By Paola Guzman
Assistant News Editor
The foreign language department published its first newsletter last week. The newsletter featured the experiences of four students as foreign language learners.
The initiative to publish a newsletter was the idea of Jorge Rosario, chair of the foreign language department, with the help of faculty. This is Rosario’s first year as the chair and his primary concern is to promote the foreign language classes and majors offered.
The four students featured in the first newsletter are non-language majors. “It doesn’t matter if you’re not majoring in a language, there is always a chance to learn a language and it will give you an edge on the market,” Rosario said. Non-language majors were featured in the newsletter because, “It’s a way for students to notice the relevance of learning a second language for various careers, to have a better point of view of the world,” Rosario said.
Felipe Inostroza, a senior health sciences major and minor in Spanish, promoted the Spanish minor for health professionals in the newsletter. “The minor offers a strong foundation in Spanish medical terminology,” Inostroza stated. Inostroza contributed his experience to the newsletter because, “I do believe Spanish is a great minor for any career. The Hispanic community is the fastest growing minority group in the US,” Inostroza said.
Thomas Fruehsamer, Post alumnus (’16), chronicles his love affair with a Parisian woman in the newsletter. Fruehsamer begins his story with the line, “A girl who spoke French, a kiss under a gazebo, and a desire to discover together led me back to college.” After meeting a French woman, Fruehsamer enrolled in the Lifetime of Learning program, a program in which alumni can take classes for personal enrichment. Through this program he is able to take French courses in order to “better experience the rich Parisian culture.”
Also featured in the newsletter is Sasha Myrianthopoulos, a senior graphic design major. Myrianthopoulos takes Italian courses because she finds them “fun and exciting to learn.”
Although her Italian courses are not directly correlated with her major, the classes are helping her “grow as a student.” Myrianthopoulos’ advice to students interested in taking a foreign language is, “never be afraid to expand your horizons.”
Lastly, “The Wondrous Horror Story of Zack Cain,” discusses the world literature course, “The Making of a Superhero.” Zach Cain, a junior clinical laboratory science major, took the course to satisfy course requirements, but also because it allows him to, “read and write about enticing themes throughout diverse cultures, languages, and the human condition.”
A minor in Italian can be beneficial to music majors, according to Rosario. Many musical terms derive from Italian and are important for music majors to know for their careers.
In addition to Italian and Spanish, the foreign language department offers majors and minors in French, Japanese, and Russian.
The next newsletter to be published in the Spring semester will feature a student who is learning Russian even though she is of Russian background. She is using Russian language classes as a way to stay in touch with her heritage. “We also have Hispanic students who are born in the United States but want to learn more about their ethnicity.” Rosario aims to create a culturally immersive program which allows students to not only learn a language, but also explore the culture.
The newsletter is being distributed to any student taking a foreign language or World Literature class, as well as faculty in different departments. There are limited amount of copies, but Rosario plans to make more copies available to students and faculty across campus.
This semester the foreign language department will only publish one newsletter, but Rosario plans on publishing two for the Spring.
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