Discover What鈥檚 New With Literatures, Cultures and Language Studies
The within the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences is stepping into the new academic year with a that showcase the richness of human expression across languages, cultures and disciplines.
From translation workshops to an international lecture series, the LCL, which an expansive range of major and minor programs in languages and literary and cultural studies, is committed to bringing together students and scholars in dialogue about the role of language in shaping our understanding of the world.
, the new convener of the program and chair of the Department of Classics, emphasized adaptability as central to the LCL鈥檚 mission.
鈥淚 feel that the LCL is very well placed to create tailored education that gives students a fuller sense of human culture and its potentialities,鈥� Nichols said.
Translation Seminar Series
The 鈥淏etween Differences, Across Divides: A Translation Seminar Series鈥� debuted this semester with
The event, organized by the with the support of a Global Humanities Faculty Seminar Grant awarded by Georgetown University鈥檚 Office of the Vice President for Global Engagement, featured two distinguished literary translators and authors, Jennifer Croft and Lily Meyer.
It helped draw attention to the artistry and complexity of translation, asking what happens when translators, who are so often behind the scenes, step into the spotlight as authors. The 鈥淭ranslation Seminar Series鈥� highlights how the LCL reaches far beyond grammar drills or vocabulary lists.
鈥淚t is not just about the act of learning vocabulary and syntax,鈥� Nichols said when asked about the meaning of language learning. 鈥淚t is fundamentally interdisciplinary. Films, novels, culture through food, business practices and norms across the world all become part of how we engage.鈥�
The series will give students further opportunities to learn directly from practitioners shaping the field, with one upcoming session in the fall 鈥� on November 4 鈥� and additional workshops and panels planned for the spring.
Islamic Studies Lectures and Theology in Arabic
The remains a cornerstone of the LCL鈥檚 engagement with religious and intellectual currents. The series 鈥� launched in 2010 by , chair of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies 鈥� reflects her commitment to bringing leading scholarship to the Georgetown community.
In September, the series featured Rushain Abbasi, an assistant professor of religious studies at Stanford, on 鈥淭he Kingdom of Heaven and Earth: On the Life of Islam.鈥� It will continue this month with Walid Saleh from University of Toronto on 鈥淭he Late Meccan Suras of the Qur鈥檃n: A New Reading鈥� on October 29.
More lectures are planned in the spring, keeping with the tradition of five to seven per year.
鈥淭he Islamic Studies Lecture Series is a way to expose the audience to the state of topics and questions in the field and various methodologies used,鈥� Opwis said. 鈥淚t aims at providing a fertile ground for discussion and scholarly exchange.鈥�
In tandem, the , organized by assistant professor , continues as an online forum where scholars gather monthly to explore Christian, Jewish and Muslim Arabic theological traditions.
The wonderful thing about pedagogy in the LCL is that we are bringing together internationally recognized experts across a large number of fields, all of whom are tasked with using their individual specialized knowledge and expertise to create unique pedagogy that is their domain.
Marden Nichols, LCL convener and chair of the Department of Classics
A Humanities Conference
Another highlight this fall is the conference, on October 30鈥�31. Organized by Georgetown鈥檚 German and English departments, together with the Fritz-H眉ser-Institut in Dortmund and the , the event asks how the humanities offer distinctive insights into work鈥檚 human dimensions.
鈥淭his symposium is an inspiring example of collaboration across departments for an event that will bring together faculty, students and non-Georgetown scholars from the U.S. and Europe,鈥� said , director of the Georgetown Humanities Initiative. 鈥淚t embodies the intercultural dialogue to which Georgetown is committed and explores a quintessential human experience 鈥� work 鈥� that is central to the definition and dignity of the person, in line with Georgetown鈥檚 values.鈥�
While the social sciences often emphasize structural aspects of labor, the humanities delve into narratives, meaning and representation 鈥� through novels, films, poetry and performance 鈥� to explore work as lived experience.
Featured speakers include Sonali Perera, author of No Country: Working-Class Writing in the Age of Globalization, Sarah Ann Wells, author of Media Laboratories: Late Modernist Authorship in South America and Jasper Bernes, author of The Work of Art in the Age of Deindustrialization. They will discuss working-class writing, labor in cultural forms and the aesthetics of work under deindustrialization.聽
The conference comes at a moment when questions of meaning, labor, automation and human flourishing are increasingly urgent.
鈥淭he humanities play a vital and intellectually generative role across disciplines,鈥� Pireddu said, 鈥渂ecause they foster critical inquiry, ethical reflection and a nuanced understanding of human culture, history and expression.鈥�
Looking Ahead
For students looking to expand their horizons, the LCL is not only a place to learn languages but also a community where conversations across cultures come alive.
There will be no shortage of opportunities for student engagement.
LCL departments are marking the calendar with a range of special events, including a conference on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, an Andrea Camilleri celebration and Persian Poetry and Cinema weeks.
Nichols expressed confidence in the LCL鈥檚 future.
鈥淲e are standing on the precipice of enormous change in academia,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I believe we are well placed to continue posing the deepest questions 鈥� What does it mean to be human? How do we relate to one another across boundaries? 鈥� and to answer them through our teaching, research and events.鈥�