IUP Spanish Department News

“U.S. Latina Authors” Presented by Rodríguez at Millersville University

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-11-15T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez of the Department of Spanish was invited to deliver two lectures at Millersville University.

On November 10, 2009, she presented “U.S. Latina Authors on the Move,” an interactive lecture to the students enrolled in two different courses of two different departments—the Introduction to U.S. Latinos course in the Department of Sociology and the Latino Issues of Identity course in the Department of Foreign Languages. The three-hour presentations were sponsored by the Latino Studies Minor Office at Millersville.

Foreign Language Conference Features Rodríguez’s “Theoretical Look at Humor”

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-11-15T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez of the Department of Spanish presented a paper at the twenty-second annual Pennsylvania Foreign Language Conference on September 19, 2009.

The paper, “A Theoretical Look at Humor in Julio Cortázar and Cristina Peri Rossi,” is based on her published article “Introduction to Humor: Theory Exemplified in Julio Cortázar and Cristina Peri Rossi.”

Glisan Publishes Fourth Edition of Teacher’s Language Textbook

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-11-04T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, Professor of Spanish and Foreign Language Education, published the fourth edition of her co-authored textbook, Teacher’s Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction. The text was released in early November 2009 by Heinle/Cengage Learning Publishers in Boston, Mass.

Dr. Glisan’s text is widely used in foreign language methodology courses across the country by programs that prepare K-16 language teachers.

Glisan Presents Integrated Performance Assessment Workshop at West Virginia University

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-08-19T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, Department of Spanish, presented a full-day workshop for faculty in the Department of Foreign Languages at West Virginia University on August 17, 2009.

The topic of the workshop was Integrated Performance Assessment, developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Glisan Delivers Keynote at California Language Teachers' Association Conference

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-08-19T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, Department of Spanish, delivered the keynote address at the California Language Teachers’ Association Conference in Sacramento on March 1, 2009.

The title of the keynote address was “The Impact of Standards on Foreign Language Education: Helping Us To BECOME a Profession.” The conference was attended by some six hundred foreign language educators.

Rodríguez Publishes Article on Introduction to Humor

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-08-12T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez’s article, “Introduction to Humor: Theory Explified in Julio Cortázar and Cristina Peri Rossi,” was accepted for publication in the journal Textos: Works and Criticism.

The article presents theoretical points of views that attempt to explain what humor is. In defining and explaining humor, two short stories are analyzed using the theoretical study.

Department of Spanish

Rodríguez in Guatemala to Present on U.S. Latinas

Dr. Michael J. Powers mpowers — 2009-08-12T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez of the Department of Spanish was invited to present on U.S. Latinas on May 13, 2009, at the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Rodríguez presented on “Desplazamiento y (re)construcción: el caso de las autoras latinas en los EE.UU (US Latinas)” (Displacement and (Re)Construction: The Case of the U.S. Latina Authors).

Students in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, Featured in Video

Dr. Michael J. Powers mpowers — 2009-05-20T14:54:00Z

IUP students studying abroad in Costa Rica are featured in a video recently posted on YouTube.

The video documents their experience as they fly to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, see the jungle up close, enjoy the beach, and ward off a monkey attempting to steal their food. Spanish Department chair Sean McDaniel, who is accompanying the students, shot the video.

The department is committed to the study-abroad experience and its value to students. All Spanish majors are required to study abroad for a minimum of four weeks, and Spanish minors and other Spanish students are encouraged to participate to improve their language fluency.

In addition to Costa Rica, the department offers programs in Spain and Mexico.

Learn more about the Spanish Department’s study-abroad programs.

Spanish Teachers Needed for New Research Project

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-05-04T14:54:00Z

Please join us in an exciting research project!

Speak Up!: A Study of Language Proficiency and Classroom Interaction

Are you a beginning Spanish teacher (only one, two, or three years of teaching experience in the middle-junior high or high school) in Western Pennsylvania?
Have you achieved Intermediate High or higher on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI—no more than two years old)?
Are you teaching Spanish, level 1?
Does your school permit videotaping/recording to be done in your classroom during instruction?

If you can answer “yes” to these four questions, we invite you to participate in an exciting groundbreaking project! Continue reading for details and how to apply.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand better the types of teaching practices in which teachers at various levels of proficiency engage. This information will inform teacher preparation programs in colleges and universities about the possible relationship between teacher oral proficiency and teaching practices. More specifically, this study will help inform the language preparation component of these programs about the kinds of language proficiencies that teacher candidates need in order to be successful in standards-based language programs.

This project is being sponsored by ACTFL and is being conducted by Eileen Glisan (president-elect, ACTFL) and Frank Brooks, both from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Rick Donato, University of Pittsburgh.

Benefits

ACTFL will provide full participants in this important project with the following benefits:

Three years free membership in ACTFL
$100 gift certificate to use at the ACTFL convention/on-line bookstore
One free registration to any one ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo during the next three years

Participants must complete the full project to be eligible for these benefits. Benefits will be delivered at the completion of the project.

Plus: For those who intend to pursue National Board Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, participation in this project would assist you in developing your professional portfolio entries, for which video recordings of your teaching are required.

Application Requirements

If you are interested in participating, we need from you:

A letter stating your interest in participating in this exciting project and confirming that your school permits videotaping/recording to be done in your classroom during instruction.
A Statement of Philosophy of Language Teaching of between 250-300 words.
A copy of your OPI certificate (no more than two years old).

Submission Address

Frank B. Brooks, Associate Professor
Department of Spanish
Sutton Hall, 468
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705
E-mail: fbrooks@iup.edu

Submission Deadline

Because we would like to begin this project during the first semester of the 2009–2010 school year, the deadline for submission of the requested materials is July 15, 2009.

ACTFL1001 N Fairfax St Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-894-2900
Fax: 703-894-2905
membership@actfl.org

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Discover Languages

Smith-Sherwood presents at 2009 Kentucky Foreign Language Conference

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-04-28T14:54:00Z

Dawn Smith-Sherwood from the Department of Spanish presented her work “Clara Janés' Emerging Digital Poetics” at the Kentucky Foreign Language Conference, held April 16-18, 2009.

Hosted by the University of Kentucky, Lexington, the 2009 KFLC marked the conference’s sixty-second year.

Rodríguez Invited to Present in Michoacán, México

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-04-07T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez of the Department of Spanish was invited to speak about the importance of higher education by the city of La Piedad, Michoacán, México. The title of her March 30, 2009, presentation was “La educación sin límites” (Education Without Limits).

The event was organized by the municipality and the Office of Education, Culture, and Tourism of the same city. In this event, Rodríguez was given a recognition by one of the city commissioners.

Rodríguez Presents on Women’s Writing at Southern Connecticut State University

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-03-16T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez was invited to present on March 13, 2009, at a one-day symposium organized by the Women’s Studies Program and the Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee at Southern Connecticut State University.

She gave an invited guest speaker presentation on “Acting Out and Carrying On: Latin American Women’s Writing.” She was also invited to the roundtable discussion on “Teaching and Disseminating Latin American's Women’s Writing and Art: A Pedagogy Round Table.”

Glisan Earns Recertification as Oral Proficiency Tester of Spanish

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-02-16T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, professor in the Department of Spanish, earned recertification by Language Testing International and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages as an Oral Proficiency Tester of Spanish.

Recertification involves a rigorous process of demonstrating to a tester trainer that one is able to conduct proficiency interviews appropriately and rate speech samples accurately according to the national proficiency rating scale.

Dr. Glisan’s certification is valid until 2013. She conducts proficiency interviews in Spanish for majors and minors in the department’s programs.

Brooks and Smith-Sherwood present at the MLA

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-01-30T14:54:00Z

Frank B. Brooks and Dawn Smith-Sherwood copresented the session “Using Assessment to Mend the Language-Literature Split in Higher Education” at the annual convention of the Modern Language Association, December 27, 2008, in San Francisco, Calif.

The purpose of the presentation was to share with other language departments in the U.S. how the Department of Spanish at IUP both constructed and manages its program assessment system. This process has resulted not only in a culture of assessment within the department but also in achieving its coveted “National Recognition” by ACTFL/NCATE, the outside accrediting agency for its Spanish Education program.

Rodríguez Publishes Poetry and on Games in Literature

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-01-30T14:54:00Z

Dr. Lydia Rodríguez, associate professor in the Department of Spanish, has two new works accepted for publication.

Lydia Rodríguez’s article “A Theoretical View of Games in Literature: Julio Cortázar and Cristina Peri Rossi” has been accepted for publication in the Journal Hipertexto. In addition, her most recent poem, “Alma Perdida” (Lost Soul), was accepted for publication in The World’s Muse: A Journal of Creative Writing in World Literatures.

Glisan Elected President-Elect of American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2009-01-26T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan, of the Department of Spanish, was recently elected president-elect of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). She begins a three-year term on the ACTFL Board of Directors Executive Committee and will serve as ACTFL president in 2010.

ACTFL membership includes more than 12,000 language professionals from all levels of education and representing all languages.

Glisan Serves as Panelist at ACTFL Conference

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-11-26T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan of the Spanish Department served as one of three invited panelists in a Special Feature Plenary Session at the annual fall conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), held in Orlando, Fla. The topic of the plenary was “Language Teaching and Learning: What the Research Shows and What It Doesn’t.” At the ACTFL conference, Glisan also copresented a full day of training for faculty preparing to become ACTFL/NCATE program reviewers for foreign languages.

Zambrano-Paff Presents at Fourth International Colloquium of EDICE

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-11-06T14:54:00Z

Marjorie Zambrano-Paff presented a paper at the Fourth International Colloquium of EDICE (Estudios sobre el Discurso de la Cortesía en Español) (Studies on (Im)Politeness in Spanish Discourse), held in Rome. The subject of her paper was the use of (im)politeness by bilingual interpreters in immigration hearings and the pragmatic effect on the hearer.

Glisan presents at Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association Annual Conference

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-10-16T14:54:00Z

Dr. Eileen W. Glisan copresented a full-day preconference workshop at the annual conference of the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association, held in Pittsburgh. The topic of the workshop was “Assessing Oral Proficiency: Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) Beginner Workshop.”

Rodríguez Publishes Book on Latin American and Caribbean Women Writers

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-09-25T14:54:00Z

Lydia Rodríguez’s lastest publication is a coedited book, Mosaico Literario sobre autoras latinoamericanas y caribeñas (Literary Mosaic on Latin American and Caribbean Women Writers). The book, a collection of ten literary articles on Latin American and Caribbean Women writers, is published by University Press Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela, in English and Spanish. Andrés Bello is one of Latin America’s leading university publishing houses.

Barton Presents at International Conference in Costa Rica

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-09-08T14:54:00Z

Kathy Barton presented on “Increasing the Use of the Target Language in the Classroom: Experiences of Beginning and Veteran Teachers” at the 2008 American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese international conference in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The role of input in the classroom and creating a context for communication were two of the topics addressed in conjunction with reactions of teachers in the field.

Department of Spanish

Brooks cowrites Chapter for Gesture: Second Language Acquisition and Classroom Research

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-09-02T14:54:00Z

Frank “Pete” Brooks cowrote the chapter “Embodiment as Self-Regulation in L2 Task Performance,” published in the 2008 edited volume Gesture: Second Language Acquisition and Classroom Research. This volume is part of the ESL and Applied Linguistics Professional Series.

Meeting for New Spanish and French Education Majors

Mrs. Elaine Smith ejacobs — 2008-08-19T14:54:00Z

A mandatory meeting for freshman Spanish and French Education majors and other new Spanish and French Education majors will be held from 4:45 to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 24, 2008, in Stouffer Hall, Room 140.

Glisan Trains Foreign Language Instructors at U.S. Air Force Academy

Mr. Bruce V. Dries bvdries — 2008-08-13T14:54:00Z

Eileen Glisan conducted two days of training for the new military and civilian foreign language instructors at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The topics addressed were “From Theory and Standards to Interpersonal Communication in the Foreign Language Classroom,” “Developing Interpretive Communication through Authentic Texts,” and “Assessing Outcomes: Beginning with the End in Mind.”

Orientation for Spanish Majors Set

Mrs. Elaine Smith ejacobs — 2008-07-25T14:54:00Z

Orientation for incoming Spanish majors will be Sunday, August 24, at 3:30 pm in Sutton Hall, Room 464. All new majors and those interested in becoming Spanish majors should attend this meeting.

Majors and Minors Meeting Set

Mrs. Elaine Smith ejacobs — 2008-07-22T14:54:00Z

A meeting for all current and prospective Spanish majors and minors will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, in Folger Dining Hall.

Deadline Approaching, Summer Study in Costa Rica

Mrs. Regan P. Houser rphouser — 2008-02-13T14:54:00Z

The deadline to apply for summer study in Costa Rica is February 22. Participants earn IUP credit during this four-week excursion, which includes classwork and touring. Visit the Spanish Department's Costa Rica Study Abroad page for an application and more information.

Summer Study in Costa Rica

Mrs. Regan P. Houser rphouser — 2008-02-13T14:54:00Z

An organizational meeting for those who would like more information about studying in Costa Rica this summer will take place Monday, February 18 at 7:00 p.m. in 229 Stouffer Hall. Participants will live and study in Costa Rica May 11 to June 10 and earn credit. Visit the Spanish Department's Costa Rica Study Abroad page for more information.