Oregon State University’s World Languages and Cultures Fair is Nov. 19, and this year is expected to have the largest turnout yet. Here’s what to expect:
Adam Schwartz, the organizer of the fair this year, is an associate professor in the School of Language, Culture and Society, and provided an overview of the planned displays.
“It’s really a means to engage with both the broader community at OSU and even beyond,” Schwartz said.
According to Schwartz, the fair has attendees and stands from almost every language offered here at OSU. Each table is expected to have faculty members or students representing their languages. Some of these tables are also expected to have interactive components. These include games, puzzles and lessons in the languages offered.
“There are also going to be some other tables representing different organizations … that we really depend on in (World Languages and Cultures) to engage with this objective of promoting language education (and) bilingualism,” Schwartz said.
Additionally, the department’s new linguistics program will be represented with a table. There are expected to be 16 tables in total, representing the various language programs at OSU, including French, German, Korean and others, as well as the study abroad program, the scholarship office, PRAx and other related groups.
With this fair, Schwartz is hoping to bring more attention to the department and what it offers to OSU and its students, such as its Spanish for Heritage Learners program, which is intended to offer specialized Spanish classes intended for people who grew up speaking the language.
“I think it is a marvelous opportunity for first-year students … Languages and language education is not something that is hypervisible on this campus,” Schwartz said.
As an added benefit, this event is intended to provide a space for students who are members of the World Languages and Cultures program to meet and get to know one another. Schwartz likened the presence of students at the table displays to a science fair, where they are given a space to share the work they have been doing whilst attending OSU.
“Art and humanities are really what reminds us what our capabilities are as human beings,” Schwartz said.
This event is a part of OSU’s larger International Education Week, which begins Nov. 18. The fair is being hosted from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Student Experience Center’s lobby.
