Modern Language Department News
Russian offers a bi-weekly internet scavenger hunt, Интернет-охота, through the Modern Languages Facebook page. Everybody is welcome to take part, and there will be prizes at the end of the semester for the student who has the most/fastest responses.
Русский Стол, or Russian Conversation Table, is held every Tuesday from 2:30 – 3:30, where students have a chance to relax, converse in Russian, and get to know each other better. Every other week there is a film screening; the next film will be “Brother,” showing on October 4.
Chinese conversation club, "Tea Chat 茶话," is on Friday afternoon from 3:30- 5:00 pm every other week. The purpose of "Tea Chat" is that the students will have a chance to chat in Chinese to improve their languages skills and get acquainted with people in class. Building their confidence in speaking Chinese is the primary goal! They will not be corrected for their mistakes during the chatting. Of course, they will enjoy the good tea.
Chinese club will invite Ms. Zhang Qiongyue to give a lecture " Fengshui 风水 - the Chinese Art of placement" in October.
The Chinese classes have been to two events to kick off the semester: Musou Chinese Orchestra , comprised of students from a variety of Taiwan universities, which played a dazzling array of traditional Chinese instruments (September 13), and Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival, which features performances, displays and demonstrations from cultural groups representing China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and others, including the most exciting activities- Dragon Boating Race and Asian Cuisine (September 17).
Arabic will be organizing a workshop in a few weeks; the aim is to have students write their names in Arabic using calligraphy techniques.