RGRLL 2004 Newsletter

INCOMING CHAIR'S MESSAGE

I invite you to take a look at our programs and course offerings, our faculty's biographies and the news on present and former students. Many are true success stories. It is my hope that we can convince you, or strengthen your resolve, to join us in an enjoyable adventure of discovery. The fact is that our world presents itself in many languages, and humanity indeed is blessed with enormous diversity. Whether you search for your own family roots or follow a concrete plan on a particular career path, we would be pleased to be of assistance. Students who miss the opportunities to study a foreign language close doors for themselves in more than one way. Without foreign language skills "international" in your career will amount to employment at the "International House of Pancakes."

Functional foreign language skills, an understanding of other cultures and critical reflection of what it means to be an American are attributes which are increasingly necessary for successful careers even in your neighborhood. Right here in Long Beach, a city of over 400,000, almost half of the residents speak a language other then English at home, according to the 2000 national census. The numbers of speakers of a foreign language in Los Angeles County are even higher, in Orange County lower only by a bit. Although without doubt, Spanish is the most often declared language, you will be amazed at the presence of sizable communities of Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian speakers in our back yards! The newly created "Language Map" of the Modern Language Association will inform you, right down to the zip code, about the wealth of languages spoken anywhere in the United States. Please take a look and draw your own conclusion what this might suggest for your career plans. The Modern Language Association advises:

Professionals who know other languages are called on to travel and exchange information with people in other countries throughout their careers. Knowing more than one language enhances opportunities in government, business, medicine and health care, law enforcement, teaching, technology, the military, communications, industry, social service, and marketing. An employer will see you as a bridge to new clients or customers if you know a second language.

When other universities and colleges throughout the United States shut down or reduced many of their FL programs, we expanded and added (Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, new BA in French Studies). RGRLL offers the first BA in Translation and Interpretation (Spanish) in the nation, and plans for further expansion are in progress. We will keep you posted.

Congress has declared 2005 The Year of Foreign Languages. Join in!

Dr. Jutta Birmele

END OF YEAR AWARDS BANQUET

The RGRLL Department celebrated the many accomplishments of it's students at the Second Annual Student Awards Banquet. This year, the celebration was held at the El Dorado Golf Course Restaurant and Event Center on May 5, 2004. Over 150 students, family, faculty and staff joined in an evening of international fun and celebration

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We would like to thank The Nicholson Pipes and Drums Bagpipe Band and the "Hog Handlers"for providing a diverse mix of entertainment during the evening.       

The Hog Handlers with member, French Graduate Student Jordan Ruyle, played a mixture of folk, country, Cajun and blue grassm and had us singing and stomping our feet to original and popular tunes alike. The Nicholson Pipes and Drums Bagpipe Band provided a taste of celtic music not usually available

The RGRLL Awards banquet featured a number of students from the French program in a variety of recognition and performance capacities. As for the awards, the French program recognized Lynda Fine and Jordan Ruyle as outstanding graduating MA recipients, as well as Outstanding Undergraduates, Miso Kim and Ryan C. Jackson.

The food was wonderful, the entertainment delightful and the evening was memorable for all in attendance.

COMMENCEMENT 2004

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Tammy Poor, graduate in German, with family and friends. She received distinction as Finalist for Outstanding Graduate from the College of Liberal Arts, was nominated for Phi Beta Kappa.

Other RGRLL students who received honors are:

• Distinguished Graduate Students
• *Lois Lanes, Spanish
  *Linda Reano, Spanish
  *Jordan Ruyle, French
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  Distinguished Undergraduate Students
• *Jacqueline Cardenas, Spanish
• *Monica Shoemaker, Spanish
• *Lisa Meike Gilmer, German
• *Tammy Poor, German
• *Ryan C. Jackson, French
• *Miso Kim, French
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The following German Graduate Students (M.A. 2004) finished theses:

Shawn Richeson, Once More, With Feeling: Repetition's Ontological and Philosophical Functioning. (115 pages)

Douglas Smith, Methaphorischer und Symbolischer Wiedervereinigungsdiskurs in Die Kosmonauten von Richard David Precht und Junge Talente von André Kubiczek. (72 pages).

Congratulations!

FRENCH PROGRAM NEWS

Rouen and CSULB successfully launched a graduate student exchange that brings a French MA student of English Literature to our campus to teach French, assist with the French Club, and take courses on our campus. By the same token, a CSULB student from the French MA Program teaches English in Rouen, pursues further course work there, and coordinates the activities of the English Club. During the Fall semester, Aurelie Houppe was our Rouen student in residence, while during the Spring, the affable Thibaut Salembier filled this position. Positive feedback from students tells us his program is a hit! Look for Thibaut around the Department and Teaching Associate offices during the 2004-2005 academic year, as he will be our Rouen student in residence for yet another year. Meanwhile, on our exchange front, Debra Boyle, MA student in French at CSULB, spent a most portable year in Rouen teaching, advising, and writing. One of the highlights of her experience was assisting with an American cinema course. She also wrote a number of book reviews on American Studies topics on top of her very busy teaching and coordination schedule. This year Marilana Wittman, a graduate student in French history on our campus, will pick up Debra's work. We look forward to a continuing, fruitful relationship with Rouen.

A May 4, 2004 lecture, "Women of Color in the Haitian Novel", by Elvire Mauroud on the role of Haitian women in the Haitian novel from its inception to the present made for a lively showing as Dr. Mauroud regaled us with provocative songs and rhymes about women from Haiti. This lecture was organized by Professor Najib Redouane, and made possible through the generous support of Dean Abrahamse' office. Professors Clorinda Donato and Laurence Moscato translated the presentation, which was read in both French and English for our multilingual audience.

Two additional lectures were offered by the French Studies Program: "Street Light: Belle Epoque Paris & The Outsider Nocturne", presented by Hollis Clayson, Professor of Art History at Northwestern University on April 27, 2004, and on May 5, 2004, "The Antinomies of Imperial Reason: Colonial Humanism in French West Africa, Gary Wilder, Assistant Professor of Modern European History at Pomona College. These lectures were organized by David Shafer, Assistant Professor of History, and Director of French Studies.

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RUSSIAN PROGRAM NOTES

On Friday, March 19, 2004 two Eastern European Films (Avram Room's "Bed and Sofa", 1927) and Danis Tanovic's ("No Man's Land," 2001) were shown to the public as part of the 39th annual Comparative Literature Conference. Commentators were Dr. Andrei Safirov, (Russian Federation) and Frank Pap (Marina Hight School). Two German Graduate Students (RGRLL) also read papers at this confence. The title of Melissa Etzler's paper was "That's for the Birds! An Analysis of the Crane in Kalatozov's The Cranes are Flying, and Dan Chaffey presented on the topic "Heimkehr: Issues of Identity in Konrad Wolf's Ich war Neunzehn."

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James Joyce graduated from CSULB in May '90 with a BA in German. After graduation, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. He is now a Major and was recently assigned to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He has had many prestigious assignments (e.g. Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base (AFB) and the National Military Command Center (NMCC) at the Pentagon).

He earned a Master of Science in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and taught Astronomy at the University of North Dakota, Lake Region. While an instructor at Vandenberg AFB, he taught subjects such as Spacelift Operations, Satelite Subsystems, Missile Operations, Launch Trajectory and Re-entry, Space Policy Doctrine and Law, and Space Environment.

He writes: "I am now transitioning to my new assignment in Montgomery, Alabama. I will be a full-time student again at the Air Force's Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB. I will earn a Master's Degree there in Military Operational Art and Science. After that, I hope to return to the Pentagon and eventually to command." Jim mentioned how his language studies of German and Russian helped him in his career: "As an augmenting member of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), I used both German and Russian while in Russia. For example, while trying to negotiate a security agreement at the Russian base, Svobodnyy, sometimes the Russian translator couldn't find the right word in English...so we switched to German." Jim has been able to keep his language skills alive and finds them useful for many different reasons: "I travelled in and through Germany many times while working with DTRA and used both languages often in my travels in Europe and also in various parts of California. Also, while working at the NMCC, I worked directly with the personnel in MOLINK--the Washington-Moscow hotline (not really a red phone, but a bunch of computer screens. So much for the Hollywood version!).

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Richard Ascarate (German M.A. '01) reports from Berkeley where he has passed the Comprehensive Exams and is finishing his dissertation, that he is heading to a three-day conference at Harvard to present a paper "Gebraucht wurden ...100 Neger, 25 Chinesen": Colonialist Fantasies in Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis." Richard has already an impressive resumé, having published ten papers, in addition to several translations and having presented a dozen papers at conferences. We are proud of you, Richard!

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Three former students of Russian a CSULB have received Ph.D.s and are now teaching in their respective fields.

Robert Doebler (Physics, 1990) receive Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Virini n is no teaching science at the Webb College Preparatory School in Claremont, CA. As a student of Russian at CSULB, Bob participated in a prestigious summer science program in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Naali Churuk (Business, 1992) earned a Ph.D. in Accounting and is an Assistant Professor of Business at Northern Illinois University. When Natalie studied at CSULB, she completed all the courses required for a Minor in Russian.

Vesna Marcina (Political Science, 1993) was awarded the Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000. She is now teaching at Citrus College in Glendora, California. Verna received the Certificate in Russian and Eastern European Studies during her undergraduate days at CSULB.

FACULTY NEWS

Visiting Scholar:
Dr. Nicholas Martin, University of St. Andrews in Scotland, taught two of his areas of expertise, Nietzsche and WWI-literature, and East German culture, in German seminars. He was accompanied by his wife Sarah and baby daughter Anna, and by all accounts they had a very productive and enjoyable respite from gloomy and cold Scotland. His lecture to the campus commuity on Nietzsche and America was well attended and applauded.

Nick Martin with daughter, Anna, 6 months.

Retirements:

After more than 30 years as Professor of Spanish, Dr. Shirley Mangini has retired effective July 1, 2004. During her tenure at CSULB she served as Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, 1900-1900.

Another faculty member, Dr. Griselda Sasayama, the Single Subject Credential Advisor, has retired from the RGRLL Department effective July 1, 2004.

Italian Professor Dr. Irene Marchegiani-Jones likewise has informed us of her retirement as of July 30, 2004.

Other Faculty News

During the Spring, Dr. Jutta Birmele was teaching European Studies courses in London to CSU students who participated in our London Semester. Each semester, approximately 70 students from CSULB, CSU San Diego and Fullerton head for London and enroll in intensive course work, sign up for internships, and go on a series of cultural field trips.

At the IX International Conference of ISSEI (International Society for the Study of European Ideas), August 2-7, 2004 at the University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, she will present a paper: The Evolution of the German Individual as Carrier of Rights in the Jurisprudence of the Federal Constitutional Court.

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Dr. Harold Schefski, Russian Program Director, and Dr. Dmitri Sidorov, CSULB Professor of Geography and native Muscovite are planning to team teach the Russian Civilization Course (Russian 410) in Moscow, Russia during the first three weeks of August, 2005. Participants in this Short-term Study Abroad Program will stay at the Moscow State Linguistics University and be exposed to cultural events in Moscow and its Environs. In the middle of the program, a four day excursion to St. Petersburg by train is planned. Approximate cost is $3,000, which includes room, board, round-trip airfare, and three academic units. For more information, please contact either Professor Schefski at (562) 985-8525, schefski@csulb.edu, or Professor Sidorov at (562) 985-1861, dsivorov@csulb.edu.

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With funding from Präsenz Schweiz, Dr. Walo Deuber, Swiss film maker, will return for the third time to CSULB in the Spring Semester 2005. As a Visiting Scholar, he will teach three courses in the German Program. He has just finished a full-length feature film which will be shown at several European film festivals. More information to come.
On October 10, Professor Rudolf Knubel (University of Essen) will be opening his exhibition of a series of graphic interpretations of the events of Sept. 11. The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks. Prof. Knubel has served twice as a Fulbright Scholar on our campus and has repeatedly taught and lectured in the German Program. More information is forthcoming soon.
In the planning stages is an exhibition Germans in America by internationally well known German photographer Gunter Kloetzer (University of Bielefeld). The anticipated date will be in March 2005.

HONOR SOCIETIES

SIGMA DELTA PI
This year, the Spanish Department at CSULB will be welcoming a new Honor Society to campus: Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish National Honor Society. In order to become a member, you must be in your junior or senior year and hold a 3.0 in your Spanish courses (a transcript is required for verification purposes). The cost of membership is $20.00 and includes a lifetime membership, a society pin, and a certificate of induction. At the end of each semester, a small ceremony will b held for all inductees For more information, contact Dr. Gasior at ext. 55138.

GAMMA KAPPA CHAPTER
In a ceremony conducted at Café Rus on May 23, 2004, The Dobro Slovo National Slavic Honor Society inducted nine students Michael Chavez, Michael Drake, Matthew Duenes, Melissa Etzler, James Hampson, Sarah Long, Scott Pascoo, Daniel Rukhmanl, and Mark Sokolowski, into the Gamma Kappa Chapter. The requirements for membership are two years of Russian language and culture courses with a 3.5 GPA. Also recognized for honorary membership was Mrs. Beverly August, who donated $1,300 to the Russian Scholarship fund. This money was presented to Melissa Etzler ($500), and James Hampson ($500) for their superior performance in studying Russian and to Tenya Vorobyov ($300), a visiting junior scholar from Kirovograd, Ukraine, for excellence in Teaching. SPASIBO, BEVERLY!

STUDENT CLUBS

Spanish:
The Spanish Club, headed for the last year by Jesse Carpenter, is still alive and kicking! Since its revival two years ago, the club has met for tertulias, dinners, and most recently, a showing of The Devil's Backbone, sponsored by a grant from Associated Students International. This year, we will be looking for new officers, including President, Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer. No expedience is necessary and holding position represents a nice addition to any résumé. If you are seriously interested in one of the announced openings or if you would just like to become a member of the club, please contact Dr. Bonnie Gasior, bgasior@csulb.edu, or stop by MHB-809 during her office hours.

French:
French Club President Jasmine Shaw led us through a series of cultural events that are worthy of note. Kicking off the season in French Club tradition was the annual French-language theater performance held at Whittier College's Shannon Theater during the November "Semainde de la Francophonie" celebrated by French speakers throughout the world. This year the performance featured highlights of Moliere's theatrical genius. Our own Steve Fleck, renowned international Moliere scholar, gave a per-performance lecture, A Rendez-vous with Moliere". Our students participated some forty strong, meeting beforehand for a pre-theater buffet in the RGRLL conference room.

A second Fall event took place in the Lakewood home of Lorenzo MacLaren. A polygot whom we like to think prefers French to all other languages, Lorenzo has always been an active and generous supporter of the French Club and French academic program at California State University, Long Beach.

STUDY ABROAD

Spanish Study Abroad in Madrid, Spain, July 5-29, 2004

Many people on July 4, 2004 were celebrating with barbecues, pool parties, and fireworks. However, ten students from CSULB, Carlos Montenegro, Diana Gómez, Desiree Nelson, Amanda Neal, Geovana Vinueza, Amanda Tamble, Abe Cortés, Yecenia González, spent their Independence Day weekend flying across the Atlantic Ocean destined for Madrid, Spain! They will earn three credits for participating in an accelerated version of Spanish 310, Introduction to Literary Analysis. The tenth student, Roseann López, is currently undertaking an independent study, Spanish Culture, and is preparing a research paper based on interviews with a random group of Spaniards and their views on the war with Iraq.

The program is in its second year of conception and is organized and taught by Prof. Bonnie Gasior. As a result of an invitation by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 2002 and motivated by the lack of short-term study abroad opportunities in Spain during the summer through CSULB, Dr. Gasior took the initiative to start her own program. This year, she received an $800.00 grant from CSULB enhance the cultural aspect of the program. Though it already includes three excursions to nearby Spanish towns and tours of several museums, including the Prado and Reina Sofía, the grant has allowed her to do some additional cultural activities with the students. These include a viewing of Pedro Almódovar's latest film, La mala educación; a flamenco show headlined by the renowned Antonio Márquez; a Sunday bullfight; and theatrical production, and a guided literary tour of Madrid.