MODL Newsletter
March 2008
Dep art m en t o f
M o d ern Lan g u ag es
Letter from the Chair
Spring 2008, a time of intense transitions for us in
Modern Languages. After completing the fall semester of
2007, and briefly catching our breath during the holiday
season, everyone was back to work in January. The accomplishments since then have been remarkable. We have
hired two new faculty members: Dr. Nicole Price and Dr.
Karina Collentine, who will be joining us next fall (see p. 2).
Our ability to work together will again be put to
the test when we join efforts for the upcoming Modern
Languages Day on March 28 in DuBois Center. The brainchild of Dr. Erika Hess, this event is an opportunity to
showcase the wealth of multi-cultural knowledge and experience that we as a Department have to offer to the Flagstaff and NAU community. Let’s help the 200 plus highschool students that will be attending realize how they also
can become citizens of the world.
On a personal note, the past 8 months have been
intensely rewarding and challenging for me. After traveling
to Sevilla, Spain in October of 2007, to participate in the
XVII Conference of the Asociación de Literatura y Cultura
Femenina Hispánica, to present a paper about the work of
Chilean writer Guadalupe Santa Cruz, I had the chance to
begin conversations with Dr. Rosa Morillas of the Universidad de Granada to explore the possibility of developing an
exchange program with NAU in the future. And in November I traveled to Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México, to participate in Arizona – Mexico Commission, also known as
the Comisión Sonora Arizona, plenary. Having the chance
to attend reminded me of how the history, culture, and the
future of both states have been and will continue to be
deeply connected. Here in northern Arizona, although farther away from the border with Mexico, we also share that
history. I feel privileged to be part of a group that has creatively embraced the challenges and responsibilities that
come from being neighbors.
As we approach the summer of 2008 I know that
most, if not all of Modern Languages faculty, and students,
are already getting their passports ready to venture beyond.
Just keep in touch.
¡Hasta la próxima vez!
Dr. Cecilia Ojeda
www.cal.nau.edu/languages/
Student Achievements
Winners of the second writing
contest for Spanish lower division
classes:
In her classes, Dr. Patricia
Frederick discusses films of the
2nd Annual Tournées French
Film Festival held
February 23-24, 2008.
Creative Books SPA101
1st place: Claren Wolf
2nd place: Lindsey Owen
Portfolios SPA102
1st place: Rachel Vawinkle
2nd place: Shaylee Davis
NAU students in the Annecy,
France, summer program.
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Page 2
Graduate Student Achievements
The Modern Languages Department wants to congratulate three Graduate Assistants in our Master in Teaching Spanish program - Curtis Kleinman, Valerie Jepson
and Audra Travelbee-that are graduating this next May.
These graduate students have taken classes in three areas: Linguistics, Literature and Pedagogy, passed a
comprehensive exam, taught lower-division Spanish
classes, and completed a capstone project in order to
get their degrees. Their capstone projects reflect their
research and pedagogical interests:
Curtis Kleinman:
Audra Travelbee:
Valerie Jepson:
"The retention of Spanish mood by English dominant bilinguals."
"Acquisition of irregular verb forms in the study abroad context."
"Linking in Spanish pronunciation: The effects in comprehension when teaching it to
beginning students."
To find out more about the program and apply go to: www.cal.nau.edu/languages/spamat/spanishmat/html/
New Faculty Members Joining MODL in Fall 2008:
Dr. Nicole Price was born and raised in Tennessee although she has spent most of
her adult life in the Midwest. She received her PhD in Latin American literature (2005)
with a focus on literature of the African Diaspora in Spanish from the University of
Missouri-Columbia. Since graduation, she has taught at Denison University and Muskingum College, both located in Ohio. Nicole joins the department of Modern Languages at NAU as an Assistant Professor of Spanish where she will teach a variety of
language and literature courses. Some of her research interests are the Post-colonial
narrative of Equatorial Guinea, the recovery of the history and voice of peoples of African descent in Latin America through narrative and the (re)creation of history through
narration. In her free time she likes to go dancing, travel, watch sports and dine on
authentic Southern cuisine. She is looking forward to moving to Flagstaff and teaching
at NAU.
Dr. Karina Collentine was raised in Puerto Rico, daughter of an American father
and a Danish mother. Karina completed her PhD (1997) in Foreign Language Education
at the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught for the past 12 years at Yavapai
College where she also served as chair of the Languages and ESOL department. Karina
joins the faculty in the department of Modern Languages at NAU as a second language
specialist and she will concentrate her efforts on secondary education issues. Her research interests include second language acquisition and pedagogy. In her free time,
Karina enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and entertaining.
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Alumni News
Andy Wilhelm (German) writes: I'm still at Monterey,
CA. I couldn't learn Farsi as quickly as they wanted me
to, much to my dismay and that has sent a whole set of
events in motion. The Pentagon told me two things:
Under no circumstances was I leaving the Foreign Area
Program and under no circumstance could I get out of
going to Bangladesh. Now why am I learning French?
Because I have to have a language coming out of here
and they thought I could learn French. But also I may be
one of the new breed of Foreign Area officers that is
world-wide deployable (i.e. I speak several languages).
Right now I wish I wasn't so popular with some guys in
Washington. If some colonels had their way, I'd be sitting in Bangladesh right now. I'm still fighting to keep
some type of balance between my career and the needs
of the Army. But I should be leaving for Dhaka, Bangladesh sometime in March. I'll be studying at their Staff
College for a year and traveling through South Asia for
familiarization. I'm in contact with many people who
have been there and I'm learning lots. Next year, I
should be at college again getting my Masters. I've been
told that Georgetown, John Hopkins, and University of
Texas (Austin) are some good possibilities though the
idea of going to Lund, Sweden has also been floated.
Jessamyn Snider (Spanish) graduated from the MA
program in December of 2006 and has since been living
in Mexico. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Bilateral
Studies: U.S.-Mexico Relations at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City.
However, she is continuing to teach English as a private
tutor and also for business executives. Upon graduation from UNAM, she plans on returning to the U.S.
and teaching Spanish and Latin American studies at the
high school or community college level.
Joshua Forrest (German) writes: I just finished my
finals here at Westminster Seminary California, and I'm
now in my second of three years. I'm pursuing a degree
in historical theology, which will require me to write a
thesis. After much indecision, I finally decided on what I
think I'm going to pursue for PhD work. It will allow me
MODL Newsletter, Vol. 1.2
Editor: Dr. Astrid Klocke
Phone: (928) 523-6235
Astrid.Klocke@nau.edu
Page 3
We want to hear from you! Contact us
with your news: Astrid.Klocke@nau.edu
to combine all of my interests (German, philosophy,
theology, and literature). The person that I'm researching is the German theologian/philosopher, Friedrich
Scheiermacher. Some inside sources tell me that there
is a great interest in his theology and philosophy. Indeed, he is a fascinating figure. Most of his work is still
in German; the library at Westminster is purchasing
some of the books that I need, so rest assured--I haven't left German behind. It is going to be an integral part
of my thesis. Also, some theological works that he was
interested in remain in Latin. My Latin is increasingly
getting better (I'm the Latin TA). My ultimate goal is to
go to Germany for my PhD. I'm going to try to do some
immersion program this summer.
Garett Jackson (German) writes: Army 4.5 years Iraq, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Korea, Germany
(only a couple days unfortunately). My time in the army
is up in a couple days. Rachel and I have two boys
(Preston almost 2 years, and Spencer 6 months). Parenthood is great, but physically tiring at times. We are
moving to Canada for the next half year so that I can
work as a student researcher at a children's hospital in
Toronto. That is the next short term adventure for us,
next summer I will start medical school. Have been accepted at Wake Forest, Creighton, and a couple other
places. Am waiting to hear back from UofA. Not sure
where we will end up (if only there was a medical
school in Flagstaff!), but life has been very good to us.
www.cal.nau.edu/languages/
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Page 4
Alumni News ...
Kristen Richard (French) writes:
During my years at NAU, while taking French
through all the levels, I knew I wanted the language to be
a part of my life, not just ending when I received my
Bachelor of Arts in French. While studying, I participated
in a summer course that NAU had combined with ASU,
which was a 5-week program during the summer of
1999, with the first week spent in Le Mains, the last
weeks in Paris. Mme Bauge-McCollum was the instructor
from NAU, guiding us through her homeland. We
learned a lot, and realized how much different it is to
speak French not in a classroom, but on a crowded Parisian street.
Study Abroad
That experience alone propelled me to want
more of France, to live there longer, and experience the
true way of French life. The opportunity came for me,
September 2001 to June 2002, to study in Strasbourg. My
experience was amazing while living there. In an apartment, I thrived in my daily Strasbourgeois life, taking advantage of all the traveling do be done within and around
France, and my French becoming more fluent. I soon began dreaming in French, my conversations were fluent, it
was wonderful, I hated returning home.
When I did return home from my academic year
abroad, I received my diploma, and didn't know what to
do. As the world was still recovering from the terrorist
attacks in September 2001, the economy was harsh, and
finding a job was harsher, especially one to do with
French! I soon found a job at a travel agency, and
worked there for a few years, and once in a while was
able to use my French.
Jobs in the Real World
I wasn't settled with where I was, and needed to
go back to France to pursue my masters. I did leave in
January 2005 to go on what I thought was a two-year
stay in Paris, while obtaining my masters degree in International Relations. Three months into this stint the program was no longer accredited, and after not being able
to find work in French due to visa issues, I headed home.
I then worked at Club Med, which has French ties. Then
I landed at a major corporate travel agency, which had
French extensions. I plugged along as any American does,
trying to make a buck, stay with the economy, still not
settled. I was getting frustrated with things, and wondered that there has got to be something more for me.
Well, my shining moment came, when I saw a job posting
for a position with Air France, to be in Phoenix! I couldn't believe my eyes, and had to check the source straight
away. Sure enough, Air France was looking for someone
to live and work in Phoenix, and be able to travel to promote Air France, to the West Coast of the USA. I was
persistent in getting my resume reviewed, I must have
sent 20 copies, I didn't want it to go unseen.
Dream Job.
I was flown to New York City for my interview,
and I loved being in the Air France USA Headquarters!
People were murmuring in French, everyone was international, I felt at home and at ease, which is hard to say
in the corporate world these days. I felt I was perfect for
the job, and I soon found out so did they. I couldn't believe when I was offered the job! It was, and still is, truly
a dream come true. I never once thought I'd be sitting
here, working for a company as Air France, and I'm
elated. Being the West Coast sales rep for Air France, I
am the face of Air France to many of the companies that
I visit. That says a lot, it can be intimidating, but it’s what
I've been meant to do, and I'm enjoying this ride.
Happy Ending
It does take persistence to get what you want. Things do
happen, and not at the pace you want them to. I certainly
didn't like the pace and struggles my life was going in, I
wanted my break, my chance. I got that chance, just 5
years after graduating! I knew there was something wonderful around the bend, I just didn't know how to get
there.
Going back to the path and people that helped
me get this far, I thank the professors at NAU, such as
Nicole Bauge-McCollum, and Patricia Frederick, who
gave me the chance to discover what living abroad would
offer me. They encouraged me, they inspired me, and
they still are inspirational. I thoroughly enjoyed my time
spent in the Modern Languages department, and I am
proud to be not just an NAU alum, but an alum of the
Modern Languages department, and more so an alum of
the French section.
Dreams really do come true, one just needs faith
in themselves to know what's in their heart of hearts,
and to go for it, no matter the circumstances and consequences. Determination is also key, and seeing things
through to the end is quite important. Above all else,
patience is the greatest virtue, it will all come in time.
Merci beaucoup et bon voyage!
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Page 5
Alumni News ...
J. Ruston Barczy, writes from Querétaro, Mexico: I am simply enchanted and in constant awe of this place. I am discovering all sorts of new treasures daily where I live. I am learning spectacular lessons all the time, in and out of class. I
am so pleased with our group of students. There is an exceptional dynamic. I am constantly impressed with how well
this experience is coming together. I’m ever so grateful for this adventure.
James Ruston Barczy was the recipient of a $1000 scholarship to study in Querétaro, Mexico during Spring Semester 2008. The
seed money was raised from donations taken at the door of the Clifford E. White Theatre for plays presented by Bob Neustadt's
Spanish 322 Drama class. The students presented five one-act plays in Spanish:
"El delantal blanco" by Chilean Sergio Vodanovic,
"El mono que se convirtió en hombre" and "El hombre que se convirtió en perro" by Argentine Osvaldo Dragún,
"Nadie puede saberlo" by Chilean Enrique Bunster, and
"La mariposa blanca" by Chilean Gabriela Roepke.
The Department of Modern Languages donated additional money to bring the NAU contribution up to $500. The Interamerican
University Studies Institute matched that amount, bringing the entire scholarship up to $1000.
If you would like to donate to MODL Department Funds, please see the Back Page
Guest Speaker: A Unique French Medieval Manuscript
Barbara K. Altmann, Professor of French and Chair of
the Department of Romance Languages at the University of
Oregon, gave a talk at NAU on Monday February 18 on an
extraordinary French medieval manuscript.
The talk, entitled ―A Knight Errant in Oregon: Editing a Medieval Epic and Unique Manuscript,‖ focused on a manuscript
owned by the Knight Library at the University of Oregon.
The manuscript, which includes four fourteenth-century epic
texts, is an ―unicum‖—the only surviving copy in the world.
In order to make this text available to scholars throughout
the world, Professor Altmann is working with the University
of Oregon’s Wired Humanities Project to digitize the manuscript for eventual on-line consultation.
Professor Altmann’s talk incorporated slides of the manuscript itself, an overview of manuscript studies, transcription
and translation, and discussion of literary and historical issues surrounding the manuscript. The talk drew students
and faculty from a variety of disciplines across the campus-French, German, Spanish, music, history, art history, philosophy and English.
Guest Speaker, Dr. Barbara K. Altmann,
from the University of Oregon and
NAU Assistant Professor of French,
Dr. Erika Hess.
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Page 6
Faculty Notes
Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie (Professor of Navajo)
published Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo’aah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language.
This is the first Navajo language textbook to be printed in full color,
complete with bright, vibrant pictures and color-coded chapters. It is
also the first Navajo language book to be written and published by a
Navajo academic. This 448-page textbook provides a verb-based introduction to the Navajo language for college and secondary level students. Through readings, rare photographs, and writing exercises, students broaden their knowledge of geography, history and culture.
Themes of the chapters include the Navajo Nation government, water
and the care of water, formal education, clan relationships, Navajo livestock, cooking and eating, traveling, work and the work place, and Navajo teachings. Students will rediscover the Navajo language and develop communicative competence with Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo’aah: Rediscovering the Navajo Language.
Inez Nez (Instructor of Navajo)
reports: The Spring 2008 Navajo 202 class consists of twelve students. Ten of them have been with me since I
began teaching at NAU three semesters ago. They all plan to minor in Navajo. My students are all very hard
workers and are strongly rooted in the teachings of their elders. The neat thing about Dr. Evangeline ParsonsYazzie’s Navajo textbook, ―Rediscovering the Navajo Language,‖ is that it not only teaches Navajo language but
also reinforces our Navajo elders’ teachings. I’ve asked the Navajo 202 students to submit a short piece answering the question ―
– ―What am I learning?‖ Here are some of their answers:
Hello. My name is Patricia Chee. I am from the Tangle People Clan, born for the Zia People Clan. I am
going to school at NAU. This semester, I am learning to write and speak Navajo. I am also learning
about Navajo teachings.
Greetings. My name is Ravis Henry. In my Navajo 202 class I am learning well. I am learning how to tell
weather in Navajo, as well as some Navajo traditional teachings. I am also learning new place names in
Navajo. That is how much I have learned so far, to this day, in Navajo 202. That is all.
Hello, In the Fall (semester) I learned about Navajoland. Now, I am learning about Weather, Traveling,
and Navajo Teachings. I made new friends and the instructor is great. Thank you.
[Written by
(Glennasba) Augborne, 1st Attendant Miss Indian NAU.]
MODL Newsletter March 2008
Page 7
Faculty Notes ...
Dr. Karen Schairer
(Associate Prof. of Spanish)
writes: Is it the language
we love, or the people
who speak it? For me, it’s
the people, their voices,
the special shape of their
words, their eyes as they
share amazing moments,
quietly happy times, bruising times, and silly adventures. Stereotypes melt
away as we listen to them.
It is truly said that every
life is a novel. My passion,
my legacy, is this video archive of oral histories,
memories and experiences
shared with me by people
from all over the Hispanic
world. The archive has
grown from 250 to almost
500 interviews through the
support of a Fulbright grant
to El Salvador leading to
the creation of the National Salvadoran Archive
of Oral Histories. What’s it
good for? Dialect study,
insights into contemporary
history, glimpsing new cultures, discourse analysis,
and meaningful entertainment. Next destinations,
Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia
and Peru.
Dr. Juanita Heredia
(Associate Prof. of Spanish)
organized and will chair a
panel, ―Negotiating Identity, Culture and History in
Recent Latina Narratives:
Sandra Cisneros’s Caramelo and Company‖ for
the upcoming Rocky
Mountain Council of Latin
American Studies conference to take place in April
2008 in Flagstaff. Curtis
Kleinman and Gina Blue,
who are in the Spanish
M.A.T. program, will also
present papers on this
panel. Their work is a result of the projects/final
papers they completed in
the graduate course SPA
531, Hispanic Writers in
the United States, in Fall
2007, taught for the first
time by Dr. Heredia at
NAU.
Dr. Joseph Collentine
(Associate Prof. of Spanish)
and
Dr. Yuly Asención-Delaney
(Assistant Prof. of Spanish)
invited to campus this past
December of 2007 Dr.
Hui-Chuan Lu, a visiting
scholar at the University of
Texas at Austin who holds
a position as Professor of
Spanish at National Cheng
Kung University in Taiwan.
Dr. Lu is building a corpus
of Spanish learner writing
samples, and came to Flagstaff to investigate the possibility of using the 'tagger'
that Dr. Collentine wrote.
Dr. Collentine and Dr.
Asención are using this
software package to code
every word of a half-million
word learner corpus of
Spanish for various types of
grammatical information
and conduct fine-grained
analyses of different aspects of how learners progress from first-year Span-
ish to full proficiency. Dr.
Lu is coordinating the creation of a large-scale corpus
of Mandarin Chinese learners' writing, which ranges
from first-year to advanced-level learners of the
language. Dr. Lu came to
investigate the use of the
tagger for analyzing her
project. She spent two
days in Northern Arizona,
viewing the technological
tools that our Spanish faculty have to offer as well as
the beautiful winter views.
At present, we are in negotiations for the use of the
tagger by the Taiwanese
university.
Dr. Yuly Asención-Delaney
was awarded the teacher
of the year for the College
of Arts and Letters 20072008.
Dr. Robert Neustadt
(Associate Prof. of Spanish)
was invited to write the
section on Chile for the
book catalog of an exhibition entitled
ARTE ≠
VIDA: ACTIONS BY ARTISTS OF THE AMERICAS
1960-2000 at the Museo
del Barrio in New York.
He was also invited to give
a presentation and a gallery
talk during the book release in May.
Anne Slobodchikoff
(Lecturer of Russian)
Three NAU students are
preparing for their exchange trip to Russia this
summer. The group, led by
Anne Slobodchikoff, will
leave at the end of May.
They will have a cultural
program in Moscow and St.
Petersburg and will have a
month-long
academic/cultural program in
Barnaul, south-central Siberia, and the Altay Mountains near the Mongolian
border. In Barnaul, three
Russian students are taking
the TOEFL exam and making their preparations for
their semester-long NAU
academic experience this
next fall.
Dr. Richard Helt
(Emeritus Prof. of German)
who lives in Davis, CA,
continues to volunteer in
the German section at
Davis High School, assisting
with advanced German 4-6
levels in the very successful
program. He is also active
in the school's German
American Partner Program,
helping to facilitate a
month-long stay in Davis
for 20 students from the
partner school in Wadern,
Germany, this spring. In
the summer, Dr. Helt will
also accompany the American students from Davis
High on their own monthlong stay in Wadern. That
trip will include a week of
travel to Berlin by bus.
Nothing like a class of 16year-olds to keep an
Emeritus on his toes!
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