Spring 2008 Newsletter

Two new class blogs for the Spring semester: German culture and Tolkein's LoTR

Professors Eileen Joy and Doug Simms are teaching IS 399-001 ‘The Lord of the Rings and Medieval Heroic Poetry’ and have created a class blog to foster extra curricular discussion. You can view it here: http://tolkiensiue.blogspot.com/

Professor Doug Simms is also running a class blog for his GER 311 ‘Introduction to German Culture.' You can view it here: http://dpasimms.edublogs.org/

Fall 2007 Newsletter

SIUE School Of Business Students Visit Shanghai, Suzhou, Xiamen

Spring 2007 Newsletter

SIUE Student will study in Germany

SIUE School of Business, Department of Foreign Language and Literature Partner to Enrich Classroom Experience

Fall 2006 Newsletter

Mid-American Linguistics Conference

Linguists in all areas of specialization were encouraged to submit abstracts. This year’s meeting featured special interest sessions on Second Language Acquisition and Morpho-Syntax. There was a forum dedicated to graduate students.

Plenary Speaker: Silvina Montrul, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

The Latino Film Festival

This event was sponsored by the Excellence in Undergraduate Education Fund.

Spring 2006 Newsletter

“Cuéntame Coyote” at Dunham Theater

                

On Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 12:00 noon, the bilingual (Spanish/English) theater group Teatro Milagro will present “Cuéntame Coyote” at Dunham Theater. The performance will run approximately 60-75 minutes and there will be talk back with the actors until 2:00.   The play deals with a current issue that affects both the U. S. and Mexico. María and Josefa, orphan sisters working in a Mexican maquiladora, dream of a better life in los Estados Unidos. Chivero, the local “coyote”, promises to make their hopes a reality, but for a price. Are their glorious dreams worth the dangers that await them cruzando la frontera? Coyotes with two legs and four will test the orphans’ courage and faith as they leave behind their beautiful Mexico.   The performance is free. Since seating is limited, we must ask that you not bring a group of more than 50 students. In order to reserve seating for a class, please call the box office at X2774. Reservations will be first come, first served.   If you have questions, please feel free to contact Prof. Katheleen Bueno at 618-650-2146 or room 2319 Peck hall and/or go to http://www.milagro.org/english/Performance/TeatroMilagro/coyote.htm#espanol

Interview with Isabel Camara and Keith Robinson

Isabel Câmara is a Brazilian journalist, dramatist, and poet. She is visiting Professor E. Fonseca and has been guest lecturing in classes at SIUE. She has participated with creative writing students in discussions of “writing,” she has given a lecture on Brazilian theatre, has discussed gender roles in Latin America and has been an active participant in terturlia, Spanish conversation hour. Isabel will be here until January 11, 2005. This is her first trip to the United States.

Keith: Where are you from?

Isabel: Tres Corações, Minas Gerais.

Keith: What kind of area?

Isabel: Southwest, rural Planted coffee, there were cows. I was almost nine. I spent my childhood on a little farm. I milked cows, killed pigs. I had to learn, at four I had to learn. I used to have to clean tripe. It was very cold.

Keith: How many children did your mother have?

Isabel: 4, one died at 17

Keith: You?

Isabel: I don’t have children. My father got TB. He was in the army. We were sent
to live on a farm. My mother and grandmother worried about TB. An old couple
helped while my father was in the hospital.

Keith: Where else did you live in Brazil?

Isabel: My father once exiled me to the Northeast, Paraiba.

Keith: You told me you stayed in Rio de Janeiro

Isabel: I was 20 to 23. At 17 I won a scholarship to study English at Cambridge. My
father didn’t let me go. I behaved as my father had, I ran away from home. I went
to a movie on a Sunday afternoon and left for the bus station. I left two letters,
one for my boyfriend and one for my family. I wanted to write. I wanted to be
a journalist.

Keith: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Isabel: Always. Some day I will be. I arrived in Rio. I didn’t know what I would find. I
didn’t have a job. I could speak French. And a little Spanish. I read in Italian.
At 17 I was in the best place. When I was 48 I lived on the street. I had no place to
live. I slept on the street. My parents discovered where I was. I started working for a newspaper. I couldn’t understand a single word of the letters. I had to write in English. It was difficult I had no money for lunch, I had to take pills to make my hunger disappear. A lady of sixty said one day: You have worked here for eight to ten days and I haven’t seen you go out for lunch. You have no money
right? She was a lady of sixty, her sons were gone. She was my first master in the question to feel lovable. To feel like I had some dignity. Like my grandmother.
I kept working. I left at six, I had to take three buses. After work I learned and worked at the theatre.

Keith: What about living on the streets?

Isabel: That stuff called drugs.

Keith: What kind?

Isabel: All kinds. I was unbearable. To use drugs you must be strong. Even if you don’t die you are dead. No feeling inside. No ability to touch. To say hello. I was not looking for drugs, I was simply unable to feel life.

Keith: What about now?

Isabel: Everything is completely new.

Keith: What brings you here?

Isabel: SIUE had enough courage to invite me. I am here learning with you. I am here to watch jazz on the Mississippi.


Job opportunity at Career Development Center and some other recommended Web sites

Students who are looking for jobs after their graduation, but are unsure where to start this process, can turn to the Career Development Center located in Founders Hall in room 3126. The CDC is a great point to begin searching for valuable information and links on possible career choices and related disciplines. The experienced staff heading the comprehensive career center serves SIUE students and alumni. They aid students wishing to explore opportunities in Internship and Co-op programs. Internships and Co-ops provide tremendous benefits to both students and employers. Students can take time to determine their career path prior to graduation. They can learn to organize their skills and present themselves in a more timely matter. Employers can preview talented students studying the most recent technology. Additional services the CDC provides include advising and handouts over cover letter, resume building, interviewing, and etc. For more information about the service that Career Development Center(CDC) provides, please go to
http://www.careers.siue.edu or call (618) 650-3708

Here are some more recommended Web sites that students can use as a tool to find their future careers:

http://www.careerbuilders.com

http://www.monster.com

Language Study in the Age of Globalization, The College-Level Experience