Border Crossings

The Fulbright Commission sponsored two Chinese Language Teaching Assistants:
Ms. Jessica Jie Tian (2007-2008) and Leina Lu (2008-2009). Both were great additions to our Chinese program. Also, a Freeman grant made it possible for us to hire a full time instructor. Ms. Xi Chen, our long time model adjunct instructor who became full-time
after going through a national search.Chinese is now the third largest program in the department.  The establishment of a Chinese major is actively being considered. The Chinese program sent two students to serve as the student directors for a Chinese language and culture summer camp for Fairfax County Public Schools  in 2008, with funding from a federal grant. The Chinese section also offered special programs for students in Beijing in 2009. Eleven students participated in the intensive study abroad Chinese
  and nine students participated in the Beijing summer internship program. Dr. Zhang was the director for both programs.

 

The AUN, a traditional Japanese taiko drumming duo based in Japan, visited Mason to present their stunning performance at Harris Theatre in September 2007. As part of the celebrations of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month at Mason, Mr. Michael Jeck, one of the leading Japanese film critics in the U.S., participated in Japanese film events at Johnson Center Cinema in April 2008. Mr. Tetsushi Ogata, a Ph.D. candidate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, gave a thought-provoking seminar titled "Can Japanese resolve conflicts?" on the Fairfax campus in October, 2008.

Momotaro, a Japanese play presented for the Department’s inaugural Polyglot Performances at Harris Theater, drew a large crowd in April 2008. After a long, meticulous preparation and rehearsal period, a group of students performed a traditional Japanese fairy tale all in Japanese. Everything from direction, choreography, to production was conducted by students led by Savanna Hughes with a little help of faculty members. The preparation for our next play, Magic Fan, has already begun. It will be performed at the Harris Theatre for the second Polyglot Performances as well as at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center during the opening ceremony of the National Japan Bowl competition (http://www.us-japan.org/dc/japanbowl.php). Both events will be in April 2009.

Scene from the play Momotaro

In the summer 2009, ten students participated in our five-week summer study abroad program in Osaka, Japan. They attended an intensive Japanese language program with daily cultural activities offered at Momoyama Gakuin University. This program will be offered again in 2009. An important milestone for 2009 is that an immersion program, Tastes of Japan: Intensive Japanese Language and Culture (JAPA110 and 210) will be offered in the summer.

Study abroad trip to Kyoto

Study abroad: yukata experience

Last spring, German students presented German literature outside of the classroom and staged a dramatic version of a poem by Goethe as part of our department’s Polyglot Performances during International Week. Other successful events offered by the German section included the Oktoberfest, a film series about East Germany, the Christmas celebration, and the weekly Kaffeeklatsch where students with various levels of German conversed in the target language over coffee and cake.

The Italian program hosted a three-hour showcase of Italian film shorts curated by filmmaker Edward Bowen which highlighted the work of Italy's young generation of filmmakers and foregrounded pressing issues in Italian society, such as the high rate of immigration and unemployment the country faces at this time. There was also a visit from Vice Admiral Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte, who presented his new book, Strategy and Peace (Rome: Aracne Press, 2007).  In terms of study abroad opportunities, the Center for Global Education offers an intensive language-study program in Taormina, Sicily (during January), and two interdisciplinary programs, one during the spring semester in Florence and another during the summer in Rome at the American University of Rome.

As with most other language programs, a new language sequence began for the French section: FREN 110, 210 and 250.  In fall 08, the French section started offering lower-level French courses at night on GMU's Loudoun Campus. In fall 09, they will begin at the Prince William campus in Manassas on a MWF am schedule.  The French Club brought 4 feature French films to the JC Cinema this fall 08. Student volunteers from the VCU French Film festival came last February to select French classes to announce the annual festival. Dr. Fyfe will be attending again this year and will be joined by a couple of students.  French students performed 5 Fables de la Fontaine during the first annual Polyglot Performances during International Week in April 08. Dr. Fyfe directed the program with special help from Linguistics graduate student, actor and former student of Marcel Marceau, Tel Monks. Crème de la crème awards were distributed in spring and fall made possible by the fall 08 book sale fund raiser.
Future fundraisers will be announced on the French Bulletin Board outside 233 Thompson. Donations accepted through the GMU Foundation account with attention to FRENCH.

Study abroad trip to Rabat

Summer 08 - July - Laura Fyfe led a group of students on a language study program through Institut Catholique de Paris near the Latin Quarter. The students lived in the foyer, visited the beaches of Normandy and got to know Paris very well!
Winter 08 - January - Laura Fyfe led a group of students on a language study program through AMIDEAST in Rabat, Morocco. We toured the Imperial cities, stayed with host families in the medina and even rode camels in Marrakesh.
Winter 09 - January - Laura Fyfe led a group of students on a language study program through MEDIA LANGUAGE CARAIBES in St. Anne, Guadeloupe. We lived with local families, visited both parts of the island and climbed the Souffriere volcano.

Study abroad in Paris 2008

Many curriculum changes were implemented for the upper division courses in Spanish that make the major and minor programs more interdisciplinary and afford students more choices. Critical service-learning and internships in local community organizations are available for students majoring in Spanish. These experiences allow students to expand upon their knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world and to become language activists working for social change in their communities.  These programs include: the Spanish for Young Heritage Learners’ Program at Arlington Traditional School and the Culmore Literacy and Popular Education Project in Falls Church, where students and faculty members teach bilingual ESL to adults. The play Te juro Juana que tengo ganas, by Emilio Carballido, was performed in November 2008 by GMU’s Teatro sin fronteras led by faculty director Allison Kirsch.  For more about the production, see the article published in the Gazette: http://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/12965/. The section continues to offer several successful study abroad programs, including the semester in Madrid (Dr. Jennifer Leeman, Spring ’08 and ’09).  Some shorter programs offered in Spanish include Guanajuato, Mexico (Dr. Carreño Rodríguez - January ‘09), Buenos Aires (Dr. Julia Ruiz Ross -July ‘08), and Granada (Ricardo F. Vicancos Pérez- June ’07 and ‘08). Drs. Jennifer Leeman and Esperanza Román Mendoza are the faculty directors for our summer programs in 2009.

Scene from Te juro Juana que tengo ganas