A new interdisciplinary minor in European Union and European Studies was recently approved by the College’s Curriculum Committee.
The minor is part of a Title VI grant received by the College late last fall and made possible through the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Program within the U.S. Department of Education. The two-year grant of $148,797 will be matched through College and donor contributions.
The minor will include a pilot Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) model, which means that students can read and research using a language other than English in non-language courses. It also includes distance-learning and professional development components. Several lectures relating to the European Union will be held and will be open to all. The project is under the direction of Mary Helen Kashuba, SSJ, D.M.L., professor of French and Russian and chair of the Foreign Language and Literature Department.
“European Union and European Studies is a relatively new field of study that makes us unique in this region,” says Kashuba. “The grant will help many departments here at the College and encourage the study of world languages and we hope to provide a model for institutions similar to ours.”
The program allows students to learn about the cultural legacies of Europe through issue-relevant courses. Six courses from among the following disciplines are included: foreign language (French, German, Italian, Spanish), political science, business, history, economics, arts, religion and science.
“I am grateful for this grant and the valuable educational opportunities it will offer both our students and faculty,” says Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D., CHC’s president. “Having this minor while expanding foreign language learning opportunities through the LAC model will further develop our students cultural awareness and ability to interact within a global community.”
The grant also provides enhanced opportunities for interaction with at least seven of CHC's European educational partner institutions which will host lectures and provide study abroad opportunities. Conversations via Skype and other methods will be arranged with Aarhus in Denmark; Howest in Belgium; American Business School and the Sorbonne in France; Liverpool Hope in Britain; Salamanca and Alicante in Spain; and Czech University of Life Sciences.
To read more about the UISFL grant and find the complete list of institutions involved in this initiative, read the press release at the U.S. Department of Education website.
— Brenda Lange
