Spring 2015 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. Spring 2015 topics and projects are listed below.
ASL: Title: Special News Report on Deaf Issues
Watch video here.
This special news report on Deaf issues covers topics such as discrimination in public and the workplace, education for Deaf students including ASL instruction, and Deaf and ASL human rights. Barriers to and solutions for Deaf inclusion are discussed.
Participants: Elana Bandalene, Kandra Harper, Sariah Metcalfe, Megan Nicholas with Language Fellow Sabrina Perlman
Chinese: Title: Chinese Air Pollution Discussion
A short conversation on China's air quality problem, including reasons for and possible solutions to that issue. The inspiration for this discussion came from the documentary "Under the Dome," which is produced by a Chinese journalist.
Participants: Katherine Rock with Language Fellow Qing Zhang
French: Title: Le Mali; Project final du ILO Français
This ILO explored the history and complex, ethnic diversity of Mali while trying to understand the intricacies of the conflict in the north of Mali. Students conducted an interview with Moussa Traore, an RCAH student from Mali, and created a Power Point presenting the country’s rich cultural history.
Participants: Elizabeth Beckett, Breanna Escamilla, Andrew Jason with Language Fellow Aida Amroussia
French: Title: An interview with the real leaders of the fictional country of Charlemagnix
This French ILO created the fictional country of Charlemagnix, basing it off of real Francophone countries. Throughout the semester, each student played the role of one of the key politicians in Charlemagnix and approached class discussions with the attitude and perspective that corresponded to her role. This is a recording of their final project, a political interview of the prime minister and defense minister of Charlemagnix in which they respond to questions about the national and international affairs they discussed in their ILO.
Participants: Leila Ballard, Jess Polus, Emily Quinlan with Language Fellow Spencer Greenhalgh
German: Title: Multiculturalism in German Cinema
The theme of the German ILO was the representation of multiculturalism and migration in German film. Germany, a country with a long and turbulent history with ethnic, religious, and cultural difference, is now Europe's most popular, and the world's third most popular, destination for migrants and refugees. We watched, discussed, and researched two films, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and Almanya: Welcome to Germany, both of which explore the history and implications of this new multicultural reality, reflecting on such themes as the legacies of the Nazi past, discrimination, the second-generation between two cultures, and cultural assimilation.
Participants: Anna Backman with Language Fellow Brian Van Wyck
Haitian Creole: Title: A Taste of Haiti
In addition to participating in the World Peace Game with two other ILOs, Angel and Michelle created a video in which they discuss various foods that are common in Haiti and the basic steps of preparation. (Outtakes included!)
Participants: Angel Snyder with Language Fellow Michelle Vital
Italian: Title: Some contemporary Italian issues
The Italian ILO dealt with some Italian cultural topics and issues that have shaped Italian society and are still currently in the news (e.g., protection of art, environmental issues, mafia, corruption, anti-mafia). Students used the news, interviews, and group discussions in addressing these issues.
Participants: Ken Crotty, Evan Hayden, Aaron Oom, Kristi Pollum, Nicole Sherman, Anthony Swain, Andrew Texel, Leslie Welch with Language Fellow Lorena Valmori
Korean: Family, War, and Peace in Korean Movies
This project is a blog including three essays and an interview video about three different Korean movies: Sunny, Welcome to Dongmakgol, and Miracle in Cell No. 7. We explored how these movies challenged and questioned the theme of war and created unique senses of peace. To understand the dynamic between war and peace, we particularly chose the issue of "family" and analyzed how families are continually constructed and reconstructed throughout the war period.
Partipants: Sarah Teppen with Language Fellow Sun Jai Kim
Spanish: Title: Lesson Learned from the World Peace Game
In this ILO, we reflected on our experience as participants in the World Peace Game. We reviewed the creation of our fictional country, and the resolution of 4 crises. After thoughtful discussions, we synthesized in a concept map what we agreed to be the salient realizations that our participation in the game brought.
Participants: Shannon Fitzpatrick, Jacquelin Guzman, Brandon Hankins, Anna Hawkins, Kayla Turner with Language Fellow José Martinez-Hinestroza
Spanish: Title: Ecuador: a political, economic, and cultural exploration
This project builds on students' work with the World Peace Game. Students researched different aspects of Ecuador's society, culture, physical geography, and political environment. Engaging in activities related to the WPG inspired the students to create a short film in which they play the role of news correspondents assigned to Ecuador and who are being interviewed by a Talk Show Host from a program they called Serenity News. In the film, for which the students wrote the script, with the help of their language fellow Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia, each news correspondent responded to different questions about political, economic, and cultural issues in Ecuador. The Talk Show Host role was played by Jose Martinez-Hinestroza, who is also an RCAH Language Fellow.
Participants: Shea Heid, Krista Rodriguez, Melanie Sweet with Language Fellow Fredy Rodriguez-Meija
Turkish: Title: Turkish Music between East and West
The Turkish ILO explored historical and contemporary Turkish music, represented in this poster. Located as it is at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, Turkish music blends elements from Arabic, Persian, Central Asian, Balkan, Greek, and Armenian musical traditions. We listened to and discussed a variety of genres of Turkish music, ranging from Ottoman marches to Turkish rap, and researched the history of each style, who listens to it, and what cultural purpose it serves or has served.
Participants: Emily Riesterer with Language Fellow Brian Van Wyck