It’s All Greek to the Student Body
Posted on April 3, 2008
Starting this fall, students can learn to read the works of Aristotle and Plato in their original form with the re-introduction of the Greek language into the foreign languages department.
“Today we cannot survive in this world without a foreign language,” said Giuliana Fazzion, the foreign languages and literatures department head.
Following the retirement of the Greek professor in the early ’90s, Greek disappeared from JMU. It will be reintroduced by Dr. Michael Allain, who taught the 101 course from ’86-’88.
Fazzion said the reinstatement of Greek into the course catalog was a collaborative effort of the departments of philosophy and religion, history, and foreign languages, literatures and cultures.
The department of philosophy and religion wanted to expand the language opportunities in its classical studies minor from just Latin, according to Fazzion. Greek is the basis for understanding the most influential thinkers including Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and Epicurus.
Greek 101 will be offered in the fall followed by the addition of Greek 102 in spring ’09.
“Students will have the chance to ‘meet’ Plato and all the great Greek authors,” Fazzion said. “They have been the basis of our civilization.”
In response to student demand, fall 2008 will also be the first semester that Portuguese will be offered at the intermediate level.
Laura Cambriani, the only Portuguese professor at JMU, taught the first Portuguese course at JMU this past fall beginning with three students and ending the semester with 11 students.
“It’s a wonderful language,” Cambriani said. “When the Brazilian people speak, it sounds like they’re singing.”
For different reasons, all of her students are eager to learn the Portuguese language. Learning the language has broken down communication barriers and opened up new relationships for some of her students.
One student wanted to learn the language so she could communicate with her father in his native language, while another wanted to speak the same language as her new Brazilian boyfriend.
“There are many people interested in the language and the culture who already stayed in Brazil, and they are really motivated,” Cambriani said.
For others, learning foreign languages increases their post-graduation job opportunities.
Spanish and political science major Megan Cipperly said she majored in a foreign language to help her chances of working for naval intelligence.
“Language proficiency is important because it helps people get jobs when they get into the real world,” Cipperly said.
Portuguese is the official language of several countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and South East Asia.
Portuguese 111, combining 101 and 102, will be offered this summer.
Cambriani hopes to gain enough interest in Portuguese to establish a Portuguese table next semester where students can come once a week to converse in the language.
“It’s important for students to come and meet different people and they can practice the language.”
