Language project offers opportunities

Rose Speck and Luis Barszcz editBy James Walls
Campus News Editor

This semester, the English Language Institute (ELI) will offer the new Global Language Project on the Neosho campus for those interested in learning another language. For $10, students can take the six week course and learn the language from a native speaker. They are non-credit hour classes, and are primarily to learn the language and culture.

“It’s an opportunity for students whose first language isn’t English to teach their native language and their culture to Crowder students, faculty and staff,” said Rose Speck, ELI instructor and founder of the Global Language Project, as she relates the purpose of the project. “So that’s one part of it. The other part is that students, faculty and staff have an opportunity to take a foreign language class that may not be offered at Crowder.”

The project is still in its trial stage. However, according to Speck, if the results are favorable, then these language courses could be offered twice each semester.

“My goal would be to offer it twice in six week sessions, so if you enjoy learning French, you could take another six weeks of it,” said Speck, giving an example of her vision for the Global Language Project.

While a French course is not yet planned, a Portuguese course is. Luis Barszcz, a business administrations student from Brazil, is scheduled to teach a course over his native language. Planning to give lessons on simple writing, speaking and other factors of the language, he hopes to keep the course interesting.

“I don’t want it to be something generic, like classes with just grammar one day and another day listening and homework,”Barszcz said, mentioning his hopes for the course.

The first class will be offered at 12 p.m. on October 11 in Newton Hall, room 356, and will last an hour. If a student misses the first class, they can still participate in the course by attending any of the classes thereafter and paying the $10 fee.

While students cannot sign up for the course at the admissions office, enrolling in the class is not difficult. Students simply show up for the class on the time and day it is scheduled, and on their first session they will be given a blue card of which they will then take to the cashier’s office. When they pay the $10 fee for the course, they will then take the receipt to Speck and thereby complete their enrollment.

For those interested in teaching a language, simply respond to an email sent out by Speck or visit her office and fill out an application. The deadline to apply as an instructor for the first round of classes has already passed; however, depending on the success of the first round, more may be offered at a later time.

“The world is definitely getting more global, and so I’m always looking for opportunities where local students can connect with the global and international culture,” said Speck, relating one of the reasons for the project. “And it’s fun. It’s kind of a fun project, too, I think.”