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HF2: Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC)


About

This Working Group brings together program coordinators, instructors, and others interested in Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC). It is also welcoming to those seeking to start such initiatives.

Open to New People

Active since: 2020

  • Syracuse University
  • University of Rochester
  • Cornell University
  • Colgate University
  • Skidmore College

Collaborative Goals

The main goal of the CLAC Working Group is to provide a space for faculty and administrators to discuss and advance knowledge related to the Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC) framework. CLAC provides opportunities to develop and apply language and intercultural competence within all academic disciplines through the use of multilingual resources and the inclusion of multiple cultural perspectives. The working group will help identify ways to incorporate diverse languages and cultures across academic disciplines, thereby enhancing the translingual and transcultural competence of their students. The group will also promote the visibility of CLAC programs and will advocate for the adoption of the CLAC framework across higher education.

Group Organizers

Amanda Brown

Associate Professor of Linguistics, Syracuse University

Angelika Kraemer

Language Resource Center Director, Cornell University

Cory Duclos

Director of the Keck Center for Language Study, Colgate University

Juliane Wuensch

Assistant Professor of German; German Program Coordinator; Skidmore College

Maria Teresa Valdez

Director of the Language Center; Head, Portuguese Program; University of Rochester

Mary Beth Helderle

Director of the Language Center, Hamilton College

Group Members

  • Nady Abdal-Ghaffar, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Coordinator of Arabic Language Instruction, Colgate University
  • Amany Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies, Colgate University
  • Nick Albertson, Assistant Professor of Japanese, Colgate University
  • Afrah Alfatli, Senior Lecturer in Arabic, University of Rochester
  • Claire Baldwin, Associate Professor of German and Department of German Chair, Colgate University
  • Diana Barnes, Senior Teaching Professor of Spanish, Skidmore College
  • Emma Britton, LRC Academic Programs Manager, Cornell University
  • Gail Bulman, Associate Professor of Spanish, Syracuse University
  • John Crespi, Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Colgate University
  • Martin Dawson, Visiting Assistant Professor of German, Colgate University
  • Megan Ferry, Professor of Chinese, Union College
  • Timothy Freiermuth, Senior Lecturer of French, Skidmore College
  • Stefano Giannini, Associate Professor and Italian Program Coordinator, Syracuse University
  • Charlene Grant, Senior Lecturer of Spanish, Skidmore College
  • Rania Habib, Associate Professor and Arabic Program Coordinator, Syracuse University
  • Masako Inamoto, Associate Professor of Japanese, Skidmore College
  • María Lander, Professor of Spanish, Skidmore College
  • Yuan-Jun Liao, Keck Center Chinese Intern, Colgate University
  • Aurélie Matheron, Assistant Professor of French, Skidmore College
  • Pilar Mejía-Barrera, Senior Lecturer in Spanish, Colgate University
  • Franziska Merklin, Senior Lecturer of Italian and Research Affiliate in Romance Languages and Literature, Colgate University
  • Monica Escudero Moro, Senior Lecturer in Spanish, Colgate University
  • Oscar Pérez, Associate Professor of Spanish and Director of Latin American and Latinx Studies, Skidmore College
  • Ping Pian, Associate Professor of Instruction in Chinese, University of Rochester
  • Mahadevi Ramakrishnan, Senior Lecturer in French, Colgate University
  • Viviana Rangil, Professor of Spanish and Department Chair, Skidmore College
  • Catherine Talley, Teaching Professor of French, Skidmore College
  • Masami Tamagawa, Senior Teaching Professor of Japanese, Skidmore College
  • M. Emma Ticio Quesada, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Spanish and Linguistics, Syracuse University
  • Juliane Wuensch, Assistant Professor of German, Skidmore College
  • Bernd Estabrook, Profesor of Global Studies - German, Illinois College
  • Michelle Gravatt, Teaching Associate Professor and LAC Director & Language Exchange Manager, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Jean Janecki, Language Resource Center Coordinator and Liaison, Mount Holyoke College
  • William Pavlovich, Director of Global Learning Initiatives, Binghamton University
  • Deborah Reisinger, Associate Professor of the Practice of Romance Studies and Director of Duke's Language Outreach Initiatives, Duke University
  • Kanishka Sen, Associate Professor of Spanish and Program Lead of Modern Languages, Ohio Northern University
  • Dan Soneson, Director Emeritus of the Language Center, University of Minnesota
  • H. Stephen Straight, Professor Emertius of Anthropology and of Linguistics, Binghamton University
  • Veronica Vegna, Director of the Italian Language Program, Languages Across the Curriculum Coordinator, and Senior Instructional Professor, University of Chicago
  • Blanca Yagüe, Associate Instructor in Anthropology, University of Utah
  • JY Zhou, Director and Senior International Officer, Office of Global Engagement, Stockton University

Group Outcomes

  • The Learning Community (LC) connected the four CLAC Working Group partner campuses (Colgate, Cornell, Skidmore, and Syracuse) and led to a new working group member (Rochester). A colleague from Union College also participated and is in the early stages of discussions around CLAC on her campus.
  • The activities offered an interinstitutional opportunity to exchange best practices in language teaching and review basic principles of SLA, content-based language teaching, and assessment, and their application to CLAC. The insights from conversations with colleagues from different institutions were highlighted by many participants as invaluable (see quotes below).
  • The mix of synchronous and asynchronous components provided maximum flexibility for participation.
  • Participants collaborated on shared notes during Zoom breakout rooms that were shared among all via Jamboard, a new form of engagement that lives beyond the synchronous sessions.
  • The LC brought together seasoned CLAC practitioners and administrators and those new to the field for fruitful conversations that helped move the field forward.
  • The workshop by author Florencia Henshaw offered hands-on opportunities to collaborate and learn.
  • All participants who completed our survey strongly agreed or agreed with the following statements: - Engaging with colleagues across my institution and also with those from three other Corridor campuses was an enriching experience. - I am glad I signed up for this LC. - I would recommend this LC to a colleague. Recurring highlights were:
    • "Meeting people sharing a same interest."
    • "Having the time and space to discuss pedagogy with other language instructors was very valuable. I liked the book selection very much - just the right combination of theory and practice."
    • "Synchronous meetings with language educators not just from my own institution but from others were excellent."