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...
This Summer: STARTALK Russian Language Intensive Program
March 07, 2016 STARTALK, a Russian language intensive program, is being held again on July 11-29. The event is hosted by the Russian Language Program from the Modern Languages and Literatures department at UCF. This three-week summer program is offered to students with no or a little knowledge of the Russian language. Students...
Students Selected for University's Highest Honor
February 16, 2016 Congratulations to Michael Scimeca, Gabriela Wolk and Amy Maitner, recipients of the 2016 Order of Pegasus Award. Michael Scimeca is a part of the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences and College of Arts and Humanities, and majoring in biomedical sciences and the Spanish language. He is a member of The...
Kourova Receives 2015 AATSEEL Award for Excellence in Teaching
January 15, 2016 Alla Kourova has received the 2015 American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages Award for Excellence in Teaching (Post-Secondary). Kourova was recognized for her dedication in rebuilding the Russian Language Program at UCF, her tireless motivation in publishing, conducting study abroad programs to Russia, mentoring independent study...
UCF Russian Club
December 23, 2015 At the end of the international week Russian club at UCF, ( Alla Kourova is an adviser) held their fourth annual event. A performance of the “Nutcracker” – courtesy of the Russian Ballet of Orlando. This performance brought awareness to the Russian language, culture classes and Russian club at UCF....
Theatre UCF partners with Department of Modern Languages for "The Life is a Dream Project" in Spanish
November 25, 2015 ORLANDO, Fla. November 25, 2015 — Students from UCF’s programs in theatre, music, and modern languages joined forces for “The Life is a Dream Project,” a theatrical production performed in Spanish and presented on the UCF campus to the public for free. “The Life is a Dream Project” aims to...
Hickey Wins Professional Achievement Award
November 05, 2015 Juliann Hickey won the UCF College of Arts & Humanities Professional Achievement Award at the Black & Gold Gala on Oct. 22. Hickey graduated magna cum laude in 1995 with a double major in journalism and Spanish. Juliann received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida in 2000, and...
Mazzucchelli Publishes New Book on Sicilian American Literature
September 01, 2015 Chiara Mazzucchelli new book, The Heart and the Island: A Critical Study of Sicilian American Literature, was published by SUNY Press earlier this month. The Heart and the Island is the first full-length study of Sicilian American literature, and it opens a space for new interdisciplinary discussions on what it...
Russian Intensive Language Program Graduates First Class this Summer
August 06, 2015 The first UCF Russian intensive summer language program, STARTALK, launched from July 6-24. Over one hundred students applied to participate in the free program, however due to the grant’s budget, only eighty were admitted to attend – a number that remained well over the original grant budget plan. The program...