Modern Language Professors Earn Competitive Sabbatical Awards

April 17, 2013  Lisa Nalbone, Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary Spanish and Spanish American Literatures, was awarded sabbatical for the 2013 fall semester. Gergana Vitanova, Associate Professor of TESOL, Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics, was awarded sabbatical for the 2013-2014 academic year. Gergana Vitanova was also an invited speaker at the...

Students win at Graduate Research Forum

April 04, 2013  Two College of Arts and Humanities students won at the Graduate Research Forum, which was held this past Tuesday. Leah DeLorenzo, a M.A. student in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), won in the Social Sciences Category for her thesis research titled “Parental Beliefs and Attitudes on Enrollment...

Modern Language Faculty and Student Recognized at Founder's Day Awards

April 04, 2013  Martha García and Chiara Mazzucchelli were both recognized by the College of Arts and Humanities at the Founder’s Day Honor Convocation with the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Garcia is an Associate Professor of Spanish Medieval & Golden Age literature. Mazzucchelli teaches undergraduate introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in...

Folse lectures in Germany

February 27, 2013  Keith Folse was invited to deliver a featured talk at Frankfurt International School in Oberursel, Germany, on February 25. His paper, entitled “Maximizing Academic Outcomes for All Learners” was presented to school faculty and administrators. Folse also conducted two workshops for the foreign language and content teachers.

Folse Lectures at the University of Maryland

February 20, 2013  Keith Folse was invited to present at the University of Maryland – College Park on February 14. His paper, entitled “Teaching Vocabulary:  Research Findings and Practical Classroom Considerations,” was presented to TESOL-related faculty from UM’s College of Arts and Humanities and College of Education.  Folse also conducted a workshop for...

More Than Words: Russian and American Language Connections

January 21, 2013  Paul J. Meyer has said, “Connection-human connection- is the key to personal and career success.” At the University of Central Florida, students in the intermediate-level Russian Language program have traversed the globe to eliminate cultural and language barriers to foster enduring connections. Through an ongoing project called “Connecting Classrooms,” each...

Kourova Presents at Language Conference

January 21, 2013  Alla Kourova recently presented at the Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, held January 3-6 in Boston. Her paper was entitled, “Cultural and Inter-cultural Awareness and their Role in Informing and Enriching Students’ Communicative Competence.” Kourova also served as chair for the conference’s...

Giordano Awarded for Lifetime Achievement

June 18, 2012  On May 26, Descu Rundu (Round Table), the cultural association of the city of Bordighera, Italy, honored Professor Paul Giordano with the award Parmurelu d’oru (Gold Palm). This award is given yearly to an individual from Bordighera who has brought honor to the city in the fields of science, literature,...

Folse wins National Geographic Award at 2012 TESOL Conference

April 05, 2012  At the 2012 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo in Philadelphia, Keith Folse was presented with the National Geographic Learning 2012 Heinle Outstanding Achievement Award. This award is given at the annual TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) conference to a National Geographic author who has made a major contribution to the...

Martha García Speaker at University of Cambridge, England

October 26, 2010  Martha García was awarded an Ambassadorship & Speaker at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, England, 2010. Her research presentation Devotio Moderna: Theological Dialogues Within Celestina and Don Quixote de La Mancha is based on her third book manuscript. Her most recently published article “El hijo pródigo en El condenado...

Folse Publishes Second Edition of Textbook

August 25, 2010  Keith Folse published a second edition of Clear Grammar, an ESL textbook series published by the University of Michigan Press. What makes this new series cutting-edge in a traditional field is that the language presented to learners is based on computer-driven advances in corpus linguistics research findings since 2000.

Giordano wins AATI Distinguished Service award

December 21, 2009  Paolo Giordano, Neil E. Euliano Endowed Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, is the recipient of the American Association of Teachers of Italian Award for Distinguished Service for 2009. The Award recognizes Giordano’s outstanding merits as a scholar and teacher in the field of Italian studies as well as his...

Spanish M.A. Students' Presentations Well Received at Conference

December 04, 2009  Spanish graduate students William Badillo and Erick Revuelta presented papers on Contemporary Spanish Caribbean Narrative at the 59th Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference (MIFLC) in October. Their presentations were so well received that the organizing committee invited the students to attend the 60th MIFLC meeting scheduled for October 2010. The...

García participates in NEH Seminar

October 20, 2009  Martha García was selected from a large applicant pool to take part in a Summer 2009 NEH Seminar at the University of Virginia. García participated in the seminar “Celestina and the Threshold of Modernity” directed by E. Michael Gerli, Commonwealth Professor of Hispanic Studies at UVA.

Gregory Thompson Awarded Grant to Study Dialect in Spain

September 21, 2009  Gregory Thompson has been awarded an In-House Grant Award to study shifting pronunciation patterns in Spain and to investigate how they are changing the traditional view of the dialect of southern Spain. The project will study specifically the shifts in language usage and prestige in speakers of the Peninsular variety...

Kerry Purmensky Publishes Book on TESOL Teching Techniques

September 14, 2009  This book on service-learning for teachers learning TESOL techniques addresses the needs of the English Language Learners in the United States – the fastest growing segment of the United States population. Our schools and communities are greatly impacted by this changing population. This book details a highly effective service-learning project...

Florin Mihai Publishes Guide for TOEFL Students

September 14, 2009  A Complete Preparation Guide to the TOEFL is intended to help students develop the English language skills they need to succeed on the new Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Each test component is explained from a theoretical and practical perspective and is accompanied by a variety of...

Marie Léticée Publishes Book on Caribbean Identity

September 14, 2009  Education, Assimilation, and Caribbean Identity: The Literary Journey of the French Caribbean, Marie Léticée’s new book, examines the role education plays in shaping Caribbean identity. ISBN: 9781584325543

López Cruz presents collection of essays on Cabrera Infante

August 10, 2009  Humberto López Cruz’s recent book Guillermo Cabrera Infante: el subterfugio de la palabra, published by Hispano Cubana, contains critical essays on the works of late Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Cervantes Award 1998). Infante’s innovative prose places him among the preeminent figures of Latin American literature. These essays cover various...