LLC Stategice Plan (pdf)
Willard Bohn (French) was recognized as a Distinguished Professor, one of two currently serving in Foreign Languages.
French major Sarah Gibson was named a Bone Scholar for 2004. Foreign Languages has one of the highest proportions of Bone Scholars of any department on campus.
In the Fall semester of 2003, the Department began offering FOR 301.15 "Serving Spanish-speaking Populations." This course provides basic language and cultural information to help first responders in health, social services, law enforcement, and education meet the needs of Spanish-speaking clients. Nearly all students in the first class were from the School of Social Work.
With grant funding through Bilingual Education, Spanish faculty member Kirk Widdison provided summer Spanish linguistics courses in the Chicago area for teachers seeking bilingual certification. Despite tight budgets and high demand for Spanish, the Department provided many seats in language and Spanish-American culture courses for bilingual education students.
Spanish 120.15 "Academic Spanish for Spanish-Speakers," a course that helps students who learned spoken Spanish informally build on those skills to acquire professional writing skills, was approved for inclusion in the General Education program.
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures has a very strong program in linguistics. Our faculty include: Dan Everett (Portuguese and Amerindian Languages), Lorie Heggie (French Linguistics), Montserrat Mir (Pragmatics and Second Language Acquisition), Jeannette Sánchez-Naranjo (Hispanic Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition), Ben Schmeiser (Hispanic Phonetics and Phonology).
Professor James J. Alstrum has coordinated the Summer Program in Taxco, Mexico for almost two decades. The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures also has a new study abroad program in Granada, Spain, which is being successfully coordinated by Professor Bruce Burningham. According to the Fall 2007 Newsletter from the Office of international Studies and Programs, "one new study abroad program that has seen a great deal of interest from studets inthe Spanish language program for majors and minors offered at the University of Granada's Center for Modern Languages in Granada, Spain. Twenty-two Illinois State students will be studying there in the Spring of 2008, up from six students during the program's first semester in the fall of 2007."
Professor Mary Trouille has been a strong supporter of the program in Women's studies on campus. She regularly offers courses in General Education and participates in WGS's activities.
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures is one of the few programs in the country to offer a combined BA and MA in Spanish, French, and German.
Students in Professor James Pancrazio's Latin American Culture course have participated in Field Experiences in three schools in the Chicago Public School system: Saucedo, Spry, and Telpochcalli. In 2007, a group of 22 students served as interpreters for parent-teacher conferences.
The Department is currently offering courses in Spanish and German via the Internet to students off campus. The courses combine interactive materials in WebCT and Blackboard so that students can continue their education in Spanish to become lifelong language learners.
The Department continues to graduate highly qualified students to teach in French, German and Spanish in Illinois Public schools. The program, under the coordination of Professor Lisa Huempfner and Ms. Jackie Mitchell, has graduated highly successful students.
The Department continues to graduate highly qualified graduate students. Under the coordination of Professor María Pao, the program has recruited a rich variety of graduate students. These students are a diverse group coming from strong undergraduate programs, teachers in Illinois high schools, and from students interested in pursuing research degrees,
During the last seven years, the Department has expanded it course offerings in Italian. Under the coordination of Professor Jonathan Druker, the program in Italian has become very popular among undergraduate students. The department now offers a Minor in Italian Studies and a Study Abroad program.
The department is afiliated with this interdisciplinary Minor. The Department regularly offers courses that apply to the minor in Spanish language, culture, and literature.
