Posted by Rick Kern on August 17, 2021
A warm welcome to Dr. Kimberly Vinall, who has just been appointed as the BLC’s new Executive Director after a wide-ranging search this summer. Kimberly is a Berkeley PhD (Language, Literacy, and Culture program within the Graduate School of Education) and has over two decades of experience in teaching Spanish, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, second language…
Posted by Victoria Williams on July 24, 2021
Posted by Victoria Williams on July 13, 2021
Our esteemed colleague, Marilyn Seid-Rabinow, former Assistant Director for Language Proficiency at the GSI Teaching & Resource Center passed away on June 21, 2021. More than 20 years ago, Marilyn created the Language Proficiency Program in the Graduate Division in order to support international GSIs in the development of oral English proficiency for teaching at…
Posted by Victoria Williams on July 1, 2021
Abstract It is not enough for education to be seen as preparation for future life in society when learners are already members of their society. Based on several years of research with the BLC, I developed a methodology that integrates Intercultural Service Learning as an effective way for our students to increase their linguistic and…
Posted by Victoria Williams on July 1, 2021
Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dear Colleagues,In October we announced a new implementation phase of the Chancellor’s Strategic Plan focused on Discovery in the undergraduate experience: The Berkeley Discovery Initiative. This campus-wide effort will transform undergraduate education and support students on a journey of engaged creativity and self-actualization. Thanks to a generous…
Posted by Mark Kaiser on April 28, 2021
After 25 years at the BLC, I will be retiring on June 29th. The search for my successor will be underway shortly (the job should be posted on the Berkeley site within the next week or two) , but in the meantime interested individuals can review a document that Rick and I created for what…
Posted by Rick Kern on January 8, 2021
The University of California will offer Punjabi-language courses at all of its campuses starting in January, marking the first Punjabi-language curriculum to be taught throughout the UC system. The systemwide Punjabi classes were made possible through funding from an Innovative Technology Learning Initiative grant from the UC Office of the President. See this Sacramento Bee…
Posted by Mark Kaiser on December 22, 2020
Warm congratulations to Claire Kramsch, who has just been awarded the AILA Honorary Membership Award for her outstanding contributions to applied linguistics. Read the announcement at: https://www.aaal.org/news/aaaletter---december-2020#AILAHonorary
Posted by Orlando Garcia on December 8, 2020
The Berkeley Language Center is pleased to announce the availability of up to six one-semester research fellowships for Unit 18 lecturers, language program coordinators, and graduate students for the upcoming academic year (pending authorization of funding). For more information, visit the BLC Fellowship page.
Posted by Mark Kaiser on October 2, 2020
The Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research just published an interview with Claire that highlights her professional trajectory, but also touches on her ideas about language and the profession. Highly recommended! The pdf may be found here.