Virtual: Crossing the Ocean: Effective Strategies for Studying Romanian Language and Culture on the American Continent

This mini-conference/workshop seeks to bring together students and professors of Romanian language and culture to discuss some of the most effective strategies of teaching and learning the language while considering internationally famous Romanian cultural products that have supported and/or inspired students in teaching/learning about the country, its literature, arts, history and people.

This event is organized by Letitia Guran, teaching assistant professor of Romanian in the UNC-CH Department of Romance Studies.

Join the conference via the Zoom link and email Letitia Guran at lguran@email.unc.edu for the passcode to join the Zoom meeting.

Full Conference Description

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This mini-conference/workshop seeks to bring together students and professors of Romanian language and culture to discuss some of the most effective strategies of teaching and learning the language while considering internationally famous Romanian cultural products that have supported and/or inspired students in teaching/learning about the country, its literature, arts, history and people.

Over the past three decades, Romanian culture has registered a remarkable growth in visibility on the international scene due to political events like the joining of NATO and of the EU but also due to the efforts of many institutes, centers, and organizations both from Romania and from the United States and Canada. Last, but not least this was possible thanks to the dedication of many Romanian scholars who have created and have run language and culture programs in academic departments of Slavic and romance languages.

You are invited to talk about the successes of the Romanian program at your institution and share some of the most effective strategies of teaching you have tested over the years. The invitation is extended on behalf of the Center for European Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and of the Romance Studies Department at UNC, which are generously sponsoring the meeting, as they have supported the teaching of Romanian courses for the past two years.

The conference, scheduled for Friday, April 23 at 3 p.m. (EST) invites both students and scholars to consider ways in which we can shape a more inclusive future where a productive cross-cultural dialog helps dispel cultural biases and misrepresentations.

The first part of our conference (in Zoom) will consist in short presentations (10 minutes each) of successful strategies of teaching Romanian followed by Q&A. The second part will consist in a round table session during which students and professors can freely interact.

Students of Romanian and film studies who have discovered thought-provoking and possibly unsettling representations of the country in Romanian texts and movies are encouraged to engage in a dialog and address issues of self-representation versus cross-cultural portrayal of Romanians within the European Union and in the United States and suggest ideas for a more equitable and diverse world culture.

Please email Letitia Guran at lguran@email.unc.edu if you are interested in receiving the Zoom link.