Modern Languages News - Georgia Tech

Barry and Gail Spurlock Endowed Scholarship Fund

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:44:00 -0400

We are pleased to announce the Barry and Gail Spurlock Endowed Scholarship Fund. This scholorship opportunity will allow students of the German Program in the School of Modern Languages to study abroad for a semester in Germany. For more information, please contact Dr. Bettina Cothran, Director of the German LBAT Program.

German Film Series

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:45:00 -0500

Cinematic Representations of life in Berlin from the Weimar Republic to the Berlin Republic. All films with English subtitles unless noted.

Films shown Tuesdays in Swann 320 at 6 pm.

Flyer

Register for the 2011 Project GO Leadership Conference

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:15:00 -0400

Registration

Accommodations

McKnight Commemorative Celebration

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:34:00 -0400

Please join the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and its School of Modern Languages for

A Commemorative Celebration
of the Life and Works of

Phil McKnight,

Chair of the School of Modern Languages

Thursday, September 15, 2011
2:00 - 3:00pm

Swann Building
613 Cherry Street

A reception will be held in the Swann garden following the program

The McKnight family will be with us for this memorial.

For those who may not be aware, Dr. McKnight passed away suddenly of unknown cause during the Labor Day holiday.

The McKnight family has requested that gifts in memory of Dr. McKnight be made through the Georgia Tech Foundation. The funds will be directed to the Phil McKnight Memorial Fund, which will be used to honor his legacy of accomplishments and visionary leadership in the form of a commemorative tree planting on campus and through a scholarship to benefit students who study abroad in his ground-breaking applied language and intercultural studies program.

Check contributions for the memorial should be made payable to the Georgia Tech Foundation and sent to Dr. Juan A. McGruder, Director of Development, Ivan Allen College, Atlanta, GA 30332-0525.

Phil McKnight, Modern Languages Chair, Passes Away

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:53:00 -0400

Phil McKnight, Professor of German and Chair of the School of Modern Languages in Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts passed away unexpectedly of unknown cause during the Labor Day holiday. He was 69.

McKnight joined Georgia Tech as chair in August 2001 and rapidly transformed the Institute’s 107-year old modern languages curricula into one of the nation’s premier programs. Today, his ground-breaking applied language and intercultural studies approach attracts 21% of Georgia Tech students to language studies compared to the 8% national average.

McKnight expanded the school’s language curricula from six to nine languages including Arabic and Farsi. He oversaw the growth of the joint major in International Affairs and Modern Languages from six students to well over 150. In 2005, he established the joint degree in Global Economics and Modern Languages and in 2010 the BS in Applied Languages and International Studies (ALIS) in Modern Languages.

McKnight forged connections throughout the College and Institute resulting in the creation of key programs. He initiated the International Plan combining international internships with study abroad for students in engineering and computing and currently integrated into 26 majors. Even before the Work Abroad Program started in 2005, he sent students to Germany and Japan on internship programs, which have continued to be successful programs today. He fostered continued growth of the school’s signature Languages for Business and Technology (LBAT) faculty-led summer study abroad programs conducted in the target language. He also forged vibrant partnerships with our ROTC programs supporting the military’s emphasis on foreign language competency.

McKnight was a forceful advocate for modern language studies framed in the many contexts in which other languages are spoken and he emphasized the critical competitive edge they provide to 21st century students entering the global workforce.

German Professor Bettina Cothran said, “Phil’s vision and tireless work have been an inspiration to us all. Above all, however, Phil has been a human being of greatest integrity, wisdom, with a generosity of heart that encompassed his entire "family" at Modern Languages. His untimely and unexpected passing leaves us with a profound sense of loss, but also a call to continue to build the School of Modern Languages into a place which creates opportunities for students, faculty and staff to reach their highest aspirations.”

McKnight’s research interests included East German writers, contemporary literary representations of history, late 18th century literature, and applied language learning in the context of the global economy. Major awards and grants from sources including International Institute of Education ROTC Project GO, DOE Business and International Education and Title VI, Fulbright, International Research & Exchanges Board, Woodrow Wilson, National Defense Education Act.

He is survived by his wife Ulrike Hahn-McKnight, two daughters, Anna and Ursula, a son Lukas Hahn, his mother Dortha Evans McKnight, his siblings Laurie, Jill, and Stephen, and a nephew Nathaniel.

A private service was held for the family. A commemorative celebration of Dr. McKnight's work and life will be held on campus September 15, 2:00 - 3:00 pm in the lounge area of the Swann Building which houses the School of Modern Languages, at 613 Cherry Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0375. The McKnight family will be present for the commemoration. A reception and refreshments will follow the program.

Memorial Fund

The McKnight family has requested that gifts in memory of Dr. McKnight be made through the Georgia Tech Foundation. The funds will be directed to the Phil McKnight Memorial Fund, which will be used to honor his legacy of accomplishments and visionary leadership in the form of a commemorative tree planting on campus and through a scholarship to benefit students who study abroad in his ground-breaking applied language and intercultural studies program.

Check contributions for the memorial should be made payable to the Georgia Tech Foundation and sent to Dr. Juan A. McGruder, Director of Development, Ivan Allen College, Atlanta, GA 30332-0525.

Sentiments may be shared on line at: http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Phillip-Mcknight&lc=7119&pid=153620943&mid=4810295&locale=en_US

Georgia Tech Receives $200,000 from Coca-Cola to Support Student Study Trips to China

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:22:00 -0400

ATLANTA, July 15, 2011 - The Coca-Cola Foundation, the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, has awarded grants totaling $1 million to six U.S. colleges and universities to send approximately 160 students to study abroad in China over the next four years in support of the U.S. State Department's "100,000 Strong Initiative."

Georgia Tech has received a $200,000 gift to send a total of 30 students to China, 20 on faculty-led summer programs, five for one-year deep immersion programs, and five for semester long immersion programs.

An announcement by the School of Modern Languages and the Office of International Education this fall will be made to inform students about application procedures for each of the programs. The deep immersion scholarship will be $10,000, the semester immersion scholarship will be for $6,000 and the summer program scholarships will be $6,000 each.

The initiative, which supports President Barack Obama's vision to see 100,000 American students study abroad in China, is designed to enhance and strengthen ties between the citizens of the United States and China in the areas of education, culture, sports, science and technology, and women's issues. It has received strong support from the Chinese government and a number of U.S. companies, including Citigroup, Caterpillar and Coca-Cola.

"Through this grant, we hope to establish a stronger relationship, find common ground, and build a better understanding between our nations," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. "We want to promote stronger ties between our two countries and the importance of diversity among our student bodies and global communities."

The Georgia Institute of Technology is among six schools receiving a portion of $1 million donated by the Coca-Cola Foundation to fund study trips to China.

Other institutions receiving grants include Columbia University, Michigan State University, the UCLA, the University of Texas, Austin and Morehouse College.

New Faculty Joining the School of Modern Languages

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:58:00 -0400

Three new faculty members will be joining the School of Modern Languages beginning in August 2011. In French, we welcome Dr. Michael Wiedorn, who studies comparative literature and literary theory in the Francophone world; in German, Dr. Jan Uelzmann, specializing in 20th century German literature and culture; and in Spanish, Dr. Osvaldo Cleger, who examines digital platforms like blogs and web pages and their influence on authorship, especially in Hispanic cultures. During Fall 2011, Dr. Cleger will be teaching two sections of SPAN 3111 (Composition) as well as SPAN 4160 (US Spanish: Language and Cultures); Dr. Uelzmann will be teaching GRMN 2001 and GRMN 3011 (Germany Today); and Dr. Wiedorn will be teaching FREN 2001 and FREN 4102 (Francophone Literature II).

New Class in Farsi / Persian for Fall 2011!

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:35:00 -0400

Starting in Fall 2011, the School of Modern Languages will begin teaching Farsi/Persian. We have received funding to begin an elementary Farsi course. This will be taught by Roya Mesbah and is listed as PERS 1814 (CRN 91761); the course meets MWF 3:05-3:55 and W 4:05-4:55. Currently we plan to offer the subsequent course during Spring 2012.

Modern Languages Receives a $75,000 Gift from the Halle Foundation for Student Scholarships to Germany

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:15:00 -0400

School of Modern Languages' German Unit Forms Partnership with The Halle Foundation

June 13, 2011

Modern Languages has announced an important new partnership with The Halle Foundation.

Next fall will be the inaugural semester for the Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (ALIS) Bachelor of Science degree at Georgia Tech and through a generous grant from The Halle Foundation, students pursuing the degree's German track will be able to spend a semester studying in Germany.