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Vanderbilt Center for Languages

VCL Scholars

The Vanderbilt Center for Languages offers a welcoming and dynamic environment that brings together language communities from across Vanderbilt. We promote the exchange of ideas and expertise among colleagues from all departments, programs, and centers in order to foster proficiencies in world languages and develop cultural awareness among students and faculty.

The VCL Scholars initiative supports these objectives, offering professional development, collaborative scholarship opportunities, and design of innovative language-centered events in tandem with Vanderbilt students.

Applications are collected at the beginning of every Spring semester.
Click here to view all details and application.

For any questions please contact Director Chalene Helmuth.

Spring 2025

Lori Catanzaro
Divya Chaudhry
Nathalie Dieu-Porter
Susan Kevra
Benjamin Legg
Juntao Li
Anna Marra
Hideko Shimizu

 

 

 

 

 

The VCL Scholars serve as an integral part of the Vanderbilt Center for Languages’ mission of fostering interdisciplinary work to support the teaching and learning of languages at Vanderbilt University.  For Spring 2025, we received another round of excellent project proposals and initiatives:
  • From Perfectionism to Play: Using Improv to Enhance Learning Environments
    Divya Chaudhry | Asian Studies
  • A Research Immersion Abroad: Exploring Culture, Healthcare, and Society
    Nathalie Dieu-Porter | French & Italian
  • Global Food Studies
    Susan Kevra & Anna Marra | French & Italian
    Benjamin Legg & Lori Catanzaro | Spanish & Portuguese 
  • Integrating World Languages into the A&S Core Curriculum: Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Approaches for Faculty
    Juntao Li | German, Russian, and East European Studies
  • Washoku: A Celebration of Japanese Cuisine and Food Education
    Hideko Shimizu | Asian Studies

Spring 2024 VCL Scholars

Pengfei Li
Xianmin Liu
Anna Marra
Asami Nakano
Maria Paz Pintane
Claire Scott
Hideko Shimizu

 

 

 

 

 

The 2024 theme of the VCL Scholars, Intercultural Competencies, prompted submissions from a wide variety of languages and programs.

  • Exploring Heritage Narratives through a Multidimensional Language Project (Pengfei Li | Asian Studies)
  • Bridging Cultures and Empowering Minds through Chinese Tai Chi and Japanese Ikebana (Xianmin Liu & Hideko Shimizu | Asian Studies)
  • Mindfulness and Language. Enhancing Cognitive and Intercultural Growth (Anna Marra | French & Italian)
  • Community Immersion Experience for Language Students (Asami Nakano | Asian Studies)
  • Bridging Borders, Crafting a COIL-Based Virtual Exchange Program for Introduction to Spanish for the Professions (Maria Paz Pintane | Spanish & Portuguese)
  • German/American Studies: the Promise and Pitfalls of a Transatlantic Virtual Exchange (Calire Scott | German Studies)

Past CSLS Scholars in Residence

  • Patrick Murphy, 2020-2022, Principal Senior Lecturer, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
  • Oliver Knabe, 2017-2018, Assistant Professor in German, University of Dayton
  • Jessica Greenfield, 2016-2017, Medical Education Program Evaluation, University of Virginia
  • Carolina Palacios, 2015-2016, Principal Senior Lecturer, Department of Spanish and Portuguese
  • Per Urlaub, 2014-2015, Director of Global Languages, MIT
  • Susan Barone, 2012-2013, Director, English Language Center