Department News
Applications still being accepted for summer and semester study in Austria and Russia!
Fall 2008 course opportunities in Chinese, German, Japanese and Russian now listed!
BGSU RUSSIAN STUDENT ONCE AGAIN TAKES TOP HONORS
BGSU senior JoAnne Stein was one of four first-place winners, highest level (3), in a national composition contest organized by the American Council of Teachers of Russian. A BGSU student won in the same category in 2006. In first place this year were JoAnne Stein (BGSU), Josh Pennington (Ohio State), Jason Cieply (Kenyon), and Marino Auffant (Harvard). Approximately 750 students of Russian from over 50 institutions took part in the competition.
AKIKO JONES, JAPANESE FACULTY MEMBER, HONORED
Akiko Kawano Jones was recognized at the Ohio Foreign Language Association’s Annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday, 5 April 2008 as the state’s outstanding college language teacher. The award was presented during the association’s conference in Cincinnati. Akiko Jones has taught Japanese language and culture and Bowling Green SU since 1983. She has built a reputation as one of the state’s best college teachers of an Asian language. Jones is also co-director of the Asian Studies Program in the College of Arts & Sciences and advisor to the Japanese Club. She organizes many cultural events on campus each year, such as the Ohanami (Cherry Blossom) Festival, which attracted about 250 visitors on 18 April. News story here.
ALSO AT THE OFLA CONFERENCE: LLC Coordinator Amber Kennedy Kent and Russian Instructor Anastasia Alexandrova presented "Designing Interactive Webquests for the Language Classroom," together with Amanda Ward and Wendy VanderZwaag, colleagues from Romance & Classical Languages. They discussed the essentials of designing pedagogically effective webquests. And Akiko Jones and Irina Stakhanova (Russian) made presentations on teaching less commonly taught languages.
GERMAN DRAMA PERFORMANCE
The presentation of Andreas Gryphius's Baroque comedy Herr Peter Squentz (featuring… a pretentious schoolteacher, a bearded maiden, a tragic love affair, "a play within a play," a lion in a green hoody, a prince who rocks, a good bit of fistfighting, and a woman playing a man playing a wall), directed by German faculty member Ted Rippey, 4 and 5 April, was a great success! Congratulations to the performers.
The spring 2008 International Film Series concluded 10 April in the Gish Theater
View past Int'l. Film Series schedules here
The German Program presented its annual Maifest German Day on Friday, 25 April, on the BGSU campus. Approximately 500 guests from area high schools competed with skits, poetry recitation, commercials, and a culture quiz, and workshops on various topics.
Schools participating this year:
Anthony Wayne High School
Bedford High School
Ottawa-Glandorf High School
Springfield High School
Tiffin Columbian High School
Tinora High School
Whitmer High School
Viel Erfolg und alles Gute!
The 27 March Russian music and poetry evening was an enjoyable event. Student from the College of Musical Arts students and the Russian program performed.
The student organization Anime in Northwest Ohio held Animarathon VI on March 29th!
Program Notes
In partnership with the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit, the Asian Studies Program is hosting the Shodo Exhibition (Japanese brush writing calligraphy), at McFall Center, 26 February through 18 March. There are about 50 scrolls by famous Japanese calligraphers. Mr. Hatsuzawa was on campus 25 February for the installation. BGSU Monitor story on the exhibit. There is a 6 P.M. reception and calligraphy demonstration on 18 March.
The director of the Cultural Center at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington D.C., Eugene Agoshkov met with thirty student of Russian and Journalism at a forum sponsored by the Russian Club on 21 February.
The series of Japanese films entitled the "Changing Scenery of Japan" was a success in January and February! Thanks to the Japan Foundation - New York for its generous support. "Changing Scenery of Japan" series flyer
The German and Russian Clubs sponsored a successful and fun EuroDance party on campus Friday, 22 February. DJing was German advisor, Dr. Ted Rippey.
Thanks to all who visited the department or class meetings during the 18 February open house!
Last semester…
The Russian and German Clubs' holiday program on 6 December was
attended by about fifty people. Photo here!
The Japanese Club held its end-of-the-semester party on
6 December. Photos here!
Dr. Stefan Fritsch of the BGSU AYA in Austria program faculty, a Fulbright visiting lecturer in BGSU's Department of Political Science in Spring 2007 and currently a visiting assistant professor in Political Science, led a discussion with BGSU's German Club on "Politics in German-Speaking Europe" on November 14.
Akiko Jones gave a special guest presentation on the Japanese tea ceremony at Edinboro University (Pa.) on 8 November.
The 2007 Max Kade Foundation Writer-in-Residence, Elisabeth Reicharth successfully concluded her stay at BGSU. Dr. Reichart also visited Jefferson College, Bates College, the U of Michigan-Dearborn, the U of Illinois-Chicago, and the U of Montana this fall. Some of these guest appearances were made possible by the Austrian Consulate and the Goethe Institute.
Peter Rosei, the department's Max Kade Writer in Residence in 1996, 2002, and 2006, was awarded the "Goldene Verdienstzeichen des Landes Wien" (The Golden Award of Merit of the State of Vienna) in September, 2007.
Other Fall 2007 News
The Russian Program's Undergraduate Research Conference
on 8 November included presentations on Russia's foreign trade,
sport, queer culture, and other topics.
German Club's Oktoberfest, 18 October, was a great success!
Thanks to all who organized and attended!
November 2007 AYA Austria Newsletter in Print!
click here to be access the AYA Newsletter Archive
Looking for Older News?
You can find news from the 2004/05 and 2005/06 academic years here.
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