This Week in LANG 4/13/2026
In this Edition: “Department Meeting and Potluck in two weeks on 4/24”
Dear colleagues,
I hope you are all doing well. We are getting closer to the end of the semester and with that the 2025-26 Academic Year. I look forward to celebrating with you on 4/24 after the Department Meeting. Please remember to sign up on the form Hanna sent for our Potluck.
Dates and Events this Week
Chair Office Hours Week of April 13:
T 11-1 (f2f and virtual), W 9:45-11:15 and 1:15-2:15 (f2f and virtual), R 12:30-1:30 (f2f and virtual)
Tuesday, April 14
- Gingko Residential Speaker Series, “Climate Change: Media Stories vs. Scientific Evidence. What to Believe?”
Wednesday, April 15
- Candidate 5 Campus visit
Thursday, April 16
- CHESS Faculty / Staff Achievement Recognition, 4 p.m. at the Harris Alumni Center.
Friday, April 17
- 7th Annual Southeastern Immigrant Studies Association (SEISA) Conference
Theme: Unraveling the Complexities of Migration: Power, Identity, and Belonging
Dubois Center, Charlotte, NC, Register now: Link
Saturday, April 18
- NCAATG Annual Meeting, LRC 10:00-2:00
Looking Ahead: Dates and Events Spring 2026
April 24
- Department Meeting, Mebane 434, 2:30-4:00, end of year party 4:00-6:00 Potluck
May 11, 12, 14 and 15
- GLI Institute
May 13
- 4th Charlotte AI Summit for Smarter Learning
Congratulations
Witness in Residence: Emile XY?, a South African Hip Hop Activist and Educator
Emile YX? Jansen, a South African Hip Hop activist, educator, and founder of the Heal the Hood Project and Black Noise was this Spring’s witness for the Anabel Aliaga-Buchenau Witness in Residence Initiative. Raised under Apartheid, he left formal teaching in 1993 to use Hip Hop culture, breaking and storytelling specifically, as an educational tool for healing and personal and social transformation. He is internationally recognized for work that reframes Hip Hop Culture as a living practice of dignity, creativity, and liberation. Thank you to those of you who came to support the event.
Students from the Japanese Studies program at UNC Charlotte volunteered at the 2026 Spring Festival on Saturday, March 28. The event was organized by the Japanese Cultural Association of the Carolinas and the Japan America Society of North Carolina. Oluwatomisin Asunramu and Mac Clark read a Japanese folktale using a Kamishibai, a form of storytelling with pictures, while Akari Katsurada and Amadeus Medina read children’s books to the visitors. Tyler Terrell and Kokoe Nagano taught origami arts at the festival. Thanks to their help, the event was a great success. The event organizers look forward to future collaboration with UNC Charlotte.
Congratulations to the students from our department who have recently been invited to membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
This is a considerable honor. Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) is one of the oldest and most prestigious academic honor societies in the United States. Student nominees must have GPAs of at least 3.85 and a deep education in the liberal arts and sciences. Only the 10% of American colleges and universities have a PBK chapter, and only the top 10% of Juniors and Seniors at these institutions are nominated for membership.
Language Majors invited to Phi Beta Kappa – Spring 2026
| Garcia Rivera, Britney |
| Gokounous, Ruben O. |
| Jarrell, Payton A. |
| Kirsch, Zoe M. |
| Mccollister, Sophie C. |
| Voorhoeve, Louise M. |
| Anderson, Eilidh E. |
| Fenhoff, Tairen R. |
| Jordan, Lily M. |
| Kersteiner, Hannah E. |
| Lamb, Emree M. |
| Parra-Hernandez, Dayana Y. |
| Rokariya, Rishita |
| Solomon, Tara L. |
| Whitehead, Nick D. |
| Elias, Anaya K. |
| Roesch, Caleb G. |
| Clark, Mac |
| Edwards, Sarah J. |
| Lainez, Isaac E. |
| Ross, Daniel T. |
| Ruser, Kai M. |
| Williams, Day |
| Parra-Hernandez, Dayana Y. |
| Whitehead, Nick D. |
Information for Faculty and Staff
Upcoming Events
CHESS Faculty / Staff Achievement Recognition (FSAR) reception is April 16.
We look forward to celebrating our faculty and staff on Thursday, April 16 at 4 p.m. at the Harris Alumni Center.
Spread the Word: Come CHILL at IPH!
CHILL OUT! CHESS produces a summer program of mini-courses aimed at general audiences of all ages. It’s called CHILL – the CHESS Initiative for Lifelong Learning. Each mini-course addresses an important topic and consists of four two-hour classes that meet over a two-week span. Classes meet in NODA from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Independent Picture House, 4327 Raleigh St. Best of all, each class only costs $150. During the first hour of each course a UNC Charlotte professor presents that day’s key information and concepts, leaving the second hour open for the instructor and students to chill out as they discuss, debate, and dive into that day’s presentation. All are welcome!
7th Annual Southeastern Immigrant Studies Association (SEISA) Conference
Theme: Unraveling the Complexities of Migration: Power, Identity, and Belonging
April 17–18, 2026 | Dubois Center, Charlotte, NC
Join scholars, artists, practitioners, and students exploring how migration shapes communities and belonging. Panels, workshops, and creative sessions highlight lived experiences and envision equitable futures.
Register now: Link
WGST and LTAM GPD Position Advertisements
The Women’s and Gender Studies Program seeks a Graduate Program Director (GPD) to oversee its Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies for a three-year renewable term beginning July 1, 2026.
The Latin American Studies Program at UNC Charlotte seeks a Graduate Program Director (GPD) for a three-year renewable term beginning July 1, 2026. Candidates must be tenured members of the graduate faculty in Latin American Studies at UNC Charlotte. Faculty whose tenure cases are under review during the 2026-2027 academic year are also welcome to apply to the LTAM position.
Both positions are nine-month appointments with one course release per year and an administrative stipend to cover summer responsibilities. Interested candidates should specify for which program they are applying and submit a cover letter describing their qualifications, administrative experience, and vision for the program, a CV, and the contact information of three references to Karyn Williamson-Coria, kwill235@charlotte.edu.
- For additional information about the WGST position, contact Dr. Sonya Ramsey, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, at sramse17@charlotte.edu.
- For additional information about the LTAM position, contact Dr. David Dalton, Director of Latin American Studies, at David.Dalton@charlotte.edu.
For full consideration, applications for either position must be received by 5pm on April 20, 2026.
Ginkgo Residential Speaker Series: “Climate Change: Media Stories vs. Scientific Evidence. What to Believe?”
We hear a lot about extreme weather events and some things might be confusing or even contradictory. In this talk with frequent audience participation, Jack Scheff, Ph.D. will try to cut through the media narratives and give a working atmospheric scientist’s practical perspective on big questions about the changing climate. Featuring Jack Scheff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences.│capitalismstudies.charlotte.edu
Tuesday, April 14; 6 p.m. at Independent Picture House (4237 Raleigh St, Charlotte); Register; Learn More about the Event
7th Annual Southeastern Immigrant Studies Association (SEISA) Conference
Theme: Unraveling the Complexities of Migration: Power, Identity, and Belonging
April 17–18, 2026 | Dubois Center, Charlotte, NC
Join scholars, artists, practitioners, and students exploring how migration shapes communities and belonging. Panels, workshops, and creative sessions highlight lived experiences and envision equitable futures.
Wishing you a good week.
All the best,
Anabel