and<br />
culture. Last fall <strong>the</strong> topic was L’italiano<br />
nostro e degli altri (Our Italian and <strong>the</strong><br />
O<strong>the</strong>rs’). Language faculty and students<br />
concentrated on <strong>the</strong> linguistic differences<br />
<strong>of</strong> Italian dialects, and <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> dialects<br />
in movies. There were fascinating<br />
presentations by our <strong>Chair</strong>, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Margaret Winters, and Pr<strong>of</strong>essors Raffaele<br />
De Benedictis and Elena Past. On <strong>the</strong><br />
second day, we talked about our Study<br />
Abroad Program in Abruzzo, and enjoyed<br />
presentations by Margaret Ogg and<br />
Raffaella Medoro, along with stories and<br />
photos <strong>from</strong> students who attended <strong>the</strong><br />
program in Italy.<br />
2011 was a landmark year for Italy, as<br />
Italians celebrated <strong>the</strong> 150th anniversary<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country’s unification. <strong>Wayne</strong> State<br />
joined in <strong>the</strong> celebration by hosting a<br />
conference with a descendant <strong>of</strong> one<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most prominent figures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
World Talk<br />
Risorgimento – Giuseppe Garibaldi.<br />
Our special guest was Mr. Francesco<br />
Garibaldi-Hibbert, great-great grandson<br />
<strong>of</strong> Giuseppe, who talked about <strong>the</strong> “Myth<br />
and Paradigm <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hero <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Two<br />
Worlds.” This event was sponsored by<br />
COMITES, <strong>the</strong> NOI Foundation, and Dante<br />
Aligheri Society <strong>of</strong> Michigan, under<br />
<strong>the</strong> auspices <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Italian Consulate in<br />
Detroit. The program also featured Italian<br />
language students who read excerpts<br />
<strong>from</strong> some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most celebrated<br />
poets and writers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Risorgimento,<br />
including <strong>the</strong> famous “Giuramento della<br />
Giovine Italia” (Oath to <strong>the</strong> Young Italy)<br />
by Giuseppe Mazzini. Invited guests<br />
included Mr. Garibaldi-Hibbert, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Consul <strong>of</strong> Italy, along with <strong>the</strong>ir families<br />
and friends. The student participants were<br />
Jessica Versichele, Nancy Jensen, Nilda<br />
Dervishaj, Nino D’On<strong>of</strong>rio, Alex Kappaz,<br />
and Clayton Kendall.<br />
Our students continued to be very<br />
active and involved with <strong>the</strong> Circolo<br />
Italiano, providing tutoring and<br />
conversation skills at all levels, and<br />
welcoming all students. Words are not<br />
sufficient to thank this excellent group <strong>of</strong><br />
young people who have been so devoted<br />
to Italian language and culture. This year<br />
<strong>the</strong>y even contributed to <strong>the</strong> Italian Film<br />
Festival, donating a portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir Bake<br />
Sale proceeds to support <strong>the</strong> event.<br />
Cobbs Speaks at Longwood University<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Alfred L. Cobbs (German Studies) recently presented a<br />
talk, “Identity and Cross-Cultural Conflict in German Migrants’<br />
Literature,” in <strong>the</strong> Cormier Honors Lecture Series at Longwood<br />
Fall 2011<br />
In April, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Elena Past was<br />
invited to WDET and spoke about <strong>the</strong><br />
annual Italian Film Festival. Ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />
organizer, Mr. Enzo Paglia, also had<br />
an interview on Fox 2 News. This<br />
publicity contributed to <strong>the</strong> festival’s<br />
steady growth. In <strong>the</strong> first three weeks <strong>of</strong><br />
screenings, nearly 1,000 people viewed<br />
a wide array <strong>of</strong> contemporary films at<br />
<strong>the</strong> Detroit Film Theatre, <strong>the</strong> University<br />
<strong>of</strong> Michigan, <strong>Wayne</strong> State University,<br />
and Henry Ford Community <strong>College</strong>. The<br />
opening night at <strong>the</strong> Detroit Film Festival<br />
presented <strong>the</strong> Italian selection for <strong>the</strong><br />
2011 Oscar, “La prima cosa bella” – “The<br />
First Beautiful Thing,” by director Paolo<br />
Virzi. The closing night took place at<br />
Macomb Community <strong>College</strong>’s Lorenzo<br />
Cultural Center with <strong>the</strong> movie “Russo<br />
come il cielo” (Red Like <strong>the</strong> Sky) by<br />
director Cristiano Bortone.<br />
Each spring <strong>the</strong> Italian language<br />
area hosts <strong>the</strong> Pucci Award ceremony<br />
to recognize outstanding students and<br />
volunteers. Nancy Jensen was <strong>the</strong> 2011<br />
recipient <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pucci Prize. The event<br />
witnessed an incredible crowd, with<br />
alumna Maria Costantini presenting her<br />
new book <strong>of</strong> translations <strong>of</strong> poems by<br />
Ada Negri, some <strong>of</strong> which were read by<br />
students. The Consul <strong>of</strong> Italy, Dr. Marco<br />
Nobili, was extremely pleased with our<br />
students and program. n<br />
University (Farmville, VA). His talk focused on <strong>the</strong> identity issues<br />
treated in Fatih Akin’s films “Gegen die Wand” (“Head-On”) and<br />
“Auf der anderen Seite (“The Side <strong>of</strong> Heaven”). n<br />
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9
10<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Faculty Receive FLTC Mini-Grants<br />
Congratulations to Laura Kline, Randy<br />
Schantz, Silvia Giorgini, Alina Klin, and<br />
Jie Billinger who have been awarded<br />
Foreign Language Technology Center<br />
(FLTC) mini-grants.<br />
Laura Kline will be creating vocabulary<br />
and grammar exercises, quizzes, chapter<br />
tests, and final exams on Blackboard<br />
Silvia Giorgini<br />
for her third and fourth year Russian<br />
students. She will also have audio<br />
recordings and video material as part <strong>of</strong> her content.<br />
Randy Schantz will be creating a repository <strong>of</strong> German-language<br />
cultural artifacts for <strong>the</strong> basic German language courses. Artifacts<br />
will include images, texts, online resources and sound recordings,<br />
Ronnick Speaks at Howard University<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Michele Valerie Ronnick<br />
(Classics) recently delivered <strong>the</strong> 9th<br />
Annual Frank M. Snowden Jr. Lecture<br />
titled “Celebrating Black Classicism at<br />
Howard University: The Early Years.”<br />
In October, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Roslyn Abt Schindler presented a paper<br />
at <strong>the</strong> Association for Integrative Studies Conference titled:<br />
“The Resurgence <strong>of</strong> Jewish Life in Post Holocaust Poland:<br />
Issues <strong>of</strong> Ethics and Sustainability.” Offered as a researched<br />
photographic presentation, it focused on <strong>the</strong> remnants <strong>of</strong><br />
former Jewish life, and death, in <strong>the</strong> cities and <strong>the</strong> “Shetls” in<br />
Poland. Earlier in May 2009, Schindler had <strong>the</strong> privilege <strong>of</strong><br />
attending an international conference on <strong>the</strong> Holocaust, hosted<br />
by The Jagiellonian University in Krakow. While <strong>the</strong>re, she<br />
took <strong>the</strong> opportunity to explore her connections to Poland, <strong>the</strong><br />
land where her parents were born: “My mo<strong>the</strong>r and several<br />
Sponsored by Howard University’s<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Classics and <strong>the</strong> <strong>College</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and <strong>Science</strong>s, Dr. Ronnick<br />
appeared in <strong>the</strong> Browsing Room <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Founders Library in Washington, D.C.<br />
Fall 2011<br />
and will be available on Blackboard.<br />
Silvia Giorgini will be introducing online testing components in<br />
<strong>the</strong> basic Italian courses. She will be moving quizzes and exams<br />
<strong>from</strong> a paper-based format to <strong>the</strong> Blackboard environment.<br />
Alina Klin will be creating online content modules on medical<br />
Polish in Blackboard and will be integrating <strong>the</strong>se modules into<br />
her current intermediate and advanced Polish courses.<br />
Jie Billinger will be creating “mini voice threads,” audio and<br />
video vignettes that will be used in <strong>the</strong> Chinese 1010 courses.<br />
Grant recipients will be developing <strong>the</strong>ir technology-based<br />
instructional material over <strong>the</strong> summer and will implement <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
projects into <strong>the</strong>ir courses beginning in Fall 2011. They will also<br />
be showcasing <strong>the</strong>ir projects at FLTC Brown Bag presentations in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Winter 2012 semester. n<br />
Frank M. Snowden Jr. was Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Emeritus <strong>of</strong> Classics at Howard<br />
University, and one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> foremost<br />
authorities on <strong>the</strong> black experience in<br />
classical antiquity. n<br />
Schindler Addresses Association for Integrative Studies Conference<br />
Cornetta Lane Wins McNair Scholars Award<br />
Cornetta Lane (Near Eastern Studies)<br />
recently participated in <strong>the</strong> McNair<br />
Scholars Undergraduate Research<br />
Conference at North Carolina A&T<br />
University. Her presentation titled:<br />
“Controversy at Ground Zero: Freedom<br />
<strong>of</strong> Religion versus Preservation <strong>of</strong><br />
Honor,” focused on how people employ<br />
particular American values. Focusing on<br />
<strong>the</strong> debates surrounding <strong>the</strong> development<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Islamic Center in New York City,<br />
also known as Park 51, Lane explored<br />
what influences people to use values<br />
such as “freedom” and “honor” in <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
arguments for and against <strong>the</strong> center.<br />
Lane’s research presentation won<br />
family members were in a Nazi forced labor camp, (and)<br />
numerous relatives died in ghettos and concentration camps.<br />
It was, for me, all about enduring connections and, very<br />
concretely, about sustainability and ethics.”<br />
It was in search <strong>of</strong> those distant and meaningful<br />
“connections” that Schindler began to frame her inquiry. What<br />
remnants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> former life remained in <strong>the</strong> cities? Was <strong>the</strong>re<br />
a resurgence <strong>of</strong> Jewish life in Poland? If so, where, and what<br />
characterized it? How was <strong>the</strong> intersection <strong>of</strong> sustainability and<br />
ethics at work in such a context? Perhaps, <strong>the</strong> answers are to<br />
be found in <strong>the</strong> title <strong>of</strong> her work. n<br />
<strong>the</strong> “Outstanding Undergraduate Oral<br />
Presentation” award at <strong>the</strong> conference.<br />
About 100 students presented, but only<br />
two won this award. According to Lane,<br />
she owes this success to <strong>the</strong> Near Eastern<br />
Studies faculty and her mentor, Dr.<br />
Vanessa DeGifis. n<br />
World Talk<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
In April 2011, Julie<br />
Koehler and Selina<br />
Eid, both Graduate<br />
Teaching Assistants in<br />
German, presented a<br />
joint brownbag session<br />
titled “Using Wikis for<br />
Collaborative Writing:<br />
In <strong>the</strong> Language<br />
Julie Koehler and Selina Eid<br />
Classroom and for<br />
Research” which<br />
was hosted by <strong>the</strong> Foreign Language Technology Center.<br />
Koehler and Eid demonstrated how <strong>the</strong>y used <strong>the</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware to<br />
facilitate students’ participation and elicit feedback on writing<br />
assignments, including an assignment in which <strong>the</strong> students<br />
worked toge<strong>the</strong>r to create a fairy tale in German. In addition<br />
to having a practical classroom application, <strong>the</strong>y also showed<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor May Seikaly (Near Eastern<br />
Studies) recently presented a paper at<br />
<strong>the</strong> annual meeting <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Middle East<br />
Studies Association in San Diego. In<br />
“Politics <strong>of</strong> Women’s Rights in Bahrain,”<br />
she analyzed <strong>the</strong> struggle <strong>of</strong> Bahraini<br />
World Talk<br />
women for <strong>the</strong> right <strong>of</strong> equality, as<br />
specified in <strong>the</strong> Bahrain Constitution.<br />
The Bahraini women’s struggle, she<br />
said, is entangled in a quagmire <strong>of</strong> local<br />
and international politics. In particular,<br />
<strong>the</strong> conflicting pulls <strong>of</strong> western<br />
globalization, and regional and local<br />
retrenchment-reflect <strong>the</strong> undercurrents<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> struggle. Collectively, <strong>the</strong>se<br />
concerns have been exacerbated by<br />
<strong>the</strong> world-wide financial crisis, and<br />
vocalized in a discourse <strong>of</strong> religious and<br />
ethnic alliances. According to Seikaly,<br />
despite Bahraini women’s relative “head<br />
start” in education and employment<br />
(compared to o<strong>the</strong>r Gulf States), <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
growing evidence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> agony Bahraini<br />
women experience due to <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong><br />
national protective laws, and resulting<br />
domestic violence. While <strong>the</strong> “<strong>of</strong>ficial”<br />
view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bahrain Higher Committee<br />
for Women confirms universal codes<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Writing with Wikis: Graduate Students take<br />
Innovative Approach to Teaching and Research<br />
how <strong>the</strong> technology can be used for collaboration on research<br />
projects. At <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> session, participants were taught<br />
how to create <strong>the</strong>ir own Wikis.<br />
In addition to classroom activities, Koehler has used<br />
<strong>the</strong> technology in her fairy tale research and is working<br />
on her PhD in German. Eid is fur<strong>the</strong>r exploring classroom<br />
applications <strong>of</strong> Wikis in her MALL MA essay. Both Koehler<br />
and Eid have won awards for poster presentations on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
research at <strong>the</strong> Graduate Student Exhibition, taking first and<br />
second place in Humanities (respectively).<br />
Faculty and graduate students interested in presenting a<br />
future FLTC brownbag on innovative uses <strong>of</strong> technology in<br />
language teaching should contact Sangeetha Gopalakrishnan<br />
at ak5246@wayne.edu. Commenting on her experience, Eid<br />
stated that <strong>the</strong> FLTC brownbag was “a great way to share<br />
my experiences with <strong>the</strong> faculty and discuss ideas for future<br />
projects.” n<br />
Seikaly Addresses Middle East Studies Conference<br />
Voeks Receives Candace<br />
Beutel Gardner Endowed<br />
Scholarship<br />
Ashley Voeks, a Master’s Degree<br />
student in French, has been awarded<br />
<strong>the</strong> Candace Beutel Gardner Endowed<br />
Scholarship for 2011-12. The<br />
scholarship is designed to assist<br />
graduate students majoring in<br />
German, French, or Spanish. Voeks<br />
is <strong>the</strong> second recipient <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> award<br />
begun by Dr. Candace Gardner and<br />
her husband in 2009. n<br />
to protect women, it has become an<br />
issue used to showcase power between<br />
<strong>the</strong> government and opposition forces.<br />
The forces in opposition-have sought<br />
to use <strong>the</strong> discourse <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pulpit-and<br />
social and traditional norms, while<br />
invoking women’s support opposing<br />
<strong>the</strong> legislation. This has resulted in<br />
<strong>the</strong> passing <strong>of</strong> a one-sided family law<br />
that split <strong>the</strong> society’s legal reference,<br />
and established a “crisis” <strong>of</strong> political<br />
confidence, fur<strong>the</strong>r complicated by<br />
global politics. Using a transnational<br />
approach and <strong>the</strong> voices <strong>of</strong> women<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Seikaly has studied<br />
<strong>the</strong> struggle for equality through local,<br />
regional, and international media, as<br />
well as through interviews <strong>of</strong> Bahraini<br />
women, to provide an ethnography <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> subject and illustrate <strong>the</strong> complexity<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> struggle facing women in<br />
Bahrain. n<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 11 8/26/11 4:07 PM<br />
11
12<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Three Receive<br />
Faculty<br />
Promotions<br />
Congratulations to Michael Giordano<br />
(French) who has been promoted to <strong>the</strong><br />
rank <strong>of</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essor, and to Ann Ro<strong>the</strong><br />
(German), and Haiyong Liu (Chinese),<br />
who have been promoted to <strong>the</strong> rank<br />
<strong>of</strong> Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor with tenure. n<br />
A recent publication by Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Emeritus Donald C. Spinelli examines<br />
<strong>the</strong> relationship between two <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> most interesting personages in<br />
eighteenth-century Europe. In his article,<br />
“Beaumarchais and d’Eon: What an<br />
Affair,” Spinelli examines <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
tempestuous dealings <strong>of</strong> Pierre-Augustim<br />
Caron de Beaumarchais, author <strong>of</strong> The<br />
Barber <strong>of</strong> Seville and The Marriage<br />
<strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Liberal</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and <strong>Science</strong>s Associate Dean Donald<br />
Haase -- Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> German, fairy tales expert, and<br />
longtime chair <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> former Department <strong>of</strong> German<br />
and Slavic Studies -- was recently elected to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Wayne</strong> State<br />
University Academy <strong>of</strong> Scholars. As its name suggests, <strong>the</strong><br />
Academy is comprised <strong>of</strong> a select group <strong>of</strong> WSU faculty members<br />
whose research and scholarship brings prestige to <strong>the</strong> university.<br />
The author <strong>of</strong> numerous articles, book chapters, and papers,<br />
Haase is <strong>the</strong> editor, most recently, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> three-volume Greenwood<br />
Encyclopedia <strong>of</strong> Folktales and Fairy Tales, and is <strong>the</strong> longtime<br />
editor <strong>of</strong> Marvels & Tales, a fairy-tales studies journal published<br />
by <strong>Wayne</strong> State University Press. n<br />
Three Win University<br />
Research Grants<br />
Congratulations to Alina Cherry (French), Felecia Lucht<br />
(German), and Elena Past (Italian) for being awarded<br />
University Research Grants for 2011. The Research Grant<br />
Program serves as an important vehicle for assistant<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essors in <strong>the</strong>ir initial years at <strong>the</strong> University by<br />
supporting research that is directed toward scholarly<br />
publications and/or creative activity. n<br />
<strong>of</strong> Figaro, and <strong>the</strong> chevalier/chevalière<br />
d’Eon, <strong>from</strong> whose name <strong>the</strong> term<br />
“eonism” is derived.<br />
As <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> a recent court case,<br />
Beaumarchais had lost his civil rights,<br />
and felt that if he could help King Louis<br />
XVI avoid a scandal involving <strong>the</strong><br />
chevalier, he could get into <strong>the</strong> good<br />
graces <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> king and regain <strong>the</strong>se rights.<br />
By a close examination <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Fall 2011<br />
Spinelli Examines Beaumarchais-d’Eon Relationship<br />
unpublished correspondence generated<br />
by various participants in this adventure,<br />
it is possible, writes Spinelli, to explore<br />
<strong>the</strong> whole intrigue in order to arrive at<br />
new conclusions in this fascinating affair.<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Spinelli’s article may be found<br />
in “Beaumarchais and d’Eon: What an<br />
Affair,” The Chevalier d’Eon and his<br />
Worlds, edited by Simon Burrows et al,<br />
(London: Continuum, 2010), 57-71. n<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Haase Joins Academy Of Scholars<br />
World Talk<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 12 8/26/11 4:07 PM
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Language Students Visit Spain<br />
World Talk<br />
Fall 2011<br />
WSU language students had an opportunity to visit Spain during <strong>the</strong>ir recent<br />
spring break. Led by Bruce Fox (Spanish faculty), fifteen students experienced<br />
<strong>the</strong> charm and <strong>the</strong> beauty <strong>of</strong> Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo. Students<br />
visited museums, plazas, and ca<strong>the</strong>drals, and experienced native cuisine, dining in local<br />
restaurants, and relaxing in outdoor cafes. Tiffany Suarez (sophomore) said she enjoyed<br />
strolling <strong>the</strong> calles (streets), viewing <strong>the</strong> architecture and enjoying <strong>the</strong> many street<br />
performers. Mehrnoosh Daneshjoo (senior) enjoyed <strong>the</strong> landscape surrounding Toledo,<br />
and said <strong>the</strong> visit was <strong>the</strong> most memorable experience <strong>of</strong> her undergraduate years. Both<br />
are looking into <strong>the</strong> possibilities <strong>of</strong> returning in <strong>the</strong> future. According to faculty leader<br />
Bruce Fox, <strong>the</strong> experience in Spain enriched everyone’s appreciation <strong>of</strong> Spanish culture,<br />
while also enhancing <strong>the</strong>ir language skills as <strong>the</strong>y spoke Spanish entirely with one<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r and native speakers on <strong>the</strong> trip. n<br />
Students Respond to Japanese Disaster<br />
On March 11 at<br />
2:46 pm JST,<br />
a massive<br />
9.0 magnitude<br />
earthquake occurred<br />
near <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>astern<br />
coast <strong>of</strong> Japan,<br />
creating extremely<br />
destructive tsunami<br />
waves which hit<br />
Japan just minutes<br />
after <strong>the</strong> earthquake. The earthquake and resulting tsunami<br />
caused extensive and severe damage, leaving thousands <strong>of</strong><br />
people confirmed dead, injured or missing, and millions more<br />
affected by lack <strong>of</strong> electricity, water, and transportation. In<br />
spontaneous fashion, hundreds <strong>of</strong> relief locations were created<br />
to shelter victims <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> worst earthquake disaster in Japan’s<br />
recorded history. As <strong>the</strong> nation struggled with a rescue effort, it<br />
also faced <strong>the</strong> worst nuclear emergency since Chernobyl, with<br />
explosions and leaks <strong>of</strong> radioactive gas resulting <strong>from</strong> partial<br />
meltdowns in three <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> reactors at <strong>the</strong> Fukushima Daiichi<br />
Nuclear Power Station.<br />
In response to <strong>the</strong> chaos that followed, Japanese language<br />
students and faculty organized a bake sale to raise funds in<br />
support <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> humanitarian relief effort. “After <strong>the</strong> disaster<br />
happened, I felt like I really wanted to do something to help out<br />
<strong>the</strong> earthquake and tsunami relief,” said Fiona Dixon. “I talked<br />
to my pr<strong>of</strong>essors, and <strong>the</strong>y told me about <strong>the</strong> bake sale. I was<br />
really excited about <strong>the</strong> opportunity to help out. My roommate<br />
and I made brownies, and volunteered our time. We put up<br />
posters, helped sell baked items, and told people about <strong>the</strong> event.<br />
We enjoyed it because we knew that in this small way we were<br />
able to help someone.”<br />
Shaun Hicks, a fellow student said: “After hearing <strong>the</strong><br />
devastating news about what happened in Japan, my thoughts<br />
and prayers went out to <strong>the</strong>m. I wanted to be involved, and<br />
when my teacher told my class about a way to volunteer to help,<br />
I was willing to do whatever I could. The bake sale was a great<br />
way to raise money for <strong>the</strong> relief effort. I was excited about <strong>the</strong><br />
idea, (and) as I went <strong>from</strong> class to class, I used ‘word <strong>of</strong> mouth’<br />
advertising to get more people interested in helping, and visiting<br />
<strong>the</strong> sale to donate.”<br />
Tamika Jinbo, a<br />
visiting student <strong>from</strong><br />
Japan said: “When I<br />
first heard about <strong>the</strong><br />
disaster, I regretted<br />
being so far away,<br />
because I didn’t think<br />
I could help <strong>from</strong><br />
America, but <strong>the</strong><br />
bake sale made me very grateful knowing how people here are<br />
helping and praying for <strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> Japan.”<br />
Joined by family members and friends, and volunteers <strong>from</strong><br />
in- and outside <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> department, <strong>the</strong> two-day bake sale was<br />
a huge success. Over two days, approximately twenty-five<br />
individuals came toge<strong>the</strong>r as a community to raise $1,722.71,<br />
plus 1000 Japanese yen for disaster relief in Japan. n<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 13 8/26/11 4:07 PM<br />
13
14<br />
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Graduate Students Participate in Brown Bag Presentation<br />
In March, Eglee Rodriguez-Bravo and<br />
Roxana Zuniga gave a presentation titled<br />
“Rewriting Latin American Women into<br />
<strong>the</strong> Historical Discourse.” Sponsored<br />
by <strong>the</strong> Program in Women’s Studies,<br />
it was <strong>the</strong> first such Graduate Student<br />
Brown Bag presentation at <strong>Wayne</strong> State<br />
University. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Anne Duggan, <strong>from</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Classical & Modern<br />
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures<br />
and Director <strong>of</strong> Women Studies, began<br />
this new initiative to provide graduate<br />
students <strong>the</strong> opportunity to share <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
Two Receive GEOC Teaching Awards<br />
Congratulations to Selina Eid (German MALL) and Kate<br />
Briske (Spanish) for receiving Graduate Employees’<br />
Organizing Committee (GEOC) teaching awards. Sponsored<br />
by <strong>the</strong> American Federation <strong>of</strong> Teachers (AFT) Local 6123, <strong>the</strong><br />
award is designed to acknowledge <strong>the</strong> dedicated work that<br />
research. Ms. Rodriguez-Bravo and Ms.<br />
Zuniga are Ph.D. students in Spanish,<br />
and each presented a chapter <strong>from</strong> her<br />
respective dissertation, dealing with<br />
<strong>the</strong> representation <strong>of</strong> Latin American<br />
women in <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial historical discourse.<br />
Their presentation analyzed two novels,<br />
Manuela by Luiz Zúñiga and Cenizas de<br />
Izalco by Claribel Alegría and Darwin J.<br />
Flakoll. In <strong>the</strong>se literary works, female<br />
characters move between private and<br />
public spaces challenging <strong>the</strong> patriarchal<br />
system <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir time. n<br />
Graduate Students Receive Rumble Fellowships<br />
Ka<strong>the</strong>rine Briske and Holly Walker-Cote<br />
have been awarded Thomas C. Rumble<br />
University Graduate Fellowships for<br />
<strong>the</strong> 2011-12 academic year. Briske, a<br />
graduate student in Spanish, is planning<br />
to use <strong>the</strong> award to complete her<br />
doctoral dissertation, “A Latin American<br />
Dierolf Receives<br />
Schindler Scholarship<br />
Daniel Dierolf has been selected as <strong>the</strong> 2011 recipient <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Marvin S. Schindler Endowed Scholarship. Dierolf, a German<br />
language major, is a resident <strong>of</strong> Warren, MI. The scholarship<br />
is in memory <strong>of</strong> WSU Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Marvin S. Schindler, former<br />
German pr<strong>of</strong>essor (1974-94), <strong>Chair</strong> <strong>of</strong> Romance and Germanic<br />
Languages and Literatures (1974-83), and Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Junior<br />
Year in Germany Programs (1975-1993, <strong>the</strong>n including Freiburg<br />
and Munich). n<br />
Werewolf in Hollywood: Transcultural<br />
Adaptation as a Blending <strong>of</strong> Species.”<br />
Walker-Cote, also a graduate student in<br />
Spanish, is planning to use her award<br />
to complete her doctoral dissertation on<br />
<strong>the</strong> articulation <strong>of</strong> multiple subjectivities<br />
in <strong>the</strong> poetic works <strong>of</strong> Julia de Burgos.<br />
GTAs perform each and every day. Recipients <strong>of</strong> this award are<br />
recognized for effectiveness in teaching, as demonstrated by<br />
course syllabi, sample teaching materials and SET comments, plus<br />
two letters <strong>of</strong> recommendation. n<br />
The Rumble Fellowship is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
most prestigious forms <strong>of</strong> financial<br />
assistance at <strong>Wayne</strong> State University<br />
<strong>of</strong>fering a stipend, free tuition, and<br />
a health plan to allow students to<br />
expedite completion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir Ph.D.<br />
degrees. n<br />
CMLLC Students Participate<br />
In Graduate Exhibition<br />
Congratulations to Julie Kohler who won first place in <strong>the</strong><br />
Humanities area at <strong>the</strong> WSU Graduate Exhibition for her<br />
poster, and to Selina Eid who won second place. A special<br />
mention goes out to fellow graduate student Kate Briske, who<br />
also displayed a poster, and a note <strong>of</strong> thanks to Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Lisa<br />
Hock who encouraged all three students to enter and provided<br />
coaching in poster preparation. n<br />
World Talk<br />
CMLLC Newsletter_Fall11.indd 14 8/26/11 4:07 PM
www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
World Talk<br />
Support <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Classical and<br />
Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures<br />
q Dr. q Mr. q Ms. q Mrs. q Miss Name Phone<br />
Address<br />
State Zip e-mail<br />
Gift Options: (Your gift is tax deductible)<br />
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City<br />
Fall 2011<br />
9th Annual Graduate Student Conference a Success<br />
T<br />
he 9th Annual Classical<br />
and Modern Languages<br />
Graduate Student Conference<br />
was held in <strong>the</strong> Romanian and<br />
French rooms <strong>of</strong> Manoogian Hall<br />
on April 2. The <strong>the</strong>me “Shifting<br />
Identities and <strong>the</strong> (Re) discovery <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> O<strong>the</strong>r,” was explored through<br />
a broad range <strong>of</strong> disciplines,<br />
including sociolinguistics, literature,<br />
mythology, and geography. The<br />
event showcased <strong>the</strong> talents <strong>of</strong> a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> CMLLC graduate students<br />
who presented abstracts at <strong>the</strong> forum. They were Jaclyn<br />
Dudek, Dolly Tittle, Shyamala Mourouvapin, Colleen McNew,<br />
Ganna Kalyanova, and Roshawnda Derrick. Robin Coleman<br />
and Bradley Stabler <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> WSU English Department, and<br />
Judith Lechner, University <strong>of</strong> Oregon-Department <strong>of</strong> German<br />
and Scandinavian, also delivered presentations. The keynote<br />
speaker was Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Idelber Avelar <strong>of</strong> Tulane University<br />
who delivered a dynamic presentation on masculinity in<br />
contemporary Brazilian and Argentinian literatures, provoking<br />
a stream <strong>of</strong> questions and discussion. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Avelar<br />
specializes in contemporary Latin American fiction, literary<br />
<strong>the</strong>ory, and cultural studies. With guidance <strong>from</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essors<br />
Elena Past, Victor Figueroa, Leisa Kauffmann, and Michael<br />
Giordano, <strong>the</strong> graduate student steering committee (composed<br />
<strong>of</strong> Kate Briske, Julie Koehler, Basma El-Bathy, Sara Wiercinski,<br />
Dolly Tittle, Eyda Vaughn, Juan Coello Tissert, Selina Eid,<br />
Roshawnda Derrick, Cinizia Acciani, Colleen McNew, Maissa<br />
Sakr, Paula Olivia-Fiori and Likasz Pawelek), hosted an<br />
exciting and successful event. n<br />
CMLLC Students Inducted Into Phi Beta Kappa<br />
Five students <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Classical and Modern Languages,<br />
Literatures, and Cultures were honored<br />
for academic achievement at <strong>the</strong> 2011<br />
Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony<br />
held on campus in May. Honored for<br />
academic excellence were Stacey Janetta<br />
Conners, Ann M. Emanuelsen, Nadia<br />
M. Yar, Aran Kathleen Ruth, and Mai<br />
K. Sedki. Phi Beta Kappa is <strong>the</strong> nation’s<br />
oldest academic honor society founded<br />
December 5, 1776. It celebrates and<br />
advocates excellence in <strong>the</strong> liberal arts<br />
and sciences, and is a highly selective<br />
honor. Only 10% <strong>of</strong> universities are<br />
awarded a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and<br />
no school may elect more than 10% <strong>of</strong><br />
a graduating class. About one college<br />
senior out <strong>of</strong> 100 nationwide will be<br />
invited to join each year. n<br />
Please make checks payable to: <strong>Wayne</strong> State University with your designated area <strong>of</strong> support on <strong>the</strong> line below. Send to: <strong>Wayne</strong> State University Fund<br />
Office, 5475 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202.<br />
Area <strong>of</strong> support:<br />
The Department has a great number <strong>of</strong> program-specific designated funds, too many to list here. For more information go to www.clas.wayne.edu/<br />
languages/ and click on “Designated Funds.”<br />
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www.clas.wayne.edu/languages<br />
Nonpr<strong>of</strong>it Org.<br />
U.S. Postage<br />
PAID<br />
Detroit, MI<br />
Permit No. 3844<br />
Fall 2011<br />
Alumni News and Information for future Newsletters<br />
We’re interested in what you’re doing now. Please take a<br />
moment to complete <strong>the</strong> following and return it to us via<br />
fax, e-mail or US mail to:<br />
Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures<br />
906 W. Warren Ave. 487 Manoogian<br />
<strong>Wayne</strong> State University Detroit, MI 48202<br />
Phone: (313) 577-3025<br />
Fax: (313) 577-6243<br />
e-mail: ab2371@wayne.edu<br />
Name<br />
Year <strong>of</strong> Graduation<br />
Degree<br />
Your current position (title and employer)<br />
Your news<br />
World Talk<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Classical and Modern<br />
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures<br />
906 W. Warren Ave.<br />
Detroit, MI 48202<br />
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