Department of Foreign Languages, Spring 2010
A Message from the Chair of the Department, Dr. Craig Christy
The prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Teacher of the Year Award was conferred on Dr. Keith Lindley this year, an honor which underscores the Department’s commitment to instruction of the highest caliber. Excellence in student achievement in the Department was also recognized with several awards: Georgina Cox and Sheila Latham were recipients of the Department’s endowed scholarships, and Allison Ray, a student of Arabic, was awarded a highly competitive Critical Languages Scholarship by the United States Department of State. In April Valerie Jones, a Spanish Major, presented, along with her faculty sponsor Dr. Vance, her Honors Thesis research project on the nature and value of study abroad during the University’s Annual Research Day. Indeed study abroad has loomed large in the Department’s planning and activities this year, including a proposal for a new course, Introduction to Study Abroad, which would prepare students for longer-term experiences abroad. Opportunities for students to be engaged in study abroad included trips to Costa Rica, France, Germany, and Spain. During a research trip to Peru, Dr. Scott Infanger also initiated plans for a study abroad venue there. The new Foreign Languages Major, approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in June 2009, increases students’ focus in the target language, and has been warmly received by students, faculty and potential employers alike. The Department’s curriculum has also been updated and improved with new candidate courses in the Minor in Latin American Studies and the Minor in International Studies as well as with a new Introduction to Latin American Literature course. Faculty in the Department have remained current in their fields of specialization, and simultaneously enriched their teaching, by continuing to be active nationally and internationally conducting, presenting and publishing their research. In a word, it has been an exciting year and the Department embraces every opportunity to sustain and nourish its sound reputation as a vital and vibrant component of the University.
