News

WLLC Celebrates Student Excellence at 2026 Awards Ceremony

On April 30, 2026, WLLC proudly celebrated the achievements of its students at the annual WLLC Student Awards.

This special event recognized outstanding students across all language programs for their academic excellence, service, and commitment to intercultural learning. Faculty, students, family, and friends gathered to honor the many accomplishments that reflect the strength of the WLLC community.

Chinese

• WLLC Enrichment Scholarship: Kirk Aldave
• Elizabeth Schardt Scholarship (2026–2027): Emma Turner
• National Collegiate Chinese Honor Society: Alana Greene & James Long

French

• WLLC Enrichment Scholarship: Bodhi Harrison
• Elizabeth Schardt Scholarship (2025–2026): Madi Barrett

German

• Elizabeth Schardt Award (2026–2027): Alexander Csaki
• Ortrud Gilbert Scholarship: Madi Barrett
• Debbie Pilvinsky Scholarship: Ruby Neu

Spanish

• WLLC Enrichment Award: Daniela Melendez
• Elizabeth Schardt Scholarship (2025–2026): Rocío Ramos Sanchez
• Eleanor Frances Nelson Jordan Scholarship (2026–2027): Maria Castillo

Japanese

• WLLC Enrichment Award: Jackson Reed
• Elizabeth Schardt Scholarship (2025–2026): Olivia O’Shell
• Japanese Program Service Award (2025–2026): Tristan Howard

Kiyoshi Kawahito Scholarships

The ceremony also highlighted the legacy of the Kiyoshi Kawahito Scholarship, established through the generosity of Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito and Mrs. Erna Kawahito. As reflected in Dr. Kawahito’s personal story, shared during the event, the scholarship was created to expand opportunities for students pursuing Japanese language and culture studies. Awardees were:

• Dakota Garriott
• Miles Phengsykeo
• Grace Widener
• Sunnie Ishii

The WLLC Awards Ceremony serves not only to recognize individual accomplishments, but also to celebrate the vibrant academic community that supports language learning, cultural exploration, and global engagement at MTSU.

We congratulate all of this year’s award recipients and look forward to their continued success.

Photo Credit: Dr. Gema Vela

MTSU Japanese Students Earn Top Honors at 2026 TN Video Skit & Presentation Contest

The Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our Japanese program students at the 2026 Tennessee Video Skit & Presentation Contest, held in conjunction with the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival.

Our students earned top honors in multiple categories:

1st Place – Level 1 Division (Video Skit)
Congratulations to Grace Widener, Jared Stacey, Sunnie Ishii, and Gia Head for their award-winning performance. Their creativity, teamwork, and language skills led them to secure first place in this division.

3rd Place – Level 2 Division (Recorded Presentation)
Benjamin Sneed was recognized for his excellent presentation, earning third place in the Level 2 division. This marks an impressive back-to-back achievement, as he also received an award in the Level 1 division last year.

The results were officially announced on Saturday, April 11, during the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival. We extend our sincere thanks to MTSU Lecturer Ryoko Poarch for her leadership and mentorship, and to the Consul General of Japan in Nashville, Mr. Watanabe, for presenting the awards.

These accomplishments highlight the dedication and talent of our students and reflect the strength of MTSU’s Japanese program. We congratulate all participants on their hard work and success.

WLLC Students Recognized at 2026 CLA Awards and Scholarship Ceremony

The Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures is proud to celebrate two outstanding students who were recognized at the 2026 College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Awards and Scholarship Ceremony.

Ruby Neu, our department’s nominee for the CLA Outstanding Student Award, was honored during the ceremony for her exceptional academic achievements and contributions to the department. Ruby is a double major in German and Japanese and has demonstrated a strong commitment to global learning, including participation in a study abroad program in Germany. She successfully defended her Honors thesis last semester and will graduate Spring 2026. Ruby has also presented her research at WLLC Research Symposium. We congratulate Ruby on this well-deserved recognition.

We also celebrate Kingsley Putnam, recipient of the Keasler Petersen Scholarship, awarded in support of study abroad experiences. Kingsley, a Japanese major with minors in Global Studies and Linguistics, was recognized for their academic dedication and international engagement through study abroad in Japan.

We extend our congratulations to both students for their accomplishments and for representing WLLC with excellence.

Photo credit: Dr. Ayaka Matsuo.

Global Voices: An International Poetry Reading

The Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Middle Tennessee State University proudly hosted Global Voices: An International Poetry Reading (organized by Dr. Luciana Prestes) on March 26, 2026, a celebration of linguistic diversity, cultural expression, and the power of poetry across borders.

This special event brought together students, faculty, and members of the campus community to share poetry in a variety of languages, highlighting the richness of global literary traditions. Participants read selections from international poets, in both the original language (in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai) and their English translation, offering audiences the opportunity to experience different rhythms, sounds, and perspectives from around the world.

Each reading reflected the unique cultural and emotional depth that language carries. The event created a welcoming space for both native speakers and language learners to engage with poetry, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

Global Voices is part of WLLC’s ongoing commitment to promoting intercultural dialogue and showcasing the transformative role of language and literature in connecting communities. Events like this not only celebrate multilingualism but also encourage students to explore creative expression in their target languages.

We thank all participants and attendees for making this event such a meaningful and inspiring experience. We look forward to continuing to amplify global voices in future events.

Photo credit: Dania Moore

Global & Local Career Perspectives: Language Skills in Action

The Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Middle Tennessee State University recently hosted Global & Local Career Perspectives, an event highlighting the real-world impact of language skills across professional fields.

Students had the opportunity to hear from two distinguished professionals who use Spanish in their daily careers:

• Ms. Sarah Ebel (EBSCO Information Services) shared how Spanish proficiency has opened doors across multiple healthcare-related roles and allowed her to thrive in multilingual environments.

• Ms. Heidi Giordano, court interpreter for the State of Tennessee, spoke about the essential role of Spanish in legal settings and emphasized the growing demand for professionals with strong linguistic and cultural competencies.

Through their insights, students gained a clearer understanding of how language study translates into meaningful career opportunities. The speakers’ experiences underscored how multilingualism not only expands professional pathways but also builds confidence and strengthens connections across diverse communities.

Events like Global & Local Career Perspectives reflect WLLC’s commitment to preparing students for globally connected careers by bridging academic study with professional application.

We extend our sincere thanks to our speakers and all who attended for contributing to such an engaging and inspiring conversation.

Photo credit: Gema Vela

Congratulations to Dr. Joan McRae

“Probably the biggest thing I’ve done is write new textbooks through the library’s resource, Pressbooks, that are free for students to use,” said McRae, who has been active with MTSU’s Open Educational Resources program to provide free materials for students. “It’s engaging for students because you can incorporate all kinds of audio and visual materials, as well as quick knowledge checks and quizzes, directly into the textbook.”

The first virtual text McRae worked on was with a colleague at Virginia Commonwealth called, “L’Atelier,” for intermediate French. Currently, she is working on “Bon Voyage,” for novice learners.

With online learning, there can be challenges. But McRae said it’s a marriage of in-class techniques with computer-assisted learning that builds success in online courses.

The 18-month NEH grant will support McRae’s research and translation of two major works by Renaissance-era French poet and noblewoman Anne de Graville, who sought to refute the sentiment that women were inferior to men.

McRae will be working with Elizabeth L’Estrange, associate professor of art history at the University of Birmingham in England, to produce the first comprehensive, critical edition and English translation of de Graville’s works, making these key texts accessible to scholars and students.

“What is really exciting about this grant is that it supports research into the earliest manifestations of the feminist movement, where women supported their own agency and their own voices,” McRae said.

Starting in January 2025, the grant will provide McRae the opportunity to travel to France and be hands-on with de Graville’s manuscripts over the 18-month duration of the grant.

“The biggest thing this grant does is it buys me time,” McRae said.

McRae will reduce her course load so she can allot time to pore over 500-year-old manuscripts handwritten on fragile parchment and translate them. The process is tedious, as she will need to cross-reference different manuscripts to create a complete and accurate edition and translation of each text.

“In the summer, I’ll be able to go and look at the manuscripts in person at the French national libraries,” McRae said. “Some of them have beautiful illuminations and are very carefully monitored to protect them.”

Although the manuscripts are centuries old, de Graville was ahead of her time as a woman who went against the grain of society.

The manuscripts, conserved in French archives, will be transcribed, annotated, and supplemented with an apparatus detailing textual variations and literary innovations. The work will also address earlier editorial misinterpretations, restoring de Graville’s text to its original form.

To complete the project, McRae plans to create a critical bilingual edition and translation that aligns with feminist translation ethics and broadens the understanding of pre-1600 women’s writing, particularly their contributions to feminist discourse.

The project builds on recent support from the British Academy, which funded McRae and L’Estrange’s preliminary work on these texts. This groundwork demonstrated the scholarly value and cultural significance of de Graville’s writings, confirming her place as an influential voice in early feminist literature.

“She is not very often referred to, but she is an important link in rediscovering the roots of the feminist movement … which started in the late medieval period,” McRae explained.

To learn more about the French and Francophone Studies concentration at MTSU, visit https://bit.ly/41gaFwP.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)

Congratulations Dr. Priya Ananth                  

New book on intercultural engagement in short-term faculty-led study abroad      programs across disciplines Intercultural Engagement in Short-term Faculty-led      Study Abroad: A Practitioner’s Guide with Multiple Perspectives from a Public University (MT Open Press, Middle Tennessee State University, 2023) is the title     of a new book coedited by Dr. Priya Ananth (Professor of Japanese) and Dr. Seok Jeng Jane Lim (Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education). This practitioner’s guide offers creative ways of integrating intercultural competencies     into class activities, tasks, and assignments in short-term faculty-led study abroad programs across disciplines. This book is arranged into three sections. Section I provides the basic framework to understand short-term faculty-led study abroad programs from a theoretical as well as administrative perspectives. Section II showcases eleven  contributions from faculty leaders across six disciplines who share program details demonstrating how intercultural competencies were strategically incorporated into the activities, tasks, and assignments of their study abroad curricula. Section III presents the conclusions with recommendations for faculty and administrators to plan and design short-term faculty-led study abroad programs.

Book Link: Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad: A Practitioner’s Guide with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from a Public University | MT Open Press (mtsu.edu)

A New Book on Infusing Foreign Language Content in Humanities Courses

Incorporating Foreign Language Content in Humanities Courses (Routledge Press, 2019) is the title of a new book co-edited by Dr. Priya Ananth (associate professor of Japanese) and Dr. Leah Tolbert Lyons (associate professor of French). This volume offers innovative ways to incorporate foreign language content and concepts into humanities courses taught in English. In light of declining enrollments in humanities courses nationwide, and foreign language courses in particular, the contributions to this collection display the adept joining of foreign languages with humanities content courses in the areas of literature, linguistics, and culture. The book presents tangible course samples from a variety of languages and proficiency levels and serves as a useful resource to all foreign language faculty, without regard to their language speciality, for the adaptation and development of their own curricula that infuses foreign language content into English-taught humanities courses.

Congratulations Dr. Priya Ananth for receiving the 2019 SEATJ Teacher of the Year Award

Dr. Priya Ananth
World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
2019 SEATJ Teacher of the Year Award

Dr. Ananth is an associate professor of Japanese in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures.  Dr. Ananth was awarded the 2019 SEATJ Teacher of the Year Award, by the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ) at the 34^th SEATJ Conference on March 2, 2019 at Wake Forest University, North Carolina.  This award is given annually to an outstanding teacher of Japanese who demonstrates excellence in teaching and leadership in the field of Japanese Language education.  The nominations are sought from SEATJ members who come from all over the United States and Japan.  As such, this award has national significance.  Here is a quote from the award letter, “We are impressed with your dedication to your students and the advocacy for Japanese studies at MTSU.  We are also very thankful for your leadership and contributions in the field, not only at SEATJ but also at the national level.”

Faculty member Dr. Ann McCullough recognized for Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award

Dr. McCullough was awarded the 2015-16 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award during the MTSU Honors Annual Awards Ceremony on April 28th.  The award was established in November 2004 by Dr. Jan Hayes to recognize faculty members who received the highest student evaluations teaching an Honors course.  One Honors faculty member is selected over the course of the year’s evaluations and is given the award at the MTSU Honors Annual Awards Ceremony each April.

Dr. McCullough is an associate professor of French in the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.  She received her Ph.D. from Emory University in French Language and Literature.

 Two faculty members have been recognized for their outstanding contributions and performance

Nancy Sloan Goldberg
World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures  Outstanding Research Award

Dr. Nancy Goldberg is a professor of French in the Department of Foreign languages and    Literatures.  She received her Ph.D. in French Literature from Vanderbilt University.  Dr. Goldberg’s   research interests focus on the interconnectedness of literature and politics in early twentieth- century France and specifically on fiction written during the World War I. She has published two books and twenty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. These publications, written in English, French and Spanish, have appeared in well-known journals in France, England, Italy, Chile, Australia, and the United States. Recent publications include “Qui donc fermera la porte entr’ouverte?” and “The Home and the Nation in Women’s War Poetry” in Essays in French Literature and Culture and “Rereading Ventura García Calderón” in Hispania.  Dr. Goldberg’s dual-language website, “French Writers of the great War/Les Écrivains Français de la Grande Guerre,” has provided access and information to a global community of students and scholars since 2006.

Jason L. Pettigrew   Foreign Languages and literatures   Outstanding Teacher Award

Dr. Jason Pettigrew is an assistant professor of Spanish in the Department of Foreign languages and literatures. He received his Ph.D. in Modern Foreign languages at the universityof Tennessee-Knoxville. He has been a member of the MTSU faculty since 2011. Dr. Pettigrew has taught Spanish Language course at all levels, Hispanic American literature, and an introductory course about teaching foreign languages. He also serves as the faculty advisor to the MTSU Spanish Club and is a member of the graduate faculty and honors faculty. His area of specialization is Hispanic American Literature, and his main research interest is the literary analysis of poetry.

As an instructor of Spanish, Dr. Pettigrew wants students to realize that knowledge of other cultures and languages can not only help them, reach professional goals, but can also enrich their understanding and participation in national and world communities. He strives to maintain an approach to foreign language teaching that is informed by sound research on second language acquisition. He endeavors to keep his classroom learner-centered, open to different learning styles, and low-anxiety, so that students will feel comfortable experimenting with Spanish. Dr. Pettigrew also strives to integrate culture into his language classes. He not only wants students to build communicative competence in Spanish, but also to open their minds to the peoples and cultures of our interconnected world. The broadened perspective and cultural understanding that students gain through foreign language study are the ultimate goals of all his efforts in the classroom.