LATEST NEWS and MISSION STATEMENT/WELCOME
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This site is still being constructed

Departmental Happenings
German Film Evening - Deutscher Filmabend - presents Goodbye Lenin! (winner of six prestigious European Film Awards) in German with English subtitles - Tuesday November 10, 2009 in Morgan Hall 101A from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Enquiries from Dr. Weijia Li, 309-298-1496, W-Li2@wiu.edu

The following meetings occur on a regular basis
The German Coffee and Conversation Hour - Kaffeestunde is held every Monday in Morgan Hall 328 from 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm. Enquiries from Dr. Weijia Li, 309-298-1496, W-Li2@wiu.edu
The Spanish Club meets every other Thursday in Morgan Hall 330 from 5pm to 6pm. Enquiries from Dr. Guada Cabedo-Timmons, 309-298-1615, GM-Cabedo@wiu.edu
Spanish Tertulias (Spanish conversations) are held every Monday, from 4:00pm to 5:00pm at Casa Latina, located at the New WIU Multicultural Center. Tertulias are moderated by Native Hispanic Faculty members from the department, and are co-sponsored by the FLL Spanish Club and Casa Latina. Tertulias are totally free, and open to any WIU student, faculty, staff, and members of the Macomb community, who wish to practice their Spanish language skills, no mather what level they are at. Enquiries from Dr. Guada Cabedo-Timmons, 309-298-1615, GM-Cabedo@wiu.edu

Student News and Accomplishments
Sarah Consoer, Bloomingdale, IL, is the department's first Presidential Scholar. A Presidential Scholarship is the university's most prestigious major award for an entering undergraduate. Sarah joins the department as a French Major and Spanish Minor. We are delighted and proud to welcome her. Congratulations!
Warda Boukari graduated summa cum laude in French and Biological Sciences at the May 2009 graduation.

Faculty News and Accomplishments
Dr. Colleen Combs has been promoted from Associate Professor to Professor of Spanish. Warmest Congratulations!
Dr. Catherine Moore, Professor of French is the recipient of a Professional Achievement Award for outstanding professional achievement.
Dr. Guada Cabedo-Timmons, Associate Professor of Spanish, is the recipient of a Professional Achievement Award for outstanding professional achievement.
Dr. José Antonio González, Assistant Professor of Spanish, published an article entitled: José Marti y la Ciudad de México: heterotopia inaugural de una visión fundacional de lo hispanoamericano Regional moderno. in La ciudad en la literatura y el cine. (Anthology) FIU. Barcelona: Promociones y Publicaciones Universitarias, 2009
Dr. José Antonio González, also received approval to develop an online beginners' Spanish course.
Dr. Andrew Lian, Professor and Chair of Department, has been invited to be keynote speaker at conferences in Thailand (2009), Indonesia (2009) and Taiwan (2010) and to be a guest Lecturer at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand.

New Faculty Appointments
We are delighted to announce the appointments of two outstanding new colleagues:

Munia Cabal-Jiménez, Assistant Professor of Spanish.
Dr. Weijia Li, Assistant Professor of German.

 

MISSION STATEMENT AND WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
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We are glad that you have chosen to visit our department and hope that you enjoy your time with us.

This department plays a pivotal role in Western Illinois University's thrust to diversify and internationalize its various constituencies. The globalized world in which we live is becoming increasingly interconnected at every conceivable level and, in particular, at the cultural level. This interconnectedness places upon each and every one of us a critical and urgent responsibility to understand ourselves and others in relation to one another, both as individuals and as groups. Such understandings are critical to civilized human existence as relationships between people complexify at an exponential rate, thus placing unprecedented stresses on the fabric of society. In this context, the ability to assess, understand and adapt to new, unpredicted and unpredictable situations in a positive and constructive manner, through ethical action which respects and values difference and human rights, is fundamental.

The department contributes to this critically important mission, which transcends national boundaries, through programs related to the cultures and languages of five selected major groups: the speakers of Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. In seeking to accomplish this mission, connections with other social and linguistic groups are necessarily established and welcomed as, over time, the department seeks to broaden its areas of specialization.

This department, a living example of diversity and internationalization (its members literally come from the four corners of the world and speak more than a dozen languages between them), serves through its teaching, research and community programs, which are all strongly linked to one another. Our teaching is based on modern pedagogic approaches, is strengthened through our published and unpublished research efforts and is responsive to community needs. Above all, each of our courses is designed to equip students with practical culture and practical language skills through the development of the intellectual and personal capacities necessary to comprehend thoughts and situations and to communicate and interact effectively with speakers of the language groups that we focus on.

In this website you will find all kinds of information about the department: information about courses, its generous advanced placement policy (saving you both time and money), its scholarships and prizes, facilities, resources, clubs, faculty/staff profiles, research and other departmental achievements and contact information.

Please feel free to explore all parts of the site. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the Department either directly or through the departmental office. This site is an ongoing project and will be changed and improved over time. Let us know of any suggestions that you may have to make it better.

Andrew Lian,
Professor and Chair of Department