Steven Kramer, double major in International Business and Spanish with a minor in German (CofC ’14), will begin the MA program in linguistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in fall 2017.
Coty Hoover, a CofC Spanish major who graduated in May 2015, has been accepted into the Spanish M.A. program at the University of South Carolina with tuition remission and a graduate assistantship.
Maya Novák-Cogdell, student president of the College of Charleston’s Nu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, has been selected to present in Sigma Delta Pi’s national “Best Practices Session” to be held during the 99th Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese from July 6-9, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.
Summer 2016 was an exciting time for the students of LCWA!
Aisha Gallion, double majoring in African American Studies and Anthropology, participated in the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This program is a graduate-level research experience for highly talented undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds who are interested in pursuing doctorates in the humanities, social sciences or fine arts. Each summer MURAP selects 20 rising juniors and seniors in college to participate in their intensive, ten-week research experience. Aisha decided to research authenticity and masculinity in hip-hop beefs. She specifically, focused on the recent Drake and Meek Mill beef. Aisha submitted a paper titled, “Gettin’ Bodied by a Singin’ Nigga: What’s Really Real? Questioning Authenticity and Masculinity in the Drake and Meek Mill Beef”. She also presented her work to her cohort and other mentors (professors at UNC Chapel Hill).
Eden Katz, an International Studies and Public Health major, lived in Kampala, Uganda, on a Fulbright Scholarship while continuing to research her bachelor’s essay on early and forced marriage in conflict zones.
Hannah James, double majoring in Anthropology and Archeology, spent four weeks in residence at James Madison’s Montpelier, participating in an archaeological excavation. During this time, she was trained in various lab procedures and excavation methods, in part under the tutelage of Kristina Poston (BS Anthropology, Archaeology minor ’10). The focus for the season included the South Yard of the property, which housed the domestic enslaved individuals until the mid-19th century. The excavation was necessary in order to confirm evidence of a supposed structure and to understand its function and construction materials. The team gathered evidence on what life was like for the enslaved individuals living or working in the structure, and more broadly how that information tied into the lives of those living at Montpelier Plantation. Hannah reports that ‘I was given so many opportunities to excavate everything from brick foundations to delicate and fragile artifacts, trained in both lab and field techniques by some of the brightest minds in the discipline. It was truly a joy to spend a portion of my summer with Montpelier.’
Jonah Crisanti, a French Major and Archaeology minor, spent the summer in southern France, taking part in several excavations dating to the Paleolithic period. The experiences were arranged in collaboration with Evelyne Cregut-Bonnoure, Director of the Musée d’Histoire naturelle d’Avignon, and Drs. Bourdier (French) and Newhard (Archaeology). As a result of these experiences, Jonah developed not only a deep understanding of archaeological methods but also gained experience in the subtle intricacies of working and living within French society. He worked on two prehistoric cave-sites. The first, Tautavel, dated to 500 kya and focused upon exploring human and animal interactions. The second, Coulet des Roches, focused strictly on understanding the faunal record of the Palaeolithic circa 22 kya. Jonah reports that ‘On any given day, one was expected to dig, sift sediments, clean and mark findings, enter data in the computer, or cook for what was sometimes upwards of 30 people. Over the course of these internships, the chance to work overseas in a professional setting has been priceless.’
Melaina Castengera, an International Business major minoring in European Studies and German Studies, participated in the Department of German and Russian Studies’ internship program. She found a role for herself with global fragrances firm Symrise where she’s engaged in a variety of duties from financial business planning to technical marketing for aroma molecules. “I’ve been consolidating the company’s competitor profiles,” explains Castengera, “and I have participated in an audit with a Japanese pharmaceuticals client as well. I attend meetings with the technical marketing manager where discussions are held in German regarding the portfolio of products, the planning process and strategies.” Castengera says she sought this internship as a way of distinguishing herself from her peers. “So far, this has been one of the most educational experiences of my college career.”
Morgan Larimer, double majoring in International Studies and Biology as well as minoring in Enviromental Studies, has been awarded the prestigious Rotary Scholarship. After she graduates in May 2017 she will attend King’s College London for an MS. This is the 10th National Competitive Award that members of the International Scholars have received.
Rachel Taylor, an International Studies and Political Science major with a minor in Spanish, lived and studied in Mexico through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program mentoring local youth.
Sherwan Saraf, an International Studies Major and German Minor, received an internship with Mercedes Benz Vans upon returning from a semester in Bamberg Germany.
Originally Posted by: wichmannkm | April 24, 2015
Political Science and African American Studies Double-Major Brandon Chapman will attend the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) at Duke University. This intensive five-week program is named in honor of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former American Political Science Association (APSA) President, Ralph J. Bunche. The competitive program introduces doctoral study to undergraduate students from under-represented racial and ethnic groups.
Dr. Hollis France encouraged Brandon to apply during his junior year. “Brandon struck me as a ‘go getter’ and I thought this kid is going to go places,” Professor France noted. She added, “Brandon’s acceptance places him in a very elite group of minority political science students from around the country. He will be in classes with a diverse student body. Students are drawn from small liberal arts schools, master’s level institutions like CofC, and doctoral granting universities. RBSI also brings in students from historically black colleges and universities and Ivy League institutions. This program works to increase the number of minority students attending Ph.D. programs and ultimately joining the ranks of academia.” Professor France speaks from experience as she also attended RBSI as an undergraduate student and credits the program for giving her the confidence to pursue a Ph.D.
Brandon is looking forward to making the most of this opportunity to develop the writing skills necessary for graduate school and meet top political science students around the country. Brandon said RBSI will encourage him “to do better, study harder, and buckle down.” He also hopes the institute will help him narrow his focus as he is also considering law school and community organizing. Brandon is especially interested in race implications on political institutions.
While he attributed his double major and spring internship with the Office for Institutional Diversity as factors in helping him stand out among other applicants, Brandon mainly emphasized the help he received from Professors John Creed and Hollis France on his personal statement. He noted that they were “very instrumental in securing this great opportunity” because they assisted him with revisions and met with him frequently throughout the application process.
For more information on the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute, please visit http://www.apsanet.org/rbsi.
Join us as we take a stand
TODAY
12–2:00p.m.
Cougar Mall
The College of Charleston English Language Institute (ELI) hosted a professor, Kayoko Takegoshi, from Japan’s Toyama University during the fall of 2014. She met our students and faculty, attended our ESL classes, toured the campus and city, and returned to her home university to arrange a “CofC ELI short term program” for her sophomore students. She anticipates that 4-5 students will be interested in attending the English Language Institute from August 24 – September 25, 2015. This is a summer break for Toyama University students, so it is the only opportunity for them to study abroad. As student housing is at a premium, especially at the beginning of the academic year, it’s not possible to lodge these students in the CofC dorm.
Therefore, the CofC ELI program has launched a homestay program and is in the early stages of recruiting individuals, couples and families who would be interested in hosting a Japanese student for 5 weeks. For families with young children, this can be a life altering experience as children of all ages benefit from interacting with people from other cultures, and through this process, learn tolerance and other essential qualities of becoming global citizens.
These students are university sophomores and are independent adults. Ideally, the homes would be within walking or biking distance from the CofC campus so they could come and go on their own. Students attend ELI classes M-F from 8am-3pm, depending on the day, so they would purchase a meal plan to cover breakfasts and lunches. Dinner would be prepared at home. Host families would be adequately compensated for hosting a student, and would be expected to include the student on any appropriate family excursions during the weekends. As English language acquisition is a primary goal of the students, involving them in English conversation in the family setting would be strongly encouraged.
If you are interested in learning more about the CofC homestay program, please contact Alice Hamilton at hamiltonam1@cofc.edu by April 20, 2015.
http://diversity.cofc.edu/2014-student-diversity-conference.php
The Social Justice Symposium will be the first event of the 4th Annual Student Diversity Conference (April 10th and 11th). The purpose of the Symposium is to feature the work of our students who have developed research or community-based projects that further social justice goals. The Symposium is free and open to the public. Dr. Hollis France (Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of the Gender and Sexuality Equity Center) will serve as a discussant to raise comments and questions for the presenters and audience following the presentations.
