Lany Long, Ph.D. Disl. Prof, English, DirIHonorsProgram Dennis Organ, Ph.D. Prof, English DePI. Chair Sherry Organ,M.Ed. Ass't. Prof , English Eugene Underwood,Ed.D. Prof, English JohnWilliams, Ph.D. Asso.Prof, English DottieWright, Dr. de !'Univenste Prof, FOn!ign Language Ray Wright, D.A. Asso. Prof, English Winfred Wright, Dr. de !'Universite Dist . Prof , Forc>ign Language Dept . Chair english cf)epartrnent hosts coriference;$ oreign £gnguage sets record english Dur ing the fa ll , the English Department hosted for the third time a regional meeting of the Conference on Christian ity and Li terature, a national orga niza t ion of English professio nals, with the theme "Literature as Equipment for Living." Among the approximately 100 in attendance were members of the faculty, students and d istinguished scholars of literature. Essays and creative writing were emphasized for the audience to see how "literature can equi p people for Christian living," Organ said. "It was good for students to be exposed to scholarly activities in a conference format from teachers and schools beyond the Harding faculty." Ken Hammes , professor ofEnglish, discussed the work British poet A.E. Housman. "Housman uses poetry as a way to criticize God. The poetry dea ls with his complaints about the world ," he said. In the creative writing session, Sheny Organ was a moderator for participants who read their own short stories and poetry. "The networking of the authors sharing their imerests, ideas and emhusiasm was exciting. The sessions were encouraging for anyone interested in literature relating to Christianity, " Mrs . Organ said . Junior Jennifer Wood, an Engl ish major, attended a class during the conference. "I learned a lot from being in a class taugh t by authors who have done research in this field. It was very interesting to hea r their viewpoints ," she said . - Robin Henson $oreign £gnguage In recen t years, the Department of Foreign Languages and Internationa l Studies has experienced outstanding growth. Enrollment in the French and Spanish programs has increased dramatically, and this year a larger number of students were certifying to teach foreign language than ever before. Many studems certified to teach both elementary education and a foreign language because being certified in both made more teaching jobs avai lable to them on the elementalY and seconda lY levels. Graduate students Beth Brooks . and Amy Christy were both majoring in education with an emphasis in Spanish in order to take advantage of these opportunities. "There are more job openings in certain parts of the country if you speak a second language ," Brooks said. "The His panic pop u lation is growi ng, and it's very important to be cultura ll y senSitive," Christy said. "Language is a big part of a culture." Dr. Winfred Wright, chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and International Studies, said, "For several years, the French and Spanish programs had four or five students a year certi fying to teach at the secondalY level. This year, we have Kathy Ingram helps students at Searcy High School grasp the French language. A record number of students certified to teach foreign languages this year. Photo by Kristi Burns. 15 students certifying in those subjects." Kathy Ingram, a graduate student in the French program, did her student teaching last fa ll. "My husband and I were missionaries in France. We came back to the states in December, 1995, and I decided to put wha t I learned over there to use because of the need for foreign language teachers in the United States," Ingram said. \'{1right and his wife, Dottie, a professor ofFrench and English, have had a major influence on the development and success of the foreign language program. ''I'm glad I chose Harding because the Wrights are both excellent professors, and I feel I will be ready for what 's to come." - Heath Dawson Acad emics 75 t&
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