Recent Posts

Lydia Rodríguez on the Best of Both Worlds—Meet Our Faculty

She probably had no way of knowing it at the time, but Lydia Rodríguez’s childhood set her up for the career she now has. Learn more about this Department of Foreign Languages professor in this installment of Meet Our Faculty.

Iota Mu Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi Celebrates 51st Initiation Ceremony

IUP's Iota Mu Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Hispanic Honor Society, celebrated its 51st initiation ceremony on Friday, December 1, 2023.

Foreign Language and Library Faculty and Students Present at State Language Conference

Christina Huhn, Dawn Smith-Sherwood, Heide Witthöft, Marjorie Zambrano-Paff (Department of Foreign Languages), Harrison Wick (IUP Special Collections), and six students attended the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association’s annual language teachers conference, held at Seven Springs resort.

Huhn Presents Collaborative Work at National Foreign Language Conference

Christina Huhn (Department of Foreign Languages) copresented the results of a collaborative research project, titled "Current Trends in Post-secondary Language Classrooms," at the annual Convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. 

Liu Gives Invited Workshop on AI

Shijuan Liu, Department of Foreign Languages, gave an invited workshop for Chinese language faculty from several liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes Colleges Association, held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, October 6–8, 2023.

Chinese Program Celebrates 2023 Traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

The traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, is the second important holiday for Chinese society worldwide. Shijuan "Laurel" Liu, professor of Chinese Language and Culture, organized the annual celebration of the festival together with student leaders of the IUP Chinese Language and Culture Club and Asian Studies Club.

Researching Caffeine Levels in Coffee with U-SOAR

How does roasting coffee change its caffeine level? Senior Isabelle Clayton used a U-SOAR research award to find out.

Smith-Sherwood Co-authors Article on Rehumanizing the Literature Curriculum

Dawn Smith-Sherwood, Department of Foreign Languages (Spanish), recently co-authored the chapter “Meeting Them Where They Are: Differentiated Integrated Performance Assessments to Build Interpersonal Speaking Skills in the L2 Literature Class.”

Iota Mu Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi Celebrates 50th Initiation Ceremony

IUP's Iota Mu Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Hispanic Honor Society, celebrated its fiftieth initiation ceremony on Friday, December 2, 2022.

FOLDIS Diversity and Inclusion Series Oct. 18–Nov. 11

Starting October 18, the Foreign Languages Diversity and Inclusion Series (FOLDIS) is designed to promote cultural awareness while providing unique insights into the everyday importance of embracing diversity and inclusion.

Spanish Education Student Earns Global Seal of Biliteracy

Andrew Secula III (Spanish education '22) has been awarded the Global Seal of Biliteracy in English and Spanish. Andrew is the first IUP student to earn a Global Seal.

2022 IUP Spring Methodology Conference

The Department of Foreign Languages held the annual IUP Spring Methodology Conference on Foreign Language Teaching on Friday, April 22, 2022.

“Confetti” Film Screening and Meeting with Award-Winning Director Ann Hu

Shijuan "Laurel" Liu organized the film screening of “Confetti,” a film related to interculture, language learning, early childhood education, and special education (dyslexia), on April 29, 2022. IUP community members, including incoming students, can sign up for a virtual pass to watch the film online.

Appalachian Professional Language Educators' Society Hosts Foreign Language Festival at IUP

On Saturday, April 2, 2022, the Appalachian Professional Language Educators' Society (APPLES) hosted its annual Foreign Language Festival on the IUP campus.

Huhn Publishes Research on National Foreign Language Standards

Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages (Spanish Education), recently published a research article investigating the National Foreign Language Standards in post-secondary contexts.

Huhn Named Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association: Outstanding Post-Secondary Language Educator

Foreign Language Professor Christine Huhn named PSMLA Outstanding Language Educator (Post-Secondary) by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association.

Certificate in Spanish for Safety Sciences Now Offered

The Department of Foreign Languages now offers a specialized certificate for Spanish in health, construction, restaurant , and agriculture careers.

Zambrano-Paff and Huhn Present on ‘Mi enfoque’

Marjorie Zambrano-Paff and Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages, presented “‘Mi enfoque’: Empowering Students through High-Leverage Teaching Practices” at the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association conference, October 13–16, 2021.

Huhn Publishes Research on Teacher Educator Classroom Practices

Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages, Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages (Spanish Education), recently published a research article: Reframing my practices: reconsidering post-secondary World Language education in the most recent issue of Teacher Development.

Need to Complete Your Humanities Literature Requirement?

FNLG 121 is taught in English with a focus on literature from cultures outside of the United States. FNLG 121 meets the same requirements as ENGL 121.

Huhn co-facilitates networking session at State Language Conference

Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages (Spanish), and co-presenter Junko Yamamato (Slippery Rock University) facilitated a session entitled “University K-12 collaboration: Promoting language study and teacher education together!”, an annual networking session at the PA State Language Association annual conference.

Smith-Sherwood Publishes Research on Use of Integrated Performance Assessment

Dawn Smith-Sherwood, Department of Foreign Languages, and co-author Mark Darhower published their research essay “Bridging the Language-Literature Divide via Integrated Performance Assessments in an Introductory Hispanic Literature Course” in the September 2021 issue of Hispania, the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Huhn Moderates Panel on Advocating for Extended Study and World Language Teachers

Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages, served as moderator on February 23 for a panel titled “Advocating for Extended Study and WL Teachers in PA: Strengthening the Pipeline,” formed as part of a month-long effort in support of Advocacy Month during February 2021 by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association.

Huhn Publishes Research on World-Language Teacher Education

Christina Huhn, Department of Foreign Languages, co-authored an article titled “Issues in world language teacher preparation: ACTFL/CAEP standards and oral proficiency.”

Smith-Sherwood Publishes Co-Edited Book on Women and Science in Spanish Culture

Dawn Smith-Sherwood, Department of Foreign Languages (Spanish) recently published A Laboratory of Her Own: Women and Science in Spanish Culture (Vanderbilt University Press 2021) with co-editors Victoria Ketz (LaSalle University, Philadelphia) and Debra Faszer-McMahon (Seton Hill University, Greensburg).