The Representation of Language in the Earliest Writing Systems by Jerrold Cooper, Professor Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Near Eastern Studies. Why and how did early civilizations develop graphic representations of language? Answers will be sought by examining so-called “pristine” writing systems that arose in the Middle East, China, and Mesoamerica. Although these […]
Events at the BLC
Archive
Lecture by Andrew Cohen, Feb. 5, 2010
Communicating Gramatically: Evaluating a Learner Strategies Website for Spanish Grammar by Andrew D. Cohen, Professor, Program in Second Language Studies, University of Minnesota, presented the first of the BLC’s Spring 2010 Lecture Series, “Communicating Gramatically: Evaluating a Learner Strategies Website for Spanish Grammar,” an introduction to the Spanish Grammar Strategies website. The site is part […]
Lectures by BLC Fellows (G. Sibanda, J. R. Williams, H. McMichael), December 4, 2009
Fall 2009 BLC Fellows Instructional Development Research Projects Teaching Zulu Language and Culture Through Film Galen Sibanda, Linguistics Many studies show that film or “video has vast potential for enriching language study and making it more enjoyable and effective” (Wood 1992). This presentation is a demonstration of how film can complement other materials used […]
Lecture by Crispin Thurlow, November 13, 2009
Language, Tourism, and Banal Globalization by Crispin Thurlow, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Washington Described as the “one of the greatest population movements of all time,” tourism is firmly established as the world’s single largest international trade. And it’s not just people who are on tour; language too is on the move. In this […]
Lecture by Carl Falsgraf, October 26, 2009
Distance Teaching and Distance Learning by Carl Falsgraf, Director, Oregon Chinese Flagship, University of Oregon Current models of distance learning are predominantly adaptations of face-to-face classroom models. Ensuring the quality of these models and providing empirical evidence that students learn as well or better in the distance environment is essential. At the same time, we […]
Lecture by David Crystal, October 23, 2009
From Texting to Tweeting: The Brave New World of Internet Linguistics by David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor The various domains of electronically mediated communication present new challenges to linguists. Myths about the medium have to be urgently dispelled, innovative usages precisely described, and our characterization of visual language […]
Panel Discussion (S. Mikaelian, M. Szudelski, K. Ngodup), September 18, 2009
Tricky Points – Creative Solutions PANEL DISCUSSION: Santoukht Mikaelian, Slavic Languages & Literatures Malgosia Szudelski, Slavic Languages & Literatures Karma Ngodup, East Asian Languages & Cultures University of California Foreign Language Lecturers discuss linguistic/cultural points difficult to teach in their respective languages (Armenian, Polish, Tibetan), and present their solutions for making them teachable.
Workshop on Teaching Language and Culture with Film (UCCLLT), June 15-18, 2009
Teaching Language and Culture with Film Marilyn Fabe, The Language of Film Mark Kaiser, Teaching with Film Clips Anne-Christine Rice, Implementing a Curriculum Built Around Film Sabine Levet, Cross-Cultural Comparison through Film Rick Kern, Making Connections between Film and Literacy Thomas J. Garza, Film as (Con)Text: Using Visual Media in Russian Language and Culture […]
Lectures by BLC Fellows (K. Dickinson, A. Mendelson, J. Park), May 8, 2009
Spring 2009 BLC Fellows Instructional Development Research Projects Literacy in First-Year Turkish: A Multi-Voiced Approach Kristin Dickinson, GSR, Comparative Literature Extending a BLC project for Turkish 1A in the fall, this semester I have worked to integrate a literacy-based approach into second-semester Turkish (1B). Activities I have designed allow students to approach canonical and […]
Lecture by Stanton Wortham, April 8, 2009
Hillbilly Spanish and Tarzan English: Ideologies of Mexican Immigrant Language by Stanton Wortham, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania In this paper, written with Elaine Allard and Katherine Mortimer, we conceptualize the beliefs and attitudes of Mexican immigrants and long-time residents of the Mid Atlantic suburban town of Marshall as language ideologies, culturally-situated […]