A Year in Germany Gives Michigan Tech Student New Insights

Screen Shot 2017-03-16 at 2.33.40 PMWhy would someone put acceptance to a prestigious law school on hold to spend a year in Germany?  That’s just what Russell Lawson did, and he doesn’t regret a minute of it.

Lawson, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in economics at Michigan Technological University in 2016, has been accepted into the University of Michigan Law School, but he chose to spend this year participating in the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange program.  In Germany, he’s going to school, working a job, immersing himself in the culture.

Lawson calls the competitive program, known as the ‘’Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm’’ in German, a “cultural exchange program aimed at promoting understanding and cooperation between the two countries.”  It includes 75 participants chosen from all over the US, representing a majority of states and multiple fields of study. “We have engineers, bio chem majors, those who study music, politics, international relations, two welders and four chefs/bakers, really a diverse group,” Lawson explains.

Read the full story.

In the News: The Monroe News (Minnesota) published a feature article about Russell Lawson, a Michigan Tech student who is spending a year on a fellowship in Germany.

by Mary LeDoux, student writing intern

Fourth RTC (Rhetoric, Theory and Culture) Graduate Seminar

PhD Students Vincent Manzie and Tolulope Odebunmi will present their papers on the topic of “Crisis and Communication in Cross-Cultural Contexts” at the RTC Colloquium from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday (Feb. 24) in Walker 134.

Manzie’s presentation will be “Applying the Rhetoric of Renewal Model in a Contemporary African Context: Lessons Learned from the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Crisis in Nigeria.”

Odebunmi will present “Whatsapp: A Safe Haven for Gender Transgression?”

Read the abstracts online.

Michigan Tech Alum in episodes of “This Is Us”

Eric Michael JohnsonEric Michael Johnson, who graduated with a degree in Scientific and Technical Communication in 2012, was featured in an article in the Duluth News Tribune for earning a role as the drumming instructor in two episodes of the NBC drama “This Is Us” (Season 1, Episodes 13 and 14).

While at Michigan Tech, Johnson created a parody video of Al Yankovic’s “White and Nerdy” for a digital media course. In the article, Johnson recalls his time filming the video:

“It celebrates the geek, nerd culture at Michigan Tech. It is a celebration of that because I absolutely identify as a big sci-fi geek,” he said. Being in front and behind the camera in creating the video, he said “it was right around then that I really started to fall in love with the idea of filmmaking.”

Modern Language Film Series

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The Department of Humanities, Modern Language Program, presents 3 language films.

All films will screen in Walker 134

Screen Shot 2017-02-20 at 2.13.01 PMFebruary 23, 2017, 7:00 PM
Spanish Affair (Martinez-Lazaro, 2014)
In this romantic comedy, Sevillian Rafa is so smitten with Amaia, a Basque woman, that he’ll do whatever it takes to win her heart – no matter how outrageous.

 

Screen Shot 2017-02-20 at 2.13.09 PMMarch 23, 2017, 7:00 PM
C.R.A.Z.Y. (Vallee, 2005)
Born on Christmas Day, 1960, Zac knew he was different from his four brothers but was desperate to fit in.  During the next 20 years he tries to live a lie, but a life full of surprise and unexpected experiences leads Zac to accept his true nature.

 

Screen Shot 2017-02-20 at 2.13.18 PMApril 6, 2017, 7:00 PM
Barbara (Petzold, 2012)
In this impeccably crafted Cold War thriller, a Berlin doctor is banished to a rural East German hospital as punishment for applying for an exit visa.  Barbara is a subtle portrait of a woman caught between her desire for freedom and her sense of responsibility.

 

RTC Colloquium: Crisis and Communication in Cross-Cultural Contexts

RTC Colloquium event posterThe Department of Humanities is pleased to announce a Rhetoric, Theory and Culture Colloquium to be held on Friday, February 24 titled “Crisis and Communication in Cross-Cultural Contexts.” RTC student Vincent Manzie will first present his talk “Applying the Rhetoric of Renewal Model in a Contemporary African Context: Lessons Learned from the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Crisis in Nigeria” followed by RTC student Tolulope Odebunmi presenting “Whatsapp: A Safe Haven for Gender Transgression?” Ramon Fonkoué will be providing commentary to the presenters.

Please join us 4 p.m. Friday, February 24 in Walker 134.