Fall 2018 Integrated Language Options (ILO)
Integrated Language Options (ILOs) constitute the core elements of the RCAH CLAC Program. ILOs provide language immersion opportunities for students. In an ILO, students use the language to collaborate with each other and their language mentor on a semester-long project. Fall 2018 topics and projects are listed below.
ASL
Title: A Different Meaning to a Quiet Cup of Coffee
Description: For any language, participation in the native community is essential for a comprehensive view of that language. American Sign Language (ASL) is the language used by those in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community. This semester, the members of the ASL ILO decided to attend Deaf events to experience and better understand the role of ASL for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. We went to the monthly “Deaf Coffee Chats” in Lansing. These coffee chats are for native and learning ASL users and happen all over the United States. After attending a couple of the events, we logged our experiences of interacting with those native to the Deaf culture and presented them in a video interview format.
Participants: Amelia Herron, Carrie Hodge, Ezra Kushmail, and Grey Bentley with fellow Mark Berardi.
Chinese
Title: Live, Work, Play - Life as a Real Hangzhouer
Description: The Chinese ILO researched jobs in their fields of interest in Hangzhou, China. They created a slideshow that contained information about Hangzhou’s background, cost of living, and famous historical sites and scenic spots. They then chose companies to work at and selected an apartment to hypothetically live in together. They then outlined a typical day in the life of an American working in Hangzhou in their specific fields. Finally, they found activities nearby to do together on the weekends.
Participants: Ashley Thoms and Elizabeth Turner with fellow Stella He.
French
Title: Amadin
Description: The French ILO learned about people and their perspectives on their jobs mostly in Abomey, Benin. We drafted a theatrical play featuring characters based on people we learned about. The play is intended to show our understanding of how people navigate their days and lives in Benin.
Participants: Margy Hunter, Grey Bentley, Abigail Kuplicki, Eric Kesse, and Nya Todd (and others) with fellow Erika Kraus.
Portuguese
Title: “I wish I knew then what I know now”
Description: The Portuguese ILO interviewed international students from Portuguese-speaking countries to find out what their biggest challenges moving to the US were and how they overcame those. A booklet containing tips for future Portuguese-speaking students coming to MSU was created based on what was learned from the interviews. The booklet containing tips on cultural norms, academic performance, and what to expect on each season will be available at MSU international departments and clubs involved with this community of students.
Participants: Daniel Greenson and Kent Miller with fellow Lucas Capalbo.
Spanish
Title: Shared Humanity
Description: The Spanish ILO came together to create a mural focusing on the overlooked history of Latin America. More specifically, the project pertains to South America during the upheaval of the 1970s - from dictactors, to the disappeared, to the involvement of the United States in the region. The project attempts to shed light on traumatic histories usually overlooked and compare them to modern-day issues. The purpose of the project is multifaceted. On one hand, the mural recalls important history so that we may not repeat it and to reiterate that the past informs the present. Furthermore, the project serves as a way to humanize those affected and to show that we are all humans and to not allow reckless rhetoric divide us. The theme of humanity prevails throughout the piece.
Participants: Sadie Shattuck, Amanda Hawkins, Norrlyn Allen, Sophie Beeckman, Nina Nakkash, Emily Hatch, Hannah Lazarus, Ellie Dale, Jake Templin-Fulton, Kate Lafrenz and Alessandra Alvarez-Paines with Romina Peña-Pincheira.
Costa Rica creative projects
Title: La realidad de 'Pura Vida' (The Reality of 'Pura Vida’)
Description: This was a curated presentation based on the creative work from previous students who went on the RCAH study abroad trip to Costa Rica. In creating this project, students had the opportunity to collaborate with the Costa Rica study abroad program. Though the creative projects took on many forms, the presentation focused mainly on the concept of “Pura Vida” and how that relates to the expectations of Costa Rica.
Participants: Sariah Metcalfe, Meghan Hollister and Sarah Dropsey with Charles Moulding.