Welcome to the World of Languages and the Council on Language Instruction!
To all new and current students: Please find Everything You Need to Know About Learning Languages at Northwestern in our CLI Brochure 2012-2013 (download PDF file!)! Also, please find specific information on language placement and language programs under Language Study at NU and For Students! Browse the language departments for specific information and use the pull-down menu to get to a summary of the placement regulations and requirements for different languages.
NEW: Winter 2013 Breakfast Meeting
Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Time: 9:00 am – 12 noon*
Location: Kresge Hall 1-375
Topic: The Precarious Connection between Language Teaching and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Research: Are They Meant for Each Other? (See abstract below)
Presenter: Monica Chavez, University of Wisconsin at Madison
*Breakfast with bagels and more will be served beginning at 9 am.
Professor Monika Chavez is an Associate Chair at the Department of German at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She works on linguistics, second language acquisition and language pedagogy.
ABSTRACT:
The precarious connection between language teaching and second language acquisition (SLA) research: Are they meant for each other?
This talk will not answer the title question. The question however, will encourage us to excavate around some of the conflicts that mar – and perhaps permanently will – what many expect to be a symbiotic relationship.
We will review in brief (a) how SLA since its inception has suffered (or, some may say, benefitted) from multiple disciplinary affiliations that have left the field in definitional muddy waters; (b) how the low regard in which teaching, particularly language teaching, has been held in academic hierarchies over long periods of time has both resulted from and contributed to its conceptual decoupling from research; (c) how new approaches to SLA research, especially those that emphasize the social embedding of teaching & learning, cannot insist on broadly applicable interpretations of its findings; and (d) how as SLA has grown into a scientific field with distinct research paradigms and theories, it has also come to demand a type of literacy only possessed by its own adherents.
As is true for some types of therapy, the goal may not be to get two conflicting partners to stay together but rather to respectfully articulate differences and identify parcels of common ground.
NEW: LANGUAGE SYMPOSIUM 2013:
WORLD LANGUAGES AND THE ROLE THEY PLAY IN ACADEMIA
Please join us for this year’s Language Symposium (Friday, April 12 – Saturday, April 13, 2013), held on the Northwestern University campus in Harris Hall! Please send in a proposal for a session by February 14, 2013! Consult the link for details, including the registration form and accommodations: http://languagesymposium.northwestern.edu
GLOBAL LANGUAGES INITIATIVE
We are very excited to announce the launching of the Global Languages Initiative for 2012-2013! The Global Languages Initiative is a campus-wide effort to promote the importance of multilingual and intercultural skills across all disciplines. To compete, lead, and serve in a rapidly changing and interconnected world, such knowledge is not a luxury, but a necessity for all Northwestern students. Knowing a foreign language and culture is more important than ever! Please explore the recently published webpage, watch the video featuring lots of linguistically inspired Northwestern students, and find out about the exciting events planned for the coming term! http://www.gli.northwestern.edu
Mission
The mission of the Council on Language Instruction (CLI) is to enhance and streamline language instruction across departments and to encourage and support the professional development of language instructors.
Important Dates
Please make a note of the 2012/2013 Funding Application Deadlines:
Requests must be submitted to your chair prior to 5PM on the following dates:
Fall requests: Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Winter requests: Monday, November 19, 2012
Spring requests: Friday, February 22, 2013
Summer requests: Friday, April 26, 2013
Faculty members may apply for support for any subsequent quarter. For example, it is now possible, and highly encouraged, to apply for funding of a Winter, Spring or Summer project in the Fall. For more information, consult the professional development site of the CLI.
News/Announcements
Congratulations to the following members of the language teaching faculty who have recently been promoted and who have received awards!
ASG Faculty Honor Roll 2011-2012
Joel Colom-Mena, Spanish
Edna Grad, Hebrew
Li-Cheng Gu, Chinese
Dominique Licops, French
Paola Morgavi, Italian
Rami Nair, Hindi
Ingrid Zeller, German
Promotions (May 2012):
Shannon Millikin, Spanish, promotion to Senior Lecturer
Jili Sun, Chinese, promotion to Senior Lecturer
Christiane Rey, French, promotion to Distinguished Senior Lecturer
Awards (May 2012):
Penny Nichols, Spanish, Outstanding Freshman Adviser Award
Noriko Taira Yashohama, Japanese, NU Alumni Teaching Award
Uhuru Park, Nairobi. Arthur Buliva
