Fall 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. Fall 2015 topics and projects are listed below.
- Arabic: Primary education in Tunisia (poster below) Poster presentation based on interviews with Tunisian student, parent, and teacher. Madeline Aulicino, Emily Quinlan with Language Fellow Aida Amroussia.
- ASL: ASL Poetry (video) Students looked at movies, poetry, and short stories as forms of expression and identity formation, created their own ASL poems and performed them in a short video. Izzy Abbo, Elana Bandalene, Monica Booker, Amir Butler, Sariah Metcalfe, Maddy Wheelock with Language Fellow Sabrina Perlman.
- Chinese: Americanized Chinese food (video) Students created a cooking show video. Natasha Blakely, Leea Fellows, Katherine Rock, Jessica Wang with Language Fellow Jenni Lee.
- French: The ILO Channel -- Television inspired by French news and culture (videos: Une conversation avec des réfugiés & Cuisiner avec des étudiants!) Students studied current events and contemporary culture in the Francophone world and made short videos based on what they learned. Jacob Arens, Leila Ballard, Emily Boswell, Luke Proffitt, Rachel Scott, Sarah Teppen with Language Fellow Spencer Greenhalgh.
- Hindi: Women’s role in India (posters below) Portrayal of Women in Indian Media & Gender Divide in Society (Medical Profession). Alex Boswell, Lia Umlauf with Language Fellow Rohit Mehta.
- Italian:Welcome to the ILO Hotel (brochure and poster below) Students created an imaginary hotel after interviewing Italians and studying the social, cultural, and historical differences among 21 regions in Italy. Ken Crotty, Nicole Sherman, Andrew Texel, Leslie Welch with Language Fellow Danilo Balzarini.
- Japanese: Japanese Culture Today: Fashion, Music, and Festivals (videos about fashion, music, and festivals) Interviews with MSU Japanese students. Dania Abu-Rmaileh, Emily Callaghan, Leea Fellows, HuiYi Liu, Leslie Welch with Language Fellow Tsuyoshi Oshita.
- Korean: (PowerPoint) A comparison between Korean and American pop music. Laney Hult with Language Fellow Jenni Lee.
- Spanish:
- The Healing Power of Art (video) Based on interviews with artists, students created a short video showcasing efforts in Latin America to use art as a way to mourn, raise a voice about social issues, and transform public spaces. Students replicated an exhibit by a Colombian artist and created an informational flyer to raise MSU students’ awareness of violence against women in Michigan. Jess Black, Amanda Godar, Emily Mall, Marianne Nezich, Ryan Roehler, Calla Sundin, Stephanie Walker with Language Fellow José Martinez-Hinestroza.
- Cross-cultural meanings of words (video) Students interviewed people from 7 different Latin American countries to explore if and how the meanings of words changed across different cultures. The students created a linguistic map showing the words chosen by the participants. They also filmed a brief documentary based on interviews. Interviews explored different cultural understandings of concepts such as: power, beauty, family, education, faith, and immigration. Rachel Brauer, Katie Harger, Kristin McConnell, Taylor Peterson, Sadie Shattuck, Morgan Torre with Language Fellow Fredy Rodriguez-Meija.
- Swahili: Culture of Tanzanian Food (video) Students created a short video summarizing their exploration of the foods related to the different tribes of Tanzania and how the cultures have borrowed from each other. Leslie Welch with Language Fellow Rose Mnzava.
- Vietnamese: Weddings in Vietnam: Traditions under Western Influence (video) Students created a video based on interviews with a Vietnamese couple. They explored how Western customs are adopted in Vietnamese culture and how people deal with cultural differences. Maxie Froelicher, Julia Le with Language Fellow Ni La Le.