Language in the Global Humanities: A Case for Hindi

1. Language in the Global Humanities:A Case for Hindi Maryland Foreign Language Association October 2013 Sharon Ahern Fechter, Ph.D. Chair, Department of World Languages and Philosophy Montgomery College sharon.fechter@montgomerycollege.edu

2. The Global Humanities Institute Montgomery College

3. The Global Humanities Institute meaningfully integrates the humanities and the study of global issues, to: • inspire students to think critically, analyze their own worldview in contrast to others; • engage and retain students; • prepare students for the complexities of the global work arena; • support faculty scholarly work; • forge deep connections with institutions abroad and local international communities; • create a model program that can be replicated by other colleges. • $490,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities, • The largest sum, by far, of all community college awardees. The NationalEndowment for the Humanities Grant

4. “[We] must foster and support a form of education … designed to make people of all backgrounds … masters of their technology and not its unthinking servants.” National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, 1965 The Granting Institution

5. The Humanities

7. Christine has a disk for Mary. Christine has a disk for Mary. Goals of the Global Humanities Institute TransformationOf Humanities Curricula u Technology To Realize Goals Internal Global Humanities Events, External Conference Presentations    Language Training Spanish Chinese Hindi Overseas Study Faculty Training To Internationalize Humanities Courses and Curricula Faculty Summer Research Stipends New Global Humanities Course Creation of a Credit-bearing Elementary Offering in Hindi Elementary Hindi 101-102

8. A Strong Team In Community and International Support External Advisory Affiliated Faculty Internal Advisory Collegewide 38 Workgroup

9. Students will: • Gain a deep, comparative knowledge of the world’s peoples and problems, • Understand how history has created the dynamics and tensions of the world, • Do practical work that affects communities that are not well served by their societies, • Function effectively and ethically in a complex, rapidly changing world that is increasingly interdependent yet full of conflicts and disparities. Source: American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Global Competencies Globalizing curricula means…

10. Employers’ Expectations of Employees Have Increased Employers say, “two- and four-year colleges should place MORE emphasis on helping students develop”: 45% Foreign language proficiency 52% Civic knowledge, community engagement 57% Knowledge of cultural diversity in the US and the world 57% Understanding of the role of U.S. in the world 65% Understanding of global issues’ implications for the future 67% Understanding of the global context of situations and decisions 81% Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills 89% Effective spoken and written communication skills SOURCE: AAC&U study: “Raising the Bar”

11. Employers’ Expectations of Employees Have Increased Employers asked, “What would help prepare college students for success?” 50% Expecting students to take courses that explore big challenges facing society, such as environmental sustainability, public health, or human rights 58% Expecting students to learn about the point of view of societies other than those of Western Europe or North America (Latin America, China, India) 73% Expecting students to work through ethical issues and debates to form their own judgments about the issues at stake SOURCE: AAC&U study: “Raising the Bar”

12. Triple-faceted faculty development • Internationalize an individual humanities course • Create an internationalized interdisciplinary humanities learning community • Infuse service learning into individual course and learning community curriculum • Language training prior to travel • Travel for faculty, staff, administrators to China, India, and El Salvador The Faculty Development Program Scholarly Travel

13. The Global Humanities Institute will partner with universities in El Salvador, China, and India in the following areas: • Program design • Curriculum design • Instructional materials, video, and eLearning modules • Visiting professors/instructors • Training the trainers workshops • Student and faculty exchanges • Short- and long-term study abroad programs • Joint programs in other locations Connections abroad and with local communities

14. Language Training Support Collegewideavailabity of Mango through Montgomery College Libraries

15. Course Description • Beginning language courses focusing on the study of Hindi language and Indian culture. Students begin to develop the ability to communicate in Hindi through the consideration of cultural themes, language functions, and authentic situations as they acquire the structures and lexicon to work with written language, conversation, and composition. • Learning Outcomes: • communicate at an elementary level in Hindi in the skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing • apply grammatical structures supporting communication at the novice level of proficiency • express and appropriately employ language functions in speech and in writing, including greetings, leave-taking, requesting information, talking about self and family, asking for assistance, and giving and receiving directions • demonstrate an understanding of the history of the Hindi language and an appreciation of the Hindi language and its culture • demonstrate an increased mastery of appropriate sociolinguistic behaviors as linguistic ability in Hindi develops • participate in cultural activities outside of class related to Hindi language and culture • produce and present a cultural project as an integral part of the class Hindi 101-102Course Description and Learning Outcomes

16. Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL) Hindi-Urdu Flagship • http://coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/project/first-year-hindi-textbooks • NFLC (National Foreign Language Center) at the University of Maryland • http://www.langsource.umd.edu/hindi.php • Texts: • Snell, Teach Yourself Hindi, 2003 or later • Rupert Snell, Teach Yourself Hindi Dictionary, 2004. • Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program for intensive summer institutes. www.CLScholarship.org Hindi 101-102Materialsand Resources

17. Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL) Hindi-Urdu Flagship • http://coerll.utexas.edu/coerll/project/first-year-hindi-textbooks • NFLC (National Foreign Language Center) at the University of Maryland • http://www.langsource.umd.edu/hindi.php • Texts: • Snell, Teach Yourself Hindi, 2003 or later • Rupert Snell, Teach Yourself Hindi Dictionary, 2004. • Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program for intensive summer institutes. www.CLScholarship.org AdditionalResources

18. We will: • Carry out the objectives of the grant, • Maintain a student-centered trajectory, • Build on the rich tradition of global studies at Montgomery College, • Be a permanent feature of Montgomery College and strive to fulfill the mission of the College, • Form lasting ties with agencies, colleges, and cultural institutions abroad, • Gain national recognition for our work. The Global Humanities Promise

20. Thank You To my colleagues Rita Kranidis, Director of the Global Humanities Institute, for her support and Marcia Bronstein for her generosity in sharing her slides on the Global Humanities Institute