A Generous Gift to Languages at UCF

August 03, 2017  Russian immersion student Julia Rosengren is looking forward to the growth of languages and fluency at UCF through fellow student participation and her recent generous gift to the College of Arts and Humanities. After visiting Moscow, Rosengren became infatuated with the country and was eager to learn more, which led...

Remembering Douglas Rudy

July 31, 2017  by Dr. Karl-Heinrich Barsch Dr. Karl-Heinrich Barsch remembers student Douglas Rudy and tells of the impact Douglas had on the lives around him. Dr. Barsch retired from UCF in 2006 and is a professor emeritus. I first met Douglas Rudy when I was the French professor who directed the UCF...

Smith's Translation Featured as the Translation of the Month on the Feminae

July 10, 2017  Dr. Geri Smith’s translation, The Book of the Mutability of Fortune, is currently featured as the Translation of the Month on the Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index website: http://inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/MonthTranslation.aspx The book is a very important resource for students learning about Christine de Pizan, literary history, medieval historiography, and court...

MLL Student Named as a 2017 Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate

May 23, 2017  American Council of Teachers of Russian, a division of the American Councils for International Education, has named UCF student Michael Martinez as a 2017 Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate. Martinez is the first student from UCF to win the award. The award is given to students for “an unfailing devotion and...

UCF Students Travel to Cuba for Research

April 28, 2017  Last March the Journey Cuba Study Abroad class, led by Professors Anne Prucha and Kacie Tartt, traveled to Cuba. During the week-long trip, the group of eight students and two faculty members visited the cities of Havana, Cojimar, and Viñales, and kept journals of their daily learning experiences, not as...

Modern Language and Literature Professors Create UCF-Hillcrest Foreign Language Club

April 13, 2017  Spanish and French Professors Rita De Luca Guerriero, Marie Leticée, Amelia Lyons, Anne Prucha, and Kacie Tartt have come together to create the UCF-Hillcrest Foreign Language Club. Starting Spring 2015, this partnership has allowed UCF and Hillcrest Elementary school students to practice and refine their Spanish and French language skills...

Voices in Italian Americana recognized by ANVUR

March 27, 2017  Modern Languages and Literature’s journal, Voices in Italian Americana, has been recognized by the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes. The journal has been recognized as a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal in the area of literature and has been added to the National Agency’s list of...

Three College of Arts and Humanities Students to be Inducted into the Order of Pegasus

March 24, 2017  Three College of Arts and Humanities students, Sabrina Jérôme, Christopher Clemente, and Lauren Gandy, will be inducted into the Class of 2017 Order of Pegasus—the university’s highest and most prestigious award—honoring outstanding student performance “in the areas of academic achievement, outstanding university involvement, leadership, and community service.” Sabrina Jérôme is...

Ballet Performance of Don Qixote to benefit Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization

February 10, 2017  The Russian club at UCF will host a performance of Don Qixote in partnership with the Russian Ballet of Orlando. The event will benefit the Ukrainian Down Syndrome Organization. The event will take place on February 26, 2017 in the Pegasus Ballroom of UCF’s Student Union at 5:00 p.m. Also...

Kourova wins third STARTALK grant for Russian language program

February 09, 2017  Alla Kourova has been awarded a STARTALK grant for the third year in a row. Kourova’s proposal, “Preparation of a Business Trip to Russia,” has been selected for funding as part of the STARTALK 2017 program. Kourova is an assistant professor of Russian. STARTALK offers students (K–16) and teachers of...

UCF Club provides opportunities to use foreign language skills in the community

February 09, 2017  The UCF-Hillcrest Modern Language Club, established in spring 2015, provides UCF and Hillcrest Elementary School students the opportunity to use their Spanish and French skills in a collaborative environment. This partnership connects UCF students with the greater Orlando community. Hillcrest Elementary School, which is part of the Orange County Public...

The U.S. Department of Education Awards $2.4 Million Grant for Researching Ways to Improve the Teaching of English Learners

October 04, 2016  Dr. Florin Mihai and Dr. Kerry Purmensky of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures have just received a 5-year, 2.4 million dollar research grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). Both are Co-Principal Investigators with Principal Investigator Dr. Joyce Nutta of the College...

Professor Folse Delivers Opening Plenary at Panama TESOL Congress

September 30, 2016  Dr. Keith Folse (Professor of TESOL) was invited to deliver the opening plenary address to the 30th Annual Congress 2016 at the Universidad Interamericanama de Panama in Panama City on September 16, 2016. His talk compared teachers’ vs. learners’ perceptions of the most challenging aspects of learning English as a...

Kourova Presented Book Picturing Russia: Research Guide to Russian Culture at the Embassy of the Russian Federation

September 22, 2016  On September 22, 2016, Dr. Kourova presented her book, Picturing Russia: Research Guide to Russian Culture, in Washington, D.C. at the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the USA. She met with the head of the Russian Cultural Center and the first secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation...

UCF Student Excels During Internship in Washington

September 14, 2016  Every day for an entire semester, Alex A. Alvarado would wake up, walk to Capitol Hill, and say to himself: “Man, how did I get here?” Both resourceful and ambitious, this legal studies major grabbed at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look of government during one of the nation’s...

Summer 2016 STARTALK Intensive Russian Language Program

September 06, 2016  July 2016 marked the second year in a row of an intensive Russian language program at UCF. (Program director Alla Kourova). The program, STARTALK, meaning “Start Talking” lasted for 3 weeks, starting Monday, July 11th. It consisted of 60 students, both beginner and advanced, who had the opportunity to participate...

Folse is Recognized as one of "50 at 50" by TESOL Association

August 01, 2016  The International TESOL Association has recognized UCF’s Dr. Keith Folse as one of a special group of “50 at 50” leaders who have made a significant contribution to the TESOL profession within the past fifty years. According to the International TESOL Association, “Their leadership has helped build the association and...

Study Abroad in Russia

July 27, 2016  In June of 2016, 18 UCF students traveled to Russia to study abroad at Moscow State University. Dr. Kourova is the program director. There they had the opportunity to study the Russian language, explore Moscow and St. Petersburg, and experience all the Russian culture had to offer. After their classes...

Russian Language, Cultural Course Offered at Summer Immersion Program

April 12, 2016  A free immersive program at UCF this summer to teach Russian speech and culture is part of a U.S. program designed to prepare students to be proficient in a “critical need” language. UCF’s STARTALK program, under the direction of Alla Kourova, an assistant professor of Russian, will be offered weekdays...

Marie Léticée's Debut Novel Featured at 36th Annual Salon du Livre

March 17, 2016  UCF Modern Languages Professor Marie Léticée published her debut novel, Moun Lakou [Inna de Yard], this week in Paris, France. Léticée’s publisher, Ibis Rouge, spotlighted the novel by launching it at Salon du Livre, a massive book fair with exhibits by more than 1,000 publishers from around the world, heavy...