Enriching and Sustaining African Language Programs through Collaborations

Sponsored by:   African Studies Center & Penn Language Center

Saturday, March 3, 2007
10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

University of Pennsylvania

Room 124 Information Commons – Class of 1968 Seminar Room
First Floor West End, Van Pelt Library

3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 

10:30 – 11:00               Continental Breakfast

11:00 - 11:15               Welcome

                                    Nelleke van Deusen-Scholl, Director, Penn Language Center

                                    Audrey N Mbeje, Director, Penn Program in African Languages

                Introductions

11:15 - 1:30                 Session I:  Context, Resources, and Support Systems

            Moderator:  Audrey N Mbeje, University of Pennsylvania

11:15 – 12:00              Nelleke van Deusen-Scholl, Director, Penn Language Center &

Edward Dixon, Foreign Language Technology Coordinator, Penn

                                    Professional Development for LCTL instructors

12:00 – 12:30              Rachel Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Communication, Drexel University

African Heritage Language Learners at Penn and Drexel

12:30 – 1:00                Jennifer Oxenford, Associate Director, MAGPI Power Networking

                                    Internet2 and MAGPI: Changing Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century   

1:00 – 1:30                  Yiwola Awoyale, Linguistic Data Consortium, Penn         

                                    The Development of an Electronic Lexical Database for Yoruba                                              

1:30 – 2:30                  Lunch                   

2:30 – 4:30                  Session II:  Discussion

Strategic National Priorities, Planning, and Management of LCTLs—Report on the U.S. Department of Education International Education Programs Service (IEPS) Language Workshop (Held in DC in February 22-23, 2007)

         Moderators:

       John Wa’Njogu (Yale)

        Audrey N Mbeje (University of Pennsylvania)

Collaborations and Future Directions:  Tapping on Institutional Strengths

                                                Moderators:  Audrey N Mbeje (University of Pennsylvania)

Ousseina Alidou (Rutgers University)

Mahiri Mwita (Princeton University)

John Wanjogu (Yale University)

Mariame Sy (Columbia University)

James Pritchett (Boston University)

John Mugane (Harvard University)

                                             Sandra Sanneh (Yale University)

4:30                             Wrap-up & Departure