Dec 1, 2023: Fall BLC Fellows Forum

December 1, 2023

Instructional Development Research Projects


Building Classes in Languages for Professional Purposes: Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Practices

Claire Tourmen

Lecturer, Department of French

The UC Berkeley French Department has recently launched an innovative project, aiming at developing professional paths for students through French for Professions classes, local and international internships, and partnerships. Yet, strategic and practical questions remain: Will this project help us recruit students? How can we integrate it within the existing curriculum? What professional fields should we focus on? What pedagogy should we use? How and with whom should we network? In order to answer these questions, I will share the insights gained from conducting a literature review in the field of Languages for Specific Purposes, administering an online survey to our alumni group, and interviewing other French Departments in the US to learn about their own practices. 


Learning the Language of the Contemporary Ukrainian Society Through Films

Nataliia Goshylyk

PhD, Lecturer in Ukrainian, Slavic Languages & Literatures

This project presents ways to integrate contemporary Ukrainian films into the curriculum for intermediate language learners. Seven lesson plans for films of various genres and lengths will help the students expand their knowledge of current lifestyles in Ukraine and gain a deeper understanding of its history, culture, and language.


Cultivating Critical Language Awareness in the Heritage Language Classroom: A Module on Language Ideologies

Yesenia Blanco

Graduate Student, Spanish & Portuguese

With the implementation of a module on language ideologies in two heritage language courses of Spanish, students will cultivate critical language awareness that builds on their prior metalinguistic awareness, develops their critical and analytical skills through the examination of multimodal objects, and fosters their linguistic confidence. 

Friday, December 1, 2023
B-4 Dwinelle & Zoom, 3-5 PM
This lecture is sponsored by the College of Letters and Science.

Fall Fellows Forum - December 1, 2023