Bertony Louis walks the mural-lined streets of Pittsburgh’s North Side carrying Haiti with him — its language, its struggles and its enduring strength. A Haitian writer who calls himself a “humanitarian poet,” Louis has built an internationally recognized body of work rooted in exile, justice and survival. This fall, he joined LCAL as a research fellow, where he has begun exploring exile and humanitarian literature while sharing his poetry, research and translations with students and the broader community.

Read the full story from NEXT Pittsburgh to learn how Louis’ journey from Haiti to Pittsburgh continues to shape his work and purpose.

On Dec. 3, Sanghee Kang shared findings from recent classroom-based studies on the use of generative AI as corrective feedback in second language learning for LCAL's Informal Conversation of Research (ICOR) series.

Her work examines how generative AI can be integrated into instruction, focusing on its pedagogical effectiveness, learner perceptions and potential applications for enhancing classroom practice.

The ICOR Series will resume in the spring semester.

Starting Jan. 1, Seth Wiener will assume the role of associate editor for the journal Language Learning.

Felipe Gómez published the paper "Neo-nagualismo gráfico: arquetipos de resistencia interespecie, decolonial y ecocrítica en cómics mexicanos contemporáneos” in iMex Revista's special edition XXVIII. La Historieta en México - Perspectivas interdisciplinares.

Nevine Abraham gave a presentation entitled “Narrating the Unspeakable: Trauma, Postmemory in the Reconstruction of Home in Hala Alyan’s Salt Houses” at Psyche & Society: Literature, Language, History and Education, held at 6th October University in Cairo, Egypt. She also moderated a book discussion and chaired a session on trauma and resistance at the conference. 

Additionally, Dr. Abraham gave a presentation entitled “Personalized Pathways to Proficiency: A Case Study on AI Integration in First and Second Semester Online Arabic” at The International Conference in Innovation and the Evolving Landscape of Arabic Language Learning: K-16 and Beyond held at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. 

Also at the conference, Khaled Al Masaeed and Joseph Garcia presented their paper "How and when beliefs change for students when studying abroad: A longitudinal look at four advanced Arabic learners studying abroad in Morocco" and Dr. Al Masaeed presented his paper "L2 Arabic pragmatics research: Insights for data collection and analysis" on the panels "Evolving Trends: Adapting to a Changing World."

On Dec. 12, Sue-mei Wu, founder and president of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Western Pennsylvania (CLTA-WPA), successfully organized the CLTA-WPA 2025 Chinese Education Workshop at CMU. The workshop featured three special sessions: “Innovative Teaching and New Perspectives in Chinese Education,” “Calligraphy Teaching and Learning” and “Elementary Chinese Teaching and Learning.” K-16 Chinese educators from Pittsburgh and surrounding areas actively discussed and exchanged their thoughts and strategies to help further promote their professional development and better classroom teaching.

Gang Liu, Haixia Wang and Sue-mei Wu presented “Elementary Chinese Workshop: Teaching Chinese Link via Lingro Learning” at the CLTA-WPA 2025 Workshop. Dr. Wu also presented her two works “What Do Wukong and Nezha Like to Eat?: Incorporating Food Tasting in a Class Activity” and “Teaching Chinese Digital Arts and Literature: Nezha and Wukong” at the workshop.

Students in Keely Austin’s 82-184 Linguistic and Cultural Equity: Theories and Practice — a course which fulfills the "Perspectives on Justice and Injustice" GenEd requirement — completed semester-long action projects addressing specific linguistic or cultural inequities. Class discussions and activities encouraged students to research, share and question perspectives that “create and continue” or “challenge and change” these inequities. Their work and insights were outstanding! Check out samples of the students' work, which are paired with an excerpt from the same student’s final reflective memo.

Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your college career, but the cost can be stressful. LCAL is firmly committed to supporting students' goals to study abroad. Apply today for an LCAL study abroad scholarship; it only takes a few minutes!  

LCAL majors and Arabic studies minors are guaranteed scholarships for any approved program. Additionally, any student attending one of LCAL's seven summer study abroad programs, regardless of major or minor, is eligible for an LCAL scholarship.

Additionally, LCAL is pleased to offer generous scholarship packages for the Monteverde, Costa Rica and Nantes, France programs!

LCAL's LPA professional certificate is a one-year, online program. Courses are designed for current educators and graduate students who are seeking to advance in their careers through language teaching, language supervision, language program administration and/or curriculum development. 

• Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
• Deadline: January 11, 2026
• M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
• Deadline: March 1, 2026
• M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition — Advanced Study
• Deadline: March 1, 2026
• M.A. in Global Communication & Applied Translation
• Priority deadline: January 7, 2026

Visit our website for more details!