LAC instructors share love of language with other learners

The Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) program is unique in that conversational sections are run for students by students. LAC sections can be affiliated with classes in any of the University of Richmond’s schools or departments, and seats are filled by students who want to strengthen their language skills in a casual setting.

The number of students in each section remains small, with no more than 10 students, so it’s easy to have conversations about the readings and films, which are selected by the student-instructors because they pertain to the affiliated class.

Four students instructing LAC sections this spring sat down to talk about why they are involved in the program and how it has enriched their own academic experience.

Maria Mercedes, '11

Well, I’m from Peru, but I’ve been living abroad in Hong Kong for the past three years earning my international baccalaureate. LAC is a great way to reconnect with my culture and practice my Spanish after being away for so long. The casual setting helps the others in the class understand my culture, which I love. 

What prompted you to teach a section?

I speak French and Italian, as well as English and Spanish, so I’m really familiar with how hard learning and practicing a language can be. Conversation is so important for improving language—in a normal classroom, you have to worry about making your language as perfect as possible, and since your speaking in front of the whole class, it’s pretty nerve-wracking. I think LAC creates the perfect setting for getting really comfortable with the language since it’s smaller and more relaxed.

Describe your section.

There’s only one other native speaker in my class. Students are all in the macro class with Professor Grzimek, who also supervises our section. Our conversations are connected to subjects from class. We watch movies in Spanish and read articles from Latin American newspapers about topics in economics, like standards of living in South America.

Deni Koenhemsi, '08

Tell us about your experience with LAC.

The class I am taking right now, IS 290, is a year-long class. Last semester, we had mini LAC sections in class with several different languages (Chinese, French, Spanish and Turkish) and then each group made a presentation in front of the class. It was something everyone wanted to do, and the class really appreciated our professor incorporating it into class. Most of these mini-LAC sections stemmed from people who had studied abroad and wanted a chance to keep practicing their language skills. I was in the Turkish group because it’s my native language, and we watched a German/Turkish movie.

This experience inspired me to write a proposal to teach my own LAC section. Since I speak Turkish, English, Italian and French, I wrote proposals for a Turkish and Italian section, but it was the Turkish section that was accepted.

What topics of conversation has your section covered? 

I have tried to connect all the readings and movies to topics in class. When I show Turkish movies, I can relate to what’s going on and give the other students some insight because it is where I’m from.  We are concentrating now on conversations about Islam and its place in Turkey. We all post comments on a blog and try to write in Turkish, but since the proficiency level is different among the group, our discussions sometimes go on and off between English and Turkish.  

Hersh Gupta, '10

During my freshman year, I found that a lot of people were interested in India and the Hindi language. People would ask me a lot about it and there was no class on campus that catered to this interest—I was trying to figure out what I could do to help educate people.  When I heard about LAC, I thought it would be a great way to introduce people to my language and culture, which I myself am deeply connected to and interested in.

Tell us about what you do in your section.

Well, I am the only one who knows the language. A lot of people come because of their interest in the culture and to learn more about Hindi. The first two classes focused on teaching them about the language, like its history, and then I started teaching the alphabet.

After we went over some basics, I moved onto discussions of Indian healthcare and the healthcare of developing nations. Each class, I bring in a guest lecturer, either a student or professor who has lived or worked in India. I think it’s really important for the people in my section to hear about their experiences. I also show movies and include some readings.

The majority of kids in this class are American and have had no exposure to the language and limited exposure to Indian culture. I’m really glad for this opportunity to share something of myself and where I’m from. I think it’s really cool that the interest is there with the other students and that LAC provides the setting for this all to happen.

Julie Rega, '08

I studied abroad last year in Ferrara, Italy, and I really missed having conversations in Italian outside of the formal classroom setting. Besides that, Rome and the renaissance is something I’m really interested in and is a great topic for discussion, especially in Italian.

Also, since Italian is not the most popular language studied on this campus, Italian studies students from other classes, mostly juniors and seniors, come to my section. A lot of people are interested in the subject, even if they are not art students and there is not a lot of opportunity to speak Italian in this way.  

What are your responsibilities an as instructor?

The first step is to write a proposal for the section. Then you have to put together a syllabus, which means coming up with and organizing different readings, movies and even speakers. I’m also in charge of the blog for my section, encouraging people to post and setting topics for discussion. I love Italian and this has actually been a pretty fun experience. Professor Calvillo has been a big help to me in all this. She is really involved in the section and when I need more ideas, I know I can talk to her.  

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