Junior  returnees  and  Sophomores  who  are  contemplating  studying  abroad  the  following  year  are  invited  to  the  annual  Global  Gala  to  celebrate  the  experience  of  living  overseas.    

One  of  the  factors  that  colors  the  students’  experience  abroad  most  vividly  is  the  language  they  communicate  in  daily,  which  is  oftentimes  not  English.    

Students  come  back  excited  about  travel!  Dr.  Victor  Castellani  Chair  of  the  Department  of  Languages  and  Literatures  

Members  of  the  DU  Tango  Club  perform  at  the  Global  Gala.  

Language  is  a  way  for  students  to  connect  more  intimately  with  a  culture.    

Students  want  to  understand  their  environment,  and  they  can’t  do  that  if  they  can’t  communicate.  Otherwise,  you’re  a  tourist.  Dr.  M.  Kathleen  Mahnke  Director  of  the  Center  for  World  Languages  &  Culture  

While  a  small  number  of  students  are  enrolled  in  the  Chinese  language  program  at  DU,  it  is  required  that  all  Chinese  minors  study  abroad  in  China.    

In  fact,  Castellani  says  that  nearly  100%  of  students  studying  Chinese  at  DU  do  study  abroad  in  China.  

He  would  like  to  see  a  similar  requirement  transfer  over  to  the  other  language  programs  in  the  Department.    

Students  watch  a  performance  of  traditional  Chinese  drums  at  the  Global  Gala.    

Tory  Rust,  a  Communications  Major  who  manages  her  own  photography  company  on  the  side,  studied  Spanish  in  Madrid.  Now  back  in  Denver,  she  wants  to  learn  French.  She  believes  this  new  language  will  help  her  break  into  the  fashion  

industry  as  a  professional  photographer.    

Guests  at  the  Global  Gala  view  photographs  taken  by  DU  students  abroad.    

About  10  percent  of  students  choose  to  study  

abroad  in  countries  where  the  local  language  is  not  taught  at  DU,  like  

Botswana.  

Lauren,  a  Junior  at  DU,  looks  at  the  Study  Abroad  board  in  the  Delta  Zeta  house,  which  marks  the  spots  across  the  globe  where  members  chose  to  study  abroad  in  the  2012-­‐2013  academic  year.    

According  to  a  survey  conducted  by  the  Office  of  International  Education  during  Fall  Quarter  of  2012,  48  percent    of  students  mention  language  acquisition  as  a  very  important  reason  for  choosing  to  study  abroad. 

“I  can’t  stress  enough  how  important  it  is  that  students  have  this  foundation  before  going  abroad,”  says  Mahnke.  

According  to  Castellani,  “We  don’t  like  to  send  our  students  abroad  without  a  foundation  of  two  years  of  college-­‐level  study,”  like  Ali.      

Ali,  a  Junior,  studied  abroad  in  Sevilla,  Spain.  She  took  Spanish  classes  every  quarter  leading  up  to  her  time  in  Sevilla.    

Shawna,   who   studied   in   Valparaiso,   Chile,   skypes   with  her  friend,  Simón,  a  local  Chilean  she  met  while  abroad.  

Students  like  Shawna  continue  to  find  value  in  the  language  they  study   abroad   as   they   maintain   the   friendships   they   developed  overseas  once  they  return  home.    

The  Center  for  World  Languages  and  Cultures  provides  supplemental  instruction  beyond  the  traditional  language  classes  offered  by  the  Department  of  Languages  and  Literatures.    

Free  one-­‐on-­‐one  language  instruction  is  available  to  DU  students  and  the  wider  community  from  Monday  to  Friday  at  the  CWLC.    

The  CWLC  sees  more  students  visiting  its  language  tutors  (offered  in  Spanish,  French,  Arabic,  Japanese,  Chinese,  Italian,  Russian,  and  German)  in  the  month  of  January  than  during  Fall  Quarter.    

Mahnke  attributes  this  interest  to  study  abroad  returnees  eager  to  keep  up  with  the  language  they’ve  acquired.  

The  CWLC  is  keen  to  hear  from  students  wanting  to  learn  less  commonly  taught  languages.  If  at  least  10  students  express  interest  in  learning  a  language,  then  the  CWLC  will  begin  work  on  developing  a  program  for  its  instruction.  

If  students  ask,  we  make  it  happen.  Mahnke  Director  of  CWLC  

Domestic  students  are  paired  up  with  international  students  studying  at  DU.  This  way,  DU  students  can  experience  study  abroad  from  both  perspectives,  and  help  someone  who  is  developing  their  English  language  skills  in  our  own  backyard.    

Each  quarter,  the  Office  of  Internationalization  organizes  the  Pioneer  Partnership  Program.    

DU  students  can  also  learn  a  new  language  independently  through  one  of  the  several  language-­‐learning  programs  available  on  Penrose  Library’s  online  database.    

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