Kicking off our Informal Conversations on Research (ICOR) Series, Giuseppina (Pina) Gemboni shared insights from her co-edited volume-in-progress. Her research examines Italian postcolonial texts and other mediums through the lens of monster theory, exploring how “monsters” function as cultural symbols that challenge boundaries, identity and belonging.

LCAL's ICOR Series offers a collegial space for faculty and graduate students to present their latest work, fostering dialogue and collaboration across disciplines. Our next ICOR Series will feature Sanghee Kang on Dec. 3.

Esther Airemionkhale published "Teaching Intercultural Competence in Higher Education Language Classrooms Using Virtual Reality" in L2 Journal. doi.org/10.5070/L2.43535

Adam Bramlett and Seth Wiener published "Focus (on) replication: Focus processing in L1 and L2 English using the fidelity, refinement and exploratory extension (FiREE) replication framework) in Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2025.100275

Nevine Abraham and Michal Friedman (CMU History) virtually presented "National Narratives and Power Disparities in Palestinian and Israeli Foodways" at the 15th International Conference on Food Studies.

On Oct. 11, Gang Liu served as panel chair for the "AI & Technology" session at the 6th International Conference on Chinese Pedagogy at Harvard University.

Adam van Compernolle presented his paper "Replication, SCT and Qualitative Science" at the 30th Meeting of the Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning Working Group at the University of York in Toronto, ON.

Haixia Wang was invited by the University of North Georgia to give a virtual presentation titled "Chinese Tea Culture: Health Benefits, Social Life and Hospitality" as part of the Chinese Language Flagship program's lecture series.

Mame-Fatou Niang presented her new book project at Germany's National Museum of World Culture, featuring the first French translation of Beatriz Nascimento's O Negro Visto Por El Mismo. In dialogue with Brazilian poet Eliana Alves Cruz, she reimagined the Black Atlantic as a constellation of interconnected yet distinct histories and experiences.

Students in 82-185 Global Food Cultures enjoyed a lecture on the history of wine in Egypt by guest speaker Mennatallah El Dorry, archeaobotanist specialised in Egyptian food and agricultural history and professor at the American University in Cairo.

On Oct. 9, Korean Studies and the Korean Students Association celebrated Hangul Day, a Korean national holiday that celebrates the invention and proclamation of Hangul (the Korean alphabet). Mathieu Berbiguier and Sanghee Kang staffed a booth to help promote our Korean studies courses and summer study abroad program in Seoul.

For a second year, the Center for Black European Studies & the Atlantic (CBESA) will curate the FLUP Literary Festival in Rio de Janeiro, securing the participation of writer, politicians and scholars working on Blackness and leading the organization of a book fair with over 20 publishing houses and major authors. On Oct. 10 & 11, FLUP was invited to sample the 2025 edition at the German National Museum of World Culture for "Middle Ground," a two-day event in which literature festivals from around the world are invited to Berlin.

Our first Crochet-Palooza brought together six students and three instructors for an evening of creativity and community. Special thanks to Rachel Floyd, Bonnie Youngs and Natalie Harmon for guiding our beginners, and to Ace, Amber, Fungo, Nazmee, Tianqi, Violet and Anne Lambright for sharing their advanced expertise and love of crochet. Kudos to our brave beginners for tackling a new craft in a new language! Interested in another (perhaps multi-level or multilingual) Crochet-Palooza later this semester? Contact Dr. Youngs. After all, we could all use an excuse to just sit and crochet for a while!

We are now accepting applications for our summer 2026 study abroad programs in Doha, Qatar; Freiburg, Germany; Madrid, Spain; Monteverde, Costa Rica; Nantes, France; and Shanghai, China! While our program in Seoul, South Korea has not opened applications yet, students can still fill out our inquiry form and will be notified when the applications go live.

Our Online Language Learning program has officially launched Arabic I for independent learners! This course is geared toward learners who are not enrolled at CMU (like CMU faculty and staff) who are interested in language learning. Learn more on our website.

• Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
• M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
• Open House on Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. (ET) — Register today!
• M.A. in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition — Advanced Study
• Open House on Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. (ET) — Register today!
• M.A. in Global Communication & Applied Translation
• 4+1 GCAT Program (for current undergraduate students)

Visit our website for more details!

The call for submissions for SONA 2026 is open until December 12. Following the success of the first festival, the second edition will showcase immersive technology in language and culture and bring creators from the immersive storytelling community to CMU. To discuss inviting artists or supporting new projects through the Immersive Cultural Innovation Fund, please email Stephan Caspar.