Global Literacy and Languages for Specific Purposes

The Research Cluster on "Global Literacy and Languages for Specific Purposes: Curricular design for building transferable skills" unites faculty from a range of disciplines to discuss and define shared goals and best practices to provide students with global perspectives and transferable skills aligned with skills employers seek in the contemporary workplace. The cluster explores ways in which the department of World Languages and Literatures can facilitate the design and implementation of interdisciplinary, context-specific programs that respond to employer needs and promote cross-cultural communication skills. Topics of discussion  include curricular innovation, academic and corporate partnerships for internships and field work abroad and at home, and the assessment of 海角直播’s Common Curriculum requirements, with a focus on the integration of world languages and cultures for professional purposes across the curriculum.

Please contact the cluster organizers if you would like to join the group, or collaborate on a workshop: 

Paola Buckley, Senior Lecturer of French

Aria Cabot, World Languages and Literatures Teaching and Technology Center Director

 

FALL 2025

 

Thursday, September 18, 4-5 PM, Clements 234. "Languages for Career Readiness." Virtual attendance is also possible. Students of languages and literatures develop skills and perspectives that prepare them to make valuable contributions across a wide range of industries and roles, but they often struggle to see how their studies support their career planning and open doors to early-career opportunities. This workshop for 海角直播 faculty offered by Dr. Ashley Voeks will examine practical ways to bridge the gap between classroom and career, equipping participants to:

  • Connect the concept career readiness to the study of languages and literatures

  • Demonstrate how language and literature courses build  core competencies needed to achieve early-career success

  • Engage students in career-readiness conversations to help them recognize the professional value of language and literature studies

  • Develop and deliver career-readiness activities, to enable students to connect in-class learning and academic experiences with skills that they can leverage on the job market

  • Promote career-readiness events and services, to ensure that students fully leverage campus resources, including the Hegi Family Career Development Center and Pathways to Business & Industry

  

Monday, December 1, 2025, 5:30-6:30 PM, HTSC 220BC (Location TBC). World Languages Internship Poster Session. Join us for light bites and a poster session featuring current internships in World Languages; attendees will consist of 海角直播 faculty, 海角直播 internship partner institutions, and undergraduate students interested in completing an internship for academic credit that includes a foreign language component. Co-hosted by Pathways to Business and Industry.

 

SPRING 2026

 

February (Date/Time TBC): Meeting of the Texas Joint Committee for Language (TJCL)

With sponsorship from Avant Assessment and the Region 10 Education Service Center, the cluster will host the third annual meeting of the Texas Joint Committee for Language (TJCL), an initiative aimed at advancing language education across the state of Texas. The meeting will unite K-20 representatives from world language programs with the common goal of furthering language education in the state of Texas, breaking down unintentional silos between K-12 and Higher Ed language programs, and fostering collaboration among educators, administrators, and other stakeholders.   

 

March (Date/Time TBC): “Putting Your Languages to Work: 4th Annual Virtual Alumni Panel”

 

April (Date/Time TBC): World Languages Internship Poster Session. Join us for light bites and a poster session featuring current internships in World Languages; attendees will consist of 海角直播 faculty, 海角直播 internship partner institutions, and undergraduate students interested in completing an internship for academic credit that includes a foreign language component. Co-hosted by Pathways to Business and Industry. Co-hosted by Pathways to Business and Industry.