Nowadays, poetry seems to be looking for its place in mainstream culture. You see billboard poems like the ones of Robert Montgomery; Instapoets like R.M. Drake – who became famous (a retweeted-by-the-Kardashians kind of famous) and sold hundreds of thousands of books by combining lomo aesthetics, fancy typography, and relatable rhymes; you even see self-proclaimed “last poets on Earth” selling printed mugs and t-shirts quoting their own verses.

But what is the meaning of real poetry today? How do Shakespeare, Dante, Baudelaire, Bashō matter in our everyday lives? Is their art only for a few, or can anyone find something relatable about it?

In an attempt to answer this question, the Keck Center, in collaboration with the Office of International Student Services, will be hosting a casual “open mic” evening of poetry on Wednesday, April 6th at 4:30pm, in the terrace lounge of Lawrence Hall. The event is suitably titled International Poetry Day, as it will feature poems from Indonesia to Italy, from South Korea to Germany, from a variety of historical periods. Readers will comment briefly on the verses, explaining why they matter to them personally and in their cultural context.

If you want to read something from your favorite poet, in your own native language or one that you are studying – or even if you want to read your own poem! – please get in touch with any of the language interns. We will need the original text, as well as an English translation to display on the lounge TVs for the people who do not speak the language.

A dinner of Indian, Chinese and Brazilian food will be served. Don’t miss it!

Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.
Rita Dove

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Short film is an interesting medium. Its brevity forces directors to distill thoughts and ideas to their most essential form; its status of niche product makes it a great environment for experimentation; its lower production costs allow a vast number of young creatives with fresh ideas to approach this form of art.

Together with all the other language interns, in our role of “cultural ambassadors” at Colgate, we curated a selection of short films we will be screening in four separate events throughout the semester, the first one being this Thursday (January 28th) at 5:00PM in Lawrence 20. For each screening, we chose a broad theme and selected short films reflecting our own cultures: the first theme will be identity, in all of its shades (nationality, gender, ethnicity, profession, and so on).

The claim for this event could be speed dating ideas from around the world: in about one hour, we will confront ourselves with a variety of different takes on the notion of “identity”, watching a diverse and fast-paced series of works lasting from 2 to 15 minutes. For our first event, Russian and Italian food and snacks will be served at the end of the screening.

Here is the complete calendar of the festival (all four events will take place at 5:00PM in Lawrence 20):

1/28 Identity (food from Russia and Italy)
2/25 Memory (food from France and China)
3/24 Spirituality (food from Japan and Germany)
4/14 Conflict (food from Spain and the Middle East)

Don’t miss it!

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With support from the Lampert Institute, students can apply for scholarships to support intensive summer language study. These scholarships are meant to support current Colgate students in one or more of the following ways:

• Students who are interested in an intensive and immersive language study over the summer;
• Students who want to study a language not currently taught at Colgate;
• Students who would like to advance their language study in order to participate on a language-based Colgate study group;
• Advanced students who wish to study beyond the levels currently offered at Colgate or to conduct independent research in a foreign language;
• Students whose language study at Colgate has been interrupted by course conflicts or illness;
• Students who would like to participate in a language and cultural immersion program abroad.

Language programs located both within the U.S. and abroad may be supported. Students should work with Colgate professors to determine a reputable language program, and one that fills an important curricular need for the student. Funds can be made available to cover the program fees and travel costs associated with participating in the program.

Students can request up to $3,000 to support the costs of the intensive language summer program and/or travel to the program. Priority will be given to students on financial aid at Colgate. Requests by students studying languages that are consistent with the mission of the Lampert Institute are especially encouraged; the Lampert Institute promotes language study and travel in the following regions: Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or South/Central America. However, students studying languages from other regions will also be considered.

The Language Council at Colgate will review student proposals and make funding decisions. For more information, interested students should contact Aaron Solle, program coordinator for the Lampert Institute and Center for International Programs, by email (asolle@colgate.edu). Applications should be submitted by email to Aaron Solle by February 4, 2016.

Applying for a Summer Language Scholarship

Please include:

1. A personal statement describing the program in which you would like to participate and the reasons for doing so. Please provide specific details, including the name and description of the program, dates of participation, the level of language instruction offered at the program, and the estimated costs of the program (including travel costs). Feel free to list an alternative program as a back-up. Also discuss your goals for participating in the program, and how the program will supplement your academic plan. Please indicate in the statement if you are on financial aid. Limit your personal statement to one page. If relevant, please indicate the other sources of Colgate funding that you are applying for to support your summer language program (e.g., Career Services. summer research).
2. One letter of recommendation from a Colgate faculty member that provides a rationale for participating in the language program and an assessment of the student’s ability for successfully completing the program. The letter should be emailed directly to Professor Simpson.

If you are considering transferring the credit back to Colgate, you must work with the registrar’s office to get pre-approval for the credit well before the program begins. The transfer credit will follow the transfer credit policies at Colgate. Transfer credit that is not pre-approved by Colgate will not be considered after the program is complete. Upon completion of the intensive summer language program, students will be asked to write a brief report about their experience.

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Beginning this semester, the Keck Center will use this blog space to provide useful material for faculty and students learning languages at Colgate. Our posts will focus on finding ways to make language learning more productive as well as highlighting some of the activities going on at the Keck Center and some of the work being done with languages by students and faculty at Colgate. We will be reviewing language learning materials , including software, web sites, mobile apps, and foreign films. We will highlight the work of our language interns, student workers, and majors and minors in the language departments. In addition, you can find information about upcoming events, and notes and materials from workshops presented by the Keck Center. We look forward to having a great, productive year of language learning at Colgate!

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The Keck Center will be changing its regular hours of operation to be more efficient in our efforts to serve the Colgate community.

The center will officially open for the fall semester on Sept. 1.

Sept. 1-5 reduced hours:
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Regular semester hours:
Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Closed Saturday
Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Exam week (Dec. 15-19):
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Saturday-Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

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