Greetings from the Department
of Languages, Literatures, and
Cultures!
In 1348, as plague raged through
medieval Europe, Giovanni Boccaccio
– author of the Decameron – urged
his fellow Florentines to seek strength
in the tapestry of human experience,
comfort in compassion and empathy.
In his collection of one hundred short
stories, Boccaccio highlighted the links
that bind us together, near and far.
In DLLC, finding connection – and
the insight it sparks – is at the heart
of what we do. Amid a new global pandemic, Boccaccio’s effort resonates
more than ever, as we nurture and
foster connection across languages,
cultures, and fields of inquiry – even if
we have to do it over Zoom!
DLLC’s interdisciplinary programs,
highlighted in this issue of the Polyglot,
are a wonderful example of the ways in
which our students engage in learning
experiences that prioritize connection,
bringing together complementary
areas of study, offering opportunities
to serve the community, and laying
the groundwork for an array of
careers. From minors in Spanish for Healthcare, Spanish for Business and
Finance, Italian and Fashion Culture,
and Game Studies, DLLC leads the way
in interdisciplinary curricula that help
students prepare for jobs of the future.
You can also read about the cutting-
edge research being done by our faculty
at the intersection of fields such as
game studies, gender and sexuality,
linguistics, and more.
This issue of the Polyglot also showcases
the exciting events held in DLLC this
year, from a celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
to a lecture on Marco Polo’s travels through China, as well as a wonderfully
creative student production of Citron
Bleu - held entirely over Zoom. You’ll
also hear from DLLC students who
studied abroad, and those who earned
top honors in their language areas.
As always, we are delighted to
highlight the accomplishments of
our outstanding faculty, from recent
publications to grants, awards, and
honors. Warm congratulations go
to our newly-promoted faculty: Dr.
Persephone Braham (Spanish) and Dr.
Riccarda Saggese (Italian), each to the
rank of Professor; and Dr. Meghan
McInnis-Domínguez (Spanish), to
the rank of Associate Professor. And
a special round of applause to Dr. Iris
Busch, Assistant Professor of German
and Spanish, who was named Delaware
Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages (DECTFL) Teacher of the
Year. We also celebrate two respected
and admired colleagues who retired
this year: Dr. Jorge Cubillos, Professor of Spanish and former Acting Chair
of DLLC; and Dr. Asima Saad-Maura,
Associate Professor of Spanish. You
can read about their impressive
accomplishments and contributions to
DLLC and UD in these pages. We will
miss them both, but we wish them all
the best in their next chapter!
As we head into this unprecedented
new academic year in the time of
Covid-19, I want to thank our faculty
and students for their commitment and
perseverance in adapting to our evolving
circumstances: you are all absolutely
heroic. We are grateful to the dedicated
office staff who keep DLLC running
smoothly: many thanks to Ms. Ariadne
Lopez, and a warm welcome to our three
new staff members this year: Ms. Jane
Branden, Ms. MaryAnn Miller, and Ms.
Kathleen Turner. Mr. Aaron Ward, our
IT specialist, provides invaluable tech
assistance to all of us. Lastly, a special
thanks to Dr. Meghan Dabkowski, our
new editor of the Polyglot.
We deeply appreciate your generous
support of the students and programs
in the Department of Languages,
Literatures, and Cultures. Thought-
provoking pedagogical programming
and exciting opportunities for
internships and study abroad are
integral to the unique educational
experience we offer to our students on
their journey to become global citizens.
Your help makes it all possible!
To make a donation, please visit:
udel.edu/giving/dllc. And please visit
our department website to learn more
about our activities!
MEREDITH RAY
Interim Chair
Department of Languages,
Literatures and Cultures
