2003 News
Encounter on the Southern Cone
November 18, 2003
Kudos to Dr. Laura Demaría, Assistant Professor in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese of the SLLC, who organized a well-attended one day encounter on the Southern Cone this past on Saturday, November 15, 2003. One of the goals was to encourage dialogue among all the faculty of the region who are involved in research and teaching related to the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, etc.). Thanks to all our faculty and graduate students who participated and helped to make it such a success!
The Conference was supported by funds from the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the Latin American Studies Center, and the Office of International Programs
FOLA Coordinator elected to NASILP Board of Directors
November 2, 2003
Dr. Naime Yaramanoglu was elected to the Board of Directors for the National Association of Self-Instructional Language Programs (NASILP), this past weekend at the group's Thirtieth Annual Conference held in Crystal City, Virginia. The National Association of Self-Instructional Language Programs is North America's only professional organization specifically established for the fostering of self-managed academic programs in the less-commonly taught languages (LCTLs).
Mini-Center's Distinguished Speaker Series
October 28, 2003
As part of the Mini-Center's Distinguished Speaker Series, we were delighted to welcome Dr. Catherine Doughty, an associate research director for CASL (Center for the Advanced Study of Language) and an affiliate faculty member in the SLAA program. Her talk, "Designing Psycholinguistically Valid Instructed Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Research" provided a detailed analysis of the validity of instructed SLA research. She addressed ways in which investigators can improve their quality of research and better investigate the effectiveness of language instruction. In addition to presenting her research, Dr. Doughty held office hours to give students the opportunity to discuss their own research and benefit from her knowledge and experience. Finally, she joined the SLA students and faculty for a post-talk reception in St. Mary's Hall. We thank Dr. Doughty for participating in our Distinguished Speaker Series!
Department of Asian & East European Languages & Cultures celebrates Korean Alphabet Day
October 9, 2003
"Hangul-nal," or Korean Alphabet Day, is a holiday commemorating the invention of the Korean writing system, and it is celebrated annually on October 9th not only in Korea, but also at a number of American universities, including the University of Maryland. This year's campus celebration of Hangul-nal was held on Thursday, October 9, in the Multipurpose Room of Language House. Organized by Younghi Kim Ramsey, the occasion attracted around 100 students and guests, as well as reporters from the Korean media. Johnny Park served as emcee; Kim Mihi and Sam Kim led students from the Korean language classes in setting up and cleaning.
The day's program was opened by Robert Ramsey with a brief introduction, "Why we celebrate Korean Alphabet Day." Then Mr. Kim Young-ho, Korea's most famous broadcaster, spoke on "The beauty of the Korean Language." He was followed by Mr. Son Soon-hee, President of the Korean-American Association of Maryland, who explained his organization's fund-raising efforts for the university's Korean Program and announced the inauguration of a scholarship program for Korean-language students. The highlight of the celebration was a Hangul calligraphy demonstration by Mr. Kwon Myongwon. Finally, former student David Teuler gave a saxophone performance of "Arirang," a traditional Korean song, which everyone joined in singing. The celebrations concluded with a catered buffet of ten different kinds of Korean food.
Campus guests included Dean James Harris, Dr. Robert Provine, and, from the School, Dr. Richard Walker and Charlotte Groff-Aldridge.
SLLC Faculty Member Recognized for Work on Charter School
September 16, 2003
Carmen Roman, who is actively involved in the Outreach program of the Spanish & Portuguese Department, has been recognized for the work she is doing to help bring about a Charter School in Prince George's County designed to help immigrant students. According to the article in Wednesday's Washington Post: "The fledgling effort highlights a push by Hispanic community leaders to gain more political clout in the county, where the number of Hispanic residents has nearly doubled in the past decade. Hispanics made up 7.1 percent of the population of Prince George's in the 2000 Census, second only in Maryland to Montgomery County, where Latinos were 11.5 percent. "They're growing by leaps and bounds, they are requiring more services and there is a diminishment of services to them," said Carmen Roman, a Spanish professor at the University of Maryland and one of the organizers of the charter school group.
Read Complete Article (Washington Post)
SLLC Staff Member honored by the Board of Regents
July 15, 2003
The University's Board of Regents has chosen to honor Monica Herrera for Extraordinary Public Service to the Greater Community. We are very proud of this achievement!
Read More (Outlook Online)
SLLC Faculty member awarded MITH fellowship
May 2003
Dr. Gretchen Jones, Department of Asian and East European Languages & Cultures,
has been offered a fellowship in
Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
(MITH) for Spring 2004. During the fellowship, Jones will create an interactive website
that explores cultural responses to the August 15, 1945 announcement by the Emperor of
Japan announcing the end of the war. The fellowship is co-sponsored by the
Committee on East Asian Studies
(CEAS) and Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities.
Dr. Ana Patricia Rodíguez honored with Minority Achievement Award
May 14, 2003
We are delighted to announce that Professor Ana Patricia Rodríguez
of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese today received the University's Minority
Achievement Award.
In her letter of nomination for Ana Patricia, the chair of the Department, Dr. Sandra Cypess, wrote: "From the beginning of her association with our university, Professor Rodríguez has worked actively with minority students, whether from the ranks of our university or the larger Latino community. Her contributions cover individual acts of mentoring, creating a classroom atmosphere that is supportive of diverse learning cultures, and conducting research and presenting scholarly papers on aspects of minority issues. She is an outstanding role model and an active member of the university community regarding ethnic minority issues."
Ana Patricia has applied for and received a number of grants to create new courses relating to the U.S. Latino community as well as new mentoring programs, service learning opportunities, and outreach initiatives. She is also the creator of a unique program for Latino Students in Richard Montgomery, Blair, and Northwestern High Schools, and has worked actively with the residents of Langley Park on Action Langley Park, Maryland, from 1998 to the present.
Congratulations to Professor Ana Patricia Rodriguez for having played this leadership role and for being honored today for her many outstanding contributions.
Language House Resident Awarded University Medal
May 2, 2003
We are delighted to announce that Ms. Allison Bigelow, a resident of the Language House who is majoring in Spanish and English, has been awarded the University Medal for the current year. This is a singular honor. The University Medal is awarded to annually at the May commencement to the most outstanding member of the graduating class. This year the Medal recognizes Ms. Bigelow as the graduating senior who best personifies academic distinction, extraordinary character, and extracurricular contributions to the University and the larger public. This award, consisting of a gold medal and a $1,000 cash prize, is the highest honor the University can bestow on a graduate.
In his letter to Allison, President Mote wrote: "With your superlative record of academic achievement in the study of English and Spanish language and literature at the highest level, your inspiring commitment to using your knowledge to help others, and your long-time service to students and adult learners in the Langley Park community, you embody the standards of excellence that we honor with this Medal."
Congratulations to Allison for being selected as this year's recipient of the University Medal!
Dr. David Branner honored by Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
April 24, 2003
Congratulations to Dr. David Branner who has just been elected a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. This award is made every three years, in recognition of outstanding contribution to scholarship in the field of Asian Studies. It has replaced the RAS Gold Medal which was last awarded in 1990. The first recipient of the RAS Award is John Gullick, a noted scholar of the Malay world. President Mote saw fit to announce it this morning at his regular briefing of deans, chairs, and directors. As he put it, "an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Humanities" has been given this honor that enhances the reputation of both university and college.
Election to the Society is indeed an honor that is bestowed on very few, and it is something for which we should all congratulate Professor Branner.
