News and Events: 2018-2019
Guest Speakers
Dr. Eduardo Negueruela
Dr. Eduardo Negueruela visited the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ to speak on sociocultural theory and the second language classroom at this event cosponsored by World Languages and Cultures, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and the Department of Education. Dr. Negueruela is the Academic and Research Director of the Instituto de Lengua y Cultura Españolas at the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ of Navarre in Spain.
Dr. Juan Carlos González Espitia
Dr. Juan Carlos González Espitia visited the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ to give a presentation co-sponsored by Latin American Studies, Ellacuria Initiative, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, and the Humanities Initiative. Dr. Gonzalez Espitia is from the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and spoke on the interrelatedness of literary texts and art as well as syphilis and literature.
Cultural Events
TA Talks
At the 13th Annual TA Talks, Fulbright Language and Teaching Assistants shared about Colombia, Japan, Bahrain, and France to 90 students, faculty, staff, and local language teachers. 
Fulbright Events
The 2018-2019 Fulbright Teaching Assistants held several cultural events for the university:
- Japanese TA Minori Koga gave a presentation on women in Japan and their fight for equality.
- Spanish FLTA from Colombia Juan Carlos Ruiz Carrillo introduced students to Spanish music and dance at an event that featured information on Spanish music and instruction in Spanish dance.
- Arabic FLTA Maryam Ahmed shared the art of Arabic calligraphy with students of the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ and instructed them in how to create cards for their mothers for Bahraini Mother’s Day.
- French FLTA Laura Martel invited students to a crepes party in Condron Hall. Laura Martel and several French tutors from the Language Learning Center also held a French Music Night to introduce the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ to French music. She also hosted a trip to Montreal with a group of students, faculty, and staff for the weekend to explore the Canadian city.
The French Theater
The students of French 435 (The French Theater) presented Théâtre sans animaux, a play by Jean Michel Ribes, as the final project for their course.Asian Studies New Year Festival and Workshop
Instruction in calligraphy and Chinese Spring Couplets, Japanese Origami, and more were led by Asian Studies with assistance from FLTA Minori Koga, Graduate Assistant Andie Liao, and Chinese instructor Lily Liu at the Asian Studies New Year Festival and Workshop.Faculty News
Dr. Ana Ugarte
In the spring of 2019, Dr. Ana Ugarte received the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for her project "Health Humanities Concentration and Community Based Learning at the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ."Dr. Habib Zanzana
Dr. Habib Zanzana was awarded the Provost Faculty Enhancement Award for excellence in integrating diversity in learning.
Community Outreach
School Events
The WLC Department continues to reach out to local schools and language techers. At the 13th Annual TA Talks, 40 local language teachers and their students came to the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ to learn about Bahrain, Japan, Colombia, and France.
In the fall semester of 2018, local teachers came to the Language Learning Center to meet the 2018-2019 Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants for the TA Meet and Greet. As a result of this event, various schools invited the TAs to visit and share about their countries.
The World Languages and Cultures department hosted over 85 students from Scranton High School and West Scranton High School at two Spanish Immersion Days and one French Immersion Day. The students attended a French or Spanish class, completed activities in the Language Learning Center, enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria, and went on a campus tour.
FLTA Laura Martel visited the French Club at Scranton Preparatory School to share about her hometown of Lyon, France. Spanish Graduate Assistants Vianey Florentino and Erika Maxson also visited Spanish classes at Scranton Preparatory School and shared about Mexico and Central American archaeology with over 100 high school Spanish students.