Through the U.S. Department of Education's Undergraduate and International Studies and Foreign Language Program (DOE UISFL), Governors State University has been awarded a grant that will assist the university with the development of off-campus study, curricular, and co and extra curricular opportunities to expand its existing Spanish and Global Studies Programs.
With an emphasis on support and promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity at GSU and our Southland community, the grant - written by Drs. Novia Pagone and Jelena Radovic-Fanta of the College of Arts and Sciences - has been awarded for the 20/21 academic year.
Making Spanish and Global Studies Accessible to All
As the proud recipient of one of this year's DOE UISFL grants, the Spanish and Global Studies program seeks to further the GSU mission of fostering global citizenship in our thriving public square. This grant will facilitate development of curriculum and resources for both students and faculty members. It will also aid in the creation of a whole host of activities and events aimed at stimulating engagement and important dialogues both on campus and in our greater community.
Please check this page frequently for updates on events, materials, and programming.
About the grant authors
Dr. Novia Pagone teaches Contemporary Spanish Literature, Film and Cultures. Visit her faculty page for more information.
Dr. Jelena Radovic-Fanta teaches Anthropology and Latin American Studies. Visit her faculty page for more information.
Making Spanish and Global Studies Accessible to All
Fall 2021 Events
Immigration Speaker Series
9/27 @ 6 pm Reporter’s Notebook: Covering Immigration and Identity in the U.S.
Washington Post reporter Ms. Silvia Foster-Frau discusses multiculturalism, immigration, and changing cultural demographics. || Engbretson Hall.
RSVP to attend in person or virtually https://www.eventbrite.es/e/reporters-notebook-covering-immigration-and-identity-in-the-us-tickets-174462741757
10/25 @ 7:30 pm Virtual Movie Night + Discussion Panel
Join us for a virtual movie night at the Chicago International Film Festival. View the film Flee, a Danish animated documentary about the journey of Amin Nawabi who fled Afghanistan and Taliban rule in the 90s, and join a discussion with panel of GSU faculty. || Register to attend: https://forms.gle/qhaD6JnB479mzLTP7. “
10/28 @ 6 pm Peacemaking Theater in Times of Racialized Trauma
Queer Korean-Chilean playwright/director Mr. Kyoung Park sparks a brave conversation on how to address state violence and white supremacy in immigrant communities through peacemaking theater. || Register to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArc--ppz4sEtSJ9eWYcdmcLc0XRQTJwrhI
11/11 @ 6pm Oral History, Collective Memory, and the Borderlands
Chicano author, teacher, and activist Dr. Carlos Salomon discusses the Arizona and California borderlands region, collective and cultural memory, and his oral history project Bay Area Latin American Migrant Archive. || Register to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtf-qgqzgtHtIk20uDBrdg2Aa4ff_-xPBX
10/2 Field Trip to National Museum of Mexican Art
Participants will visit the Museum's permanent collection along with the annual Day of the Dead exhibit. Depart GSU at 9:00 am, return by 2:00 pm. Transportation from GSU + lunch subsidy included. || Register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/170204192321
10/19 @ 3pm Voces de Otoño/Voices of Fall Bilingual Poetry Reading with Francis Mateo
This ongoing, biannual event includes a bilingual poetry reading, Q&A, and discussion. Francis Mateo is an actor, poet, and writer based in New York. He will share his poetry and process in conversation with Professor Rey Andújar. || Register to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvdOGoqTgsE91cKyIT3AlT2EQyqAIzAlJH
Mid-October Chicago International Film Festival Screening. Date and time TBA.
These events are supported by the Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) grant. Please contact co-directors Drs. Novia Pagone (npagone@govst.edu) or Jelena Radovic-Fanta (jradovic-fanta@govst.edu) for inquiries.
2020 EVENTS
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War Memories and Commemoration in the Humanities
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Regional and national news and information about the War Memories and Commemoration in the Humanities grant:
- CAS Dean, Andrae Marak, shares insights about his experiences with NEH Dialogues on the Experience of War grants, in this American Historical Association Member Spotlight.
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War, Trauma, and the Humanities
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War, Trauma, and the Humanities Events:
Patrick Russel
"War and Trauma"
November 6, 2017
Join Patrick Russell, founder and director of The Making History Project, for a discussion of soldier's stories, from the coast of France to the Middle East.
Inspired by a visit to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France in 2010, Russell collects oral histories of veterans and archives them with the U.S. Library of Congress. Through his work, he gives veterans an opportunity to talk about the ways in which their experiences of combat have affected them while preserving their stories for future generations. Russell plans to expand the project to include stories from the Korean War, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well.
A Reading by R.M. Ryan
November 14, 2017
Join poet and memoirist R. M. Ryan for a reading from his memoir, There's a Man With a Gun Over There, an autobiographical novel based on his military experiences.
An antiwar activist while in graduate school, Ryan received a draft notice after the Tet Offensive in 19683. Opposed to the war, he considered moving to Canada until an army recruiter promised him a place in a German language class at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. When he graduated as a translator, he was sent to Military Police School, a decision that kept him physically out of harm's way but caused severe and unexpected emotional consequences.
About his book, Ryan offers: "All of us men with guns were pretty scary ... even scarier is the realization that most of the people who come through the American military are trained killers. These people are your neighbors. They're your relatives ... We need to face up to what we're doing, both to peasants in the Third World and to our own children."
Veterans Speak: A Town Hall Event
Hosted by Kevin Smith, GSU Director of Veterans Affairs
December 4, 2017
Five student veterans, along with Professors Rosemary Johnsen and Andrae Marak, lead a discussion on how engaging war-related humanities sources enables veterans to make connections with their own experiences and to help others better understand war's impact on those who serve.
Regional and national news and information about the War, Trauma, and the Humanities grant:
New GSU Program Enlists Arts to Combat PTSD
Alumna Creates Course to Offer Better Understanding of War Experience
National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Awards and Offers
Veterans Act as Team Leaders in Discussions About War, Trauma, and the Humanities During the Dialogues on the Experiences of War Course
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