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World Languages and Cultures Events
Jack Child Memorial LectureDr. Nicolás Campisi — "The Agrochemical Gothic: Pesticide Art and Literature in South America."
Thursday, April 10, 5:30-7:00 p.m. | Letts Formal Lounge
Nicolás Campisi is an Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Georgetown University. His first book, The Return of the Contemporary: The Latin American Novel in the End Times (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024), combines the fields of post-dictatorship studies and environmental humanities to analyze Latin American cultural production in the neoliberal age. He is currently working on a second book project tentatively titled Climatic Genres: Anthropocene Writing in Latin America.
Abstract
In this presentation, I will discuss the emergence of a new aesthetic genre that I call the agrochemical gothic. I will talk about two novels—Fruta podrida (2006) by the Chilean writer Lina Meruane and Distancia de rescate (2014) by the Argentine writer Samanta Schweblin—alongside a book of photographs by the Argentine artist Pablo E. Piovano, El costo humano de los agrotóxicos (2017). I will show that just as agribusiness has obscured the borders between humans and nonhumans through the creation of genetically modified seeds (GMOs), these works blur the limits between prose, poetry, and theater to depict the invisible and omnipresent violence of pesticide contamination. Meruane, Piovano, and Schweblin demonstrate that the twenty-first-century countryside is not only a factory of export crops but also a source of diseased animals, women, and children. They tell us that the modern dreams of agricultural progress have turned into toxic nightmares.
TESOL Job & Volunteer Fair
Friday, April 11, 2pm-5:30pm | MGC (first floor, 305, 306)
Join the TESOL Program and Career Center to explore job and volunteer opportunities in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Whether you are a student eager to gain experience and explore English language teaching options or a seasoned professional looking for a new opportunity, this fair is the perfect place to connect with potential employers and organizations that support English language learners.
Hugo J. Mueller Linguistics Lecture Series
The Mueller Linguistics Lecture Series, which brings leading scholars on language as a part of society to 麻豆视频作品campus, is a proud 40-year tradition established by the Department of World Languages and Cultures' founding department chair, Dr. Hugo J. Mueller.
Learn more about the Mueller Lecture Series
2024 Mueller Lecture: Dr. Kirby Conrod, Pronoun Euphoria
Watch the lecture
Events Archive
Spring 2025
Year of the Snake illustration by Pan Hu and Zhang Wang
WLC Lunar New Year Celebration
WLC celebrated 2025, the Year of the Snake, with student performances, snacks, soft drinks, Chinese jiaozi 餃子/饺子 (dumplings), Korean tteokguk??? (rice cake soup), hanbok ??, traditional games and more...
Sponsored by WLC Chinese Program, WLC Korean Program, and CLEAR (Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition and Research)
Fall 2024
French and Spanish Job and Internship Info Session
October 23, 2024
Learn more about job opportunities in French and Spanish and speak with guests from different organizations around Washington, DC.
Spring 2025
Year of the Snake illustration by Pan Hu and Zhang Wang
WLC Lunar New Year Celebration
WLC celebrated 2025, the Year of the Snake, with student performances, snacks, soft drinks, Chinese jiaozi 餃子/饺子 (dumplings), Korean tteokguk??? (rice cake soup), hanbok ??, traditional games and more...
Sponsored by WLC Chinese Program, WLC Korean Program, and CLEAR (Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition and Research)
Spring 2024
Sound of Spring: Korean Poems About Love and Hope
March 28
Korean language learners celebrated the spring by sharing Korean poems and lovely music.
Fall 2024
Transplanting the infinite onion: a poetry translation workshop with Javier Adrada de la Torre (Spanish/English)
October 8, 2024
Javier Adrada de la Torre (Madrid, 1996) holds a PhD in translation studies from the University of Salamanca. He is currently a professor and researcher of translation and transmedial arts at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Madrid. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the Colegio de Mexico. He is the author of the novels La airora de los girasoles (Prize MRS Ediciones, Barcelona, 2014) and Espejismo de un dios (Madrid, Diversidad Literaria, 2017). And he recently published two books of poems, Ensayo sobre una cebolla infinita (Pre-Textos, XIII Premio de Poesia "Emilio Prados", 2024) and Gasolineras (Difacil, XXIV Premio de Poesia "Martin Garcia Ramos," 2024).
Latin American and Spanish Studies Information Session
September 25, 2024
Meet faculty and learn about our course offerings in the areas of Latin American and Spanish literature, linguistics, translation, Latin American and Spanish arts and culture.
French and Spanish Job and Internship Info Session
October 23, 2024
Learn more about job opportunities in French and Spanish and speak with guests from different organizations around Washington, DC.
Film Screening: Father, Daughter and the Immortal SongTuesday, March 4, 2025, 6:00–8:00 p.m. | MGC 305
Join the Persian Program from the Department of World Languages and Cultures for a screening of Father, Daughter and the Immortal Song: A Story of One Woman's Fight for Liberation, Justice and Equality. This film tells the story of two family members: Malek o'Shoara Bahar, a neoclassical Iranian poet, and his daughter, Parvaneh Bahar, who marched with MLK Jr. in the American civil rights movement. Screenings and post-screening discussions are free and open to the public.
Spring 2025
A Thousand and One Berber Nights
February 13
Film screening & discussion with director Hisham Aidi, followed by refreshments and live Moroccan music
A Thousand and One Berber Nights is a captivating account of the life of Hassan Ouakrim, a trailblazer whose legacy transcends borders. The film tells the story of Ouakrim's extraordinary journey as an Amazigh artist from French-ruled Morocco, mentored by the African American theater visionary Ellen Stewart. From his roots in anti-colonial theater to becoming a celebrated teacher of North African dance across America, Ouakrim's story weaves together art, mysticism, and global connections.
Director Hisham Aidi is a Moroccan academic, filmmaker, and cultural reporter who teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He is the author of numerous works, including Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture, winner of the American Book Award. He has written for The Atlantic, The Nation, and The New Yorker. He also wrote and produced two short documentaries, Malcolm X and the Sudanese (2020) and Sister Aisha: Queen Mother of Harlem (2024)?
Sponsors: Mohamed S. Farsi Chair of Islamic Peace, Department of World Languages & Cultures, and the Department of Performing Arts.