Category: Modern Languages

Student Spends a Summer in Germany

image147648-rsideEthan Klein, a third year mechanical engineering student with a minor in German at Michigan Tech has always had a fascination for Germany and German culture.

So you can imagine how excited he was to have been chosen to participate in a Cultural Vistas Fellowship program in Germany.

Cultural Vistas Fellowship awards a select group of students the opportunity to travel abroad, with the goal of increasing understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship in a global market. The two-month program destinations include Germany, India and Argentina. The students undergo an intensive two-day training program in New York prior to departure, preparing them to live and work in their selected countries; they then share their experiences in New York once again, when they return.

Klein, whose fascination with German history is fueled by his family ancestry, was thrilled to have the opportunity to not only go to Germany, but to secure an internship where he and his team members worked on a testing apparatus for linear led lighting systems.

When Klein was younger, his family hosted a German exchange student, Matthias Straubinger. Klein’s family kept in contact with Matthias over the years. Klein was very pleased to be able to spend time with Matthias while in Germany. The two toured some of the local sights, including a historic park in the Grunewald Forest and a castle built in 1542 by Prince-Elector Joachim II.

Read the full story.

French-Canadian Heritage Week in Michigan

In celebration of French-Canadian Heritage Week in Michigan, the following events are planned:

FC Heritage Week 2016

  • Preview Events—Saturday, Sept. 24, 11 am – 1:00 pm,  Lake Linden Park
  • Children’s Story Time—Saturday Sept 11am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Children’s Story Time—Wednesday, Sept 28, 10:15 am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Dance—Wednesday, Sept 28, 7-9 pm, Finnish American Heritage Center
  • Children’s Story Time—Thursday, Sept 29, 10:15 am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Performance—Thursday, Sept 29, 7-8 pm, Chassell Heritage Center
  • Organ Recital—Sunday, Oct. 2, 3 pm, St. Joseph’s Church

(For further  information, please click the image.)

Modern Languages Film Series Spring 2016

The Humanities Department Modern Language Program Presents

ML Film Series Spring 2016-PosterFacing Violence Film Series

All Films Free and Open to the Public!

Des Filles en Noir

Thursday, February 25
7:00 pm, 134 Walker
A pair of teenager have become so disillusioned with life that they aren’t able to see any of its beauty. They push their adolescent angst into dangerous territory when a suicide pact proves harder than imagined to carry out. (French, 85 min.)

Wild Tales

Thursday, March 24
7:00 pm, 134 Walker
Inequality, injustice and the demands of the world we live in cause stress and depression for many people. Vulnerable in the face of an unpredictable reality, the characters of Wild Tales cross the think line that divides civilization and barbarism. (Spanish, 122 min.)

Victoria

Thursday, March 31
7:00 pm, 134 Walker
Young exile Victoria longs for some excitement and gets more than she bargains for when a low-stakes robbery goes wrong. A heist thriller with a cinematic twist, Victoria was shot in a single two-hour+ continuous take unfolding in 22 locations. (German, 140 min.)

Form more information about the film series or language study at Michigan Tech, visit Modern Languages.

French-Canadian Heritage Week in Michigan

French-Canadian Heritage WeekIn celebration of French-Canadian Heritage Week in Michigan, the following events are planned:

  • Children’s Story Time—Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10:45 am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Dance—Wednesday Sept 30, 7-9 pm, Finnish American Heritage Center
  • Children’s Story Time—Thursday, Oct. 1, 10:45 am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Concert—Thursday, Oct. 1, 7-8 pm, Chassell Heritage Center
  • Children’s Story Time—Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 am, Portage Lake District Library
  • Music at Farmers Market—Saturday, Oct. 3, 11 am-1 pm, Lake Linden Farmers Market

(For further  information, please click the image.)

Message from Lauren Keenan in Barcelona

Lauren KeenanLauren Keenan has posted this message on our International Programs and Services Facebook page about the great time she’s having in Spain with our Michigan Tech faculty-led program:

“My Study Abroad to Barcelona has taught me how to understand how history and memories influence culture. In addition, I have learned to apply the observations in film, literature, politics, and everyday life to fully comprehend how a city shapes you. This is why we need humanities, they challenge us to think critically in a way we never have before. No one fully understands the importance of studying abroad until you’ve had the experience yourself.”

Humanities, French Embassy Sponsor Workshops

The Department of Humanities will host two professional training sessions financed and co-sponsored by the French Embassy in Washington, DC. The purpose of these workshops is to provide practical training in curriculum and teacher preparation for French for Science and Technology classes and French for the Medical Professions.

These training sessions will also certify universities offering the Professional French Language Diploma–Science and Technology and the Professional French Language Diploma–Healthcare.

An instructor from the Paris International Chamber of Commerce, Alexandra Crendal, will teach the training sessions (May 18-22 for French for Science and Technology classes; May 25-29 for French for the Medical Professions) for a total of 42 faculty members from throughout the United States, structured as follows:

  • Distinguishing the specificities of FLE (French as a Foreign Language) and FOS (French for Specific Purposes).
  • Implementing FOS.
  • Elaboration of a French for Science and Technology/Medical framework.
  • Designing educational activities using authentic documents.
  • Assessing students for French for Science and Technology/Medical framework curriculum.

Humanities Modern Language Program Announces Film Series

Film Series Poster_Spring 2015_bigThe Modern Language program is excited to kick off its bi-annual Film Series this semester on the theme “Alternate Realities.” The films selected for this semester are Africa Paradis, The Wall, and The German Doctor. All have English subtitles.

The first event is the French-language film Africa Paradis, which will screen this Thursday, February 12 at 7:00 pm in Walker 134Africa Paradis turns our worldview on its head by imagining the Africa of the future as a world economic power, prosperous and united, while Europe has suffered a devastating political and economic crisis. When an unemployed French couple illegally enter the “United States of Africa” to find work, they encounter the politics of racism and tolerance.

There will be opportunities to learn more about our language programs and study abroad opportunities, as well as refreshments.

The event is free and open to the whole campus and the community. For more information, please email Dr. Ramon Fonkoué.

Download the poster here.