in this issue: asl department merger · discover oldest written record in europe.....2 new...

Newsanthropology, sociology & languages

Anthropology: Pamela Ashmore, [email protected]

Sociology: Nancy Shields, [email protected]

Languages: Beth Eckelkamp, [email protected]

The Newsletter of the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Anthropology, Sociology and Languages Department, Spring 2011

WElcomE to the spring Newsletter of the Department of Anthropology, Sociol-ogy and languages (ASl)! As you can tell from the new departmental name – we have grown quite a bit over this past year. In August the Department of Anthropol-ogy and languages officially merged with the Department of Sociology. over this past summer we physically moved the admin-istrative office of the Sociology Depart-ment as well as Dr. Nancy Shields and Dr. chikako Usui to a new suite on the 5th floor of clark Hall. Professor Robert Keel, Professor Emeritus Dr. Teresa Guess, and several graduate and undergraduate teach-ing assistants now occupy space on the 7th floor of the Tower. We plan to hold an ASl open house in Fall 2011 so please be on the lookout for an invitation to this event. We will be showcasing our new office suite as well as a technologically enhanced confer-ence room.

In addition to expanding the department, we have added three new faculty members to the ASl family! cultural Anthropologist and Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies, Dr. laura miller; Sociologist, Dr. Peter ma-rina; and maria Kouti, onassis Foundation lecturer in Greek language and culture, have joined the faculty (please see pages 3, 6 and 9 of this newsletter). We are thrilled

to have these new faculty members and we are currently in the process of adding faculty to languages and cultures.

The ASl merger has been a time of change and excitement for all of the members of the new department. From the perspec-tive of some of our Sociology colleagues, it is as if they have come full circle as the Department of Anthropology and Sociol-ogy was a combined program in the 1960s! With the merger and the addition of faculty and students we are beginning to explore various synergies and collaborative projects that may now be possible. We are already discussing plans for a merged m.A. program for the new department and we would like to hear of your interest in such a program as well as any ideas that you may have for it.

our undergraduate programs remain strong and we look forward to the addition of a new B.A. in modern languages with concentrations in French, German, Spanish and Japanese to be offered beginning in the fall semester of 2011. This may, 15 students will be graduating with a B.A. in Anthro-pology, 15 students will receive B.A. or B.S. degrees in Sociology, 2 students will receive a B.A. in French and 16 will receive a B.A. in Spanish.

ASL Department MergerIn this issue:

cosmopoulos Helps Discover oldest Written Record in Europe ...................... 2New Faculty .............................. 3Faculty Accomplishments ....................... 3Anthropology majors ................. 4Anthropology majors Accomplishments ....................... 5

New Faculty .............................. 6Retirement ................................ 6Faculty Accomplishments ........... 7 Sociology Student Awards ......... 8

making Human connections with language ........................... 9New Faculty .............................. 9New BA Program in languages Planned for Fall 2011 ................ 9Faculty-led Study Abroad........ 10Adventures Abroad ................... 11 Alumni & Student News ......... 11

congratulations to the Graduates ........................... 12

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Department of Anthropology, Sociology & languages507 clark Hallone University Blvd.St. louis, mo 63121

(L to R) Nancy Shields, Director of Sociology, Pamela Ashmore, Chair of ASL Department, and Beth Eckelkamp, Director of Languages.

Newsletter.indd 1 5/24/11 9:39 AM

2 Anthropology, Sociology & Languages Spring 2011

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THE olDEST WRITTEN REcoRD IN EURoPE was dis-covered during a recent excavation in Greece by University of missouri–St. louis archaeologist michael cosmo-poulos. The find changes what is known about the origins of literacy and bureau-cracy in the Western world. measured at 2 inches by 3 inches, the tablet fragment is thought to date back to between 1450 and 1350 B.c. – 100 to 150 years before the tablets from the Petsas House at mycenae.

“I was in disbelief,” said cosmopoulos, the Hellenic Government Karakas Fam-ily Endowed Professor of Greek Studies and director of the Iklaina Archaeologi-cal Project. “According to what we knew, that tablet should not have been there.”

The rare artifact was unearthed last summer during the UmSl excavation at the site in Iklaina, which sits in the middle of an olive grove in southwest Greece.

Iklaina dates to the mycenaean period (ca. 1500-1100 B.c.), an era famous for such mythical sagas as the Trojan War. It was one of the capital cities of famed King Nestor, who figures prominently in Homer’s “Iliad.”

“This is a rare case where archaeology meets ancient texts and Greek myths,” cosmopoulos said. The my-cenaean’s used clay tablets in their palaces to record state property and transactions. These tablets are written in the linear B system of writ-ing, which is older than the alphabet. It consists of around 87 syllabic signs. These signifying signs stand for objects or commodities and the tablets are mostly lists of property and accounting records.

Archaeologists are still studying the Iklaina tablet, but preliminary analysis suggests it may refer to some sort of

manufacturing process. “on the front there is a verb that relates to some sort of manufacturing,” cosmopoulos said. “on the backside, there is a list of men’s names alongside numbers.”

Tablets like this one were not meant to be kept more than a year and as a result were never sent to a kiln, he said. They are preserved only if accidentally burned, which is the case of the Iklaina tablet.

“This discovery is the biggest surprise in years of excavation. It was found in a burned refuse dump dated to between 1450 and 1350 B.c.,” cosmopoulos said. “The tablet is only the latest in a series of discoveries at Iklaina. In the last two years, the excavation has brought to light evidence for the existence of an early mycenaean palace: elaborate architecture, massive ‘cyclopean’ terrace walls, colorful murals and a drainage system far ahead of its time.”

These pieces are indicative of a major center, potentially an early mycenaean state capital. cosmopoulos is cautious, however, and said that it is too soon to tell whether Iklaina was one or not. currently, there is only a handful of known major state capitals, such as Pylos and mycenae.

“Iklaina could potentially challenge what we know about the origins of states in ancient Greece,” cosmopoulos said. “Not only does it push the origins of

those states back in time by at least a century and

a half, but the tablet shows that lit-eracy and bureaucracy appeared earlier

and were more widespread than what we had thought until now. We still have a lot to learn about the ancient world.”

Each summer cosmopoulos returns to the dig site with a team of about 40-60 students from UmSl and other

universities and 25-30 staff and special-ists. The land of the excavation was purchased on behalf of the Greek gov-ernment, and by law all the finds remain in the local museum as property of the Greek state.

The dig is funded with grants from the National Endowment for the Humani-ties, the National Geographic Society, the Institute for Aegean Prehistory, Harvard University, the Pylos Archae-ology Foundation, and the center for International Studies at UmSl.

More information: [email protected] www.iklaina.org

Cosmopoulos Helps Discover Oldest Written Record in Europe

Michael Cosmopoulos

NewsletterStaff

Pamela Ashmore Nancy Shields Beth Eckelkamp Faculty Editors

carolyn Jones Research Editor

Roxanne marina Designer

Newsletter Submissions: Send as an attachment to carolyn Jones [email protected]


Spring 2011 Anthropology, Sociology & Languages 3

New Faculty in Anthropology – Laura Miller, Ph.D.The neweST fAcuLTy member to join the ASL department is Dr. Laura miller, ei’ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai endowed Professor of Japanese Studies and Professor of Anthropology. before coming to umSL, Laura was Professor of Anthropology at Loyola university, where she taught for fifteen years. Laura received b.A. degrees in anthropology and Asian studies from ucSb, and her m.A. and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from ucLA. Laura has conducted research and published on interethnic communication, cognitive anthropology, russian second language acquisition, conversation analysis, listening behavior, business culture and interactions, and naturally-occurring recorded speech. her current research focuses on writing systems, youth culture, and gender in Ja-pan. Laura is looking forward to developing and teaching new courses at umSL in the areas of linguistic anthropology and Japanese studies.

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Susan Brownell spent the summer in Shanghai doing research on the World Expo, the modern version of the world’s fair. She gave several invited lectures on the theme “When a Superpower Holds a coming-out Party,” comparing the Shanghai Expo and the St. louis World’s Fair. In october she returned for the closing ceremony, when she translated the Shanghai Declaration from chinese into English, a document advocating for sustainable urban devel-opment that was read out at the closing by the Vice-mayor of Shanghai. In march she was invited to give a series of lectures on the olympic Games as the “olympic chair” at Ghent University and the catholic University of louvain, Belgium.

>> Brownell at Shanghai World Expo & Ghent University

margo-lea Hurwicz presents the 2010 Section on Anthropological Sciences (SAS) Student Paper prize to Thomas Flamson of UclA at the AAA meet-ings in New orleans. She also served on the SAS program committee for the AAA, and organized and chaired the session for the American Anthropological Association in New orleans, lA.

>> Hurwicz at the AAA in New Orleans

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Brownell with “Baby Miguelín” at the Spain Pavilion at the Expo



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rsThree anthropology majors, Nicole Daniels (2011), mary lynn longsworth(2012), and Jason Adair (2012) presented at The missouri Archaeological Society’s Annual meeting 2011, held in Springfield, missouri, from April 8-10, 2011.There were nearly 150 attendees, including faculty, federal and state agency personnel, and interested members of the public from missouri and Arkansas.The students entertained numerous accolades from the audience; they were also invited to review other collections and received requests for their papers.

In her presentation, “Archaeological Plant Remains from the Berhorst Site,” Nicole Daniels presented information on plant remains recovered from an archaeological site in osage county, missouri. Ni-cole reported on the patterns of wood exploitation for fuel. She also discussed the diet and agricultural strategies of the 9th century AD Native American occupants of the site. Her findings indicate that they maintained a mixed economy based on the gather-

ing of wild plants and the cultivation of such indig-enous crops as chenopods, maygrass, and marshelder.

In her presentation, “Tiny Treasures: The Historic marbles of Kerry Patch,” mary lynn longsworth re-ported on her analysis of the marbles recovered from late 19th century privies and backyards in an area of North St. louis city once known as Kerry Patch. She identified marbles of U.S. manufacture as well as porcelain and glass marbles imported from Germany. She discussed the economic and social aspects of historic marbles including how marbles were played by both genders and across the social spectrum and how the rules and the lexicon of the game had been mostly developed and taught by children.

In his presentation, “Analysis of Etley versus Stone Squared Stemmed Projectile Points,” Jason Adair presented his preliminary analysis of the varia-tions in the dimensions and morphologies of two types of projectiles points; the Etley and the Stone Squared Stemmed. These points are often considered diagnostic of Native American cultures living in the midwest from about 1700 until 600 B.c. In his final analysis, Jason is attempting to discern if the catego-rization of these points as two types is a function of how the projectile points were made and used or is simply a product of archaeological analysis.

At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed an atlatl (spear-throwing) demonstration out on one of mis-souri State University’s playing fields.

>> Anthropology Majors Present at Professional Meeting

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Top left: Nicole Daniels delivering her paper presentation

Center Right: Mary Lynn Longsworth discussing “Tiny Treasures”

Bottom: Jason Adair tries out the atlatl



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Kelly clark (a junior Anthropology major) won the 2011 Dr. King Essay contest and was recognized dur-ing the mlK observance ceremony at the Touhill on January 17th. Students were “invited to submit an original essay speaking to the theme: Fear, violence and silence; what is your role in eradicating this from your community.” Kelly read her essay during the ceremony and a cash prize was awarded.

>> Clark Wins 2011 Dr. King Essay Contest Jason Vasser (a junior Anthropology major) was

selected for an internship at the missouri His-tory museum. He will be assisting with develop-ing programs and facilitating workshops that will be associated with the upcoming exhibit (may 29th-September 5th) “America I Am: The African American Imprint.”

>> Vasser’s Internship

Genevieve Hodge was accepted into SlU’s masters in Public Health, Biosecurity & Disaster Preparedness Program.

>> Hodge Accepted into SLUThe following were recipients of the 2011 Anthropology majors in Who’s Who Among American Universities and colleges:

>> 2011 Anthropology Majors in Who’s Who

Anthropology major Erin Budde (class of ‘97) was named one of the most Influential St. louisans by The St. Louis Business Journal in February. missouri Gov. Jay Nixon spoke at a breakfast reception honor-ing the recipients. Budde, the former President of the Gateway center for Giving, is currently Head of community Affairs at Wells Fargo Advisors (formerly

Wachovia Securities). In that position she oversees approximately two million dollars in annual giving in the St. louis region and another two million in United Way pledges and matched gifts. In 2007 she was given the Anthropology Alumni Professional Achievement Award at the department’s commence-ment party.

>> Most Influential St. Louisans: Civic Leaders

Isaac ArtenJustin m. courtneyNicole Daniels

lauren masterson- RodriguezRichard Williams

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Three Anthropology majors were chosen to present their research projects in poster format at the Under-graduate Research Day at the capitol on march 3, 2011. Each year the University of missouri System sends selected undergraduates to Jefferson city so missouri legislators may view the high quality of research skills being taught at state universities. Stu-dents gave brief presentations to senators and repre-sentatives about their work and were also introduced before the missouri Senate and missouri House

of Representatives. Um-St. louis Department of Anthropology, Sociology and languages was honored that seniors Nicole Daniels (Paleoethnobotanical Analysis of the Berhorst Site), lauren masterson-Rodriguez (Impacts of Recent Health legislation on college Students),and maria mcmillon (Doulas: complementary Support For mothers During Preg-nancy) were chosen to participate in this event and congratulate them on their accomplishments.

>> Anthropology Seniors at State Capitol

Anthropology and Biology major, Maria McMillon presents her poster on complementary obstetrical care by doulas.

Nicole Daniels, who will receive a B.A. in Anthropology in May, 2011, discusses her archaeological re-search in the Capitol rotunda.

Lauren Masterson-Rodriguez, a 2011 Anthropology graduate, ex-plains her research on health care to Missouri legislators.

>> O’Donnell Accepted into Missouri State Anthropology major Sarah o’Donnell (who will graduate in may 2011) was accepted into the master’s Degree in Applied Anthropology at missouri State University and awarded a graduate assistantship.



New Faculty – Peter Marina, Ph.D.

PeTer mArinA received his PhD from the new School for Social research located in the great socio-cultural experi-ment known as new york city and recently accepted a two year visiting assistant professor position here at umSL. he received his b.A. in education and m.A. in sociology from the university of new Orleans. while in graduate school, he

worked as a lecturer at John Jay college of criminal Justice (cuny). his research interests include urban sociology and ethnography, community studies, Latino immigration, race and ethnicity, and youth resistant subcultures. Peter’s research has included public high school youth, street kids, and more recently, religiously inspired residents of the inner-city. Peter is preparing to publish his first book titled Getting the Holy Ghost: Experiences in a Tongue Speaking Church. The book carries an ethnographic sig-nature in approach and style, concerning an examination of a large brooklyn, new york African American commu-nity church congregation and is based on ethnographic research conducted over the course of almost four years in new york city. Getting the Holy Ghost puts outsiders inside the church pews, as it paints a portrait of piety, compas-sion, caring, love — all embraced through an embodiment perspective, as the church’s members experience these forces in the most personal ways through religious conver-sion. Peter is currently working on numerous articles about immigration and urban revitalization, organic and reified urbanism, and youth violence in education.

Retirement – Teresa Guess, Ph.D.

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cOngrATuLATiOnS to Dr. Teresa guess!

After 12 years of service to the Department of Sociology, Dr. Teresa guess retired in may 2010. She received her b.A. and m.A. degrees in Sociology from the university of missouri-St. Louis and her Ph.D. in Sociology from the university of missouri-columbia. A retirement reception was held for Dr. guess at the home of Dr. nancy Shields in August 2010, and was attended by both faculty and students. Dr. guess was an extremely popular professor, and she will be missed by students and faculty alike. Dr. guess is passionate about sociology, and was a mentor to many undergraduate and graduate students over the years. Although she is retired, Dr. guess is still sited on campus on a regular basis and her current office is room 701 Tower. She is still using her umSL e-mail address ([email protected]) and would love to hear from you.



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Teaching Professor of Sociology and Um-System ementor Robert Keel gave a presentation concerning online education to the Uni-versity of missouri Board of curators at their September 2010 meeting. The presentation was done from St. louis and broadcast over the internet to the Board’s meeting in Springfield, mo using the technology, Wimba classroom, Professor Keel uses in his classes. Professor Keel will be giving a presentation based on 10 years of research and experience, “Building a Blended class: Face-to-Face, online, Anytime,” at the United States Distance learning Associa-tion national conference here in St. louis.later this summer, he will also be presenting at the 27th Annual conference on Distance Teaching & learning in madison, Wisconsin. You can view his pre-sentation at: http://tinyurl.com/blended-class-2010 (best viewed using mS Internet Explorer).

>> ‘Building a Blended Class’

University of missouri–St. louis has numerous com-munity engagement projects. In fact, UmSl was in 2010 recognized by the carnegie Foundation for the depth and breadth of its institutional commitment to and engagement with the greater St. louis commu-nity. consistent to this recognition of UmSl’s mission to advance the benefit to the community, Dr. chikako Usui, Associate Professor of Sociology at UmSl, has given much to the community. She is the first woman president to lead the Japan America Society (JAS) of St. louis. She was elected JAS President in 2008 and was re-elected for the second term, 2011-13. The Japan-America Society of Saint louis is one of the oldest Asian non-profit, educational and cultural orga-nizations. Founded in 1967, it promotes the exchange and understanding between the people of Japan and the United States. JAS runs by elected executive board members along with four committees including: the Japanese Activities committee; Japan America Society Women’s Association; Seinen-kai (Association of Young men and Women); and Japan America citi-zen’s league (founded in 1946 to promote and protect equal rights for Americans of Japanese descent). In ad-dition, JAS supports the Japanese language School for children in St. louis. All of the work of the Society is done through volunteers. The center for International Studies at UmSl provides office space and operational support.

>> Chikako Usui, the First Woman President, Leads the Japan America Society

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Dr. Usui at the welcoming reception for Dr. Jackson, new Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden.



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Jeremy Kane (B.S. Sociology, may 2010) has co-authored and co-presented a paper with Dr. Nancy Shields. The title of the paper is “Social and psy-chological correlates of Internet use among college students.” The paper was presented at the meeting of the Association for Applied and clinical Sociology on october 16, 2010 at the Ritz-carlton Hotel in St. louis. The paper is based on data collected by students in the Survey Research Practicum course (lauren Argue, Jonathan Bratcher, Robert Glass, Nathanael marks, Jeremy Kane, and marquetta Wilson) during the spring 2010 semester. The authors generally conclude that past research on Internet addiction may have resulted in a bias toward negative findings. The paper is currently under review for publication in the journal Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. Jeremy is cur-rently taking a short break from the academic world, but plans to begin graduate studies in the near future.

>> Former Student Jeremy Kane Presents Paper

The Ray Collins Alumni Awardlisa marie combs

Outstanding SeniorJessica Ann Fisher

Outstanding MinorErica Kretchman

Alumni Agent AwardBrandi Hotop

Sociology Alumni ScholarshipsJesse Parret Jessica Young

Sociology Department Scholarships Jennifer c. Pierce Jessica Gompers

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant

Amy Nicole Perry

>> Sociology Student Awards - 2011

The following were recipients of the 2011 Who’s Who among Students in American Universities & colleges

lisa marie combsAmy Nicole PerryDeaz T. Pettymarquetta lafaye WilsonJessica michelle Young

>> 2011 Sociology Who’s Who

Sean m. cantorlisa marie combs

>> Spring 2011 Department Honors

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New Faculty – Maria KoutimAriA KOuTi joined the greek Studies program in fall of 2010 as the Onas-sis foundation Lecturer in greek Language and culture. She comes to us from Athens, greece and is a candidate for a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the uni-versity of Valladolid in Spain and defends her dissertation on “The Present Perfect in Peninsular Spanish and modern greek” in June of 2011. in the Ay 2010-2011 maria offered greek language courses as well as “greek history and culture” and “rethinking europe: A greek Perspective”. in the fall of 2011 maria will be combining her skills in a position as a greek/Spanish Lecturer in the department. we are happy to welcome maria to our department!

THE lANGUAGE PRoGRAmS are pleased to announce a new Bach-elor of Arts in modern languages with concentration options in Spanish, French, German and Japanese. The BA in modern languages will be offered beginning in the fall of 2011 and will provide UmSl students with expanded

options in language majors and minors. curricular revisions in the current degree programs and the addition of concentration areas reflect the values of the Anthropology, Sociology and languages department and the campus commitment to global awareness and cultural competence. Students will still

choose one language concentration for their major, but will have expanded options in concentration areas as well as new options for minors. The new BA in modern languages is featured on the language programs webpage at http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/artscience/forlanglit/

New BA Program in Languages Planned for Fall 2011

languagesTHE UNIVERSITY AT ITS BEST challenges young people to question the status quo and motivates them to make a difference in the world.

Hannah Vaughan, a French minor and liberal Studies major, found her eyes opened to social justice issues as a fresh-man and felt called to serve the poor and marginalized in the world. She chose to join the Praying Pelican mis-sions group because of their commit-ment to developing long term relation-ships with communities that they serve, a facet of service that is often missing from well-meaning groups who drop in and out of areas in need.

In her two summer trips to Haiti, Han-nah’s French language skills made it possible for her to build those relation-ships and make the human connec-tions that she felt were crucial to really

making a difference through her service. Her knowledge of French allowed her to negotiate with UN staff members, read road signs, comprehend official papers and step in as a translator when needed. most importantly, the cultural competence that her understanding of a second language gave her allowed her to make personal connections with the population that she was there to serve.

Undoubtedly Hannah was able to make a difference in the lives of some of the poor and suffering people in Haiti. But she is adamant that the impact that the people she served had on her life was even greater. She is indebted to the people of Haiti for helping her to see the resilience of people beyond anything that we could imagine from the comfort of our homes in the US. She appreci-ates that her “stuff” doesn’t matter, what matters is compassion for people as indi-

viduals. And she acknowledges that her study of French opened doors for her in Haiti that were not open to Ameri-cans who could only communicate in English.

Recently Hannah shared her perspective on the value of language and cultural competency as it impacts serving others with students and faculty at Atlas Week, a St. louis University program devoted to the exploration and appreciation of international education. As you can imagine, Hannah has big plans for the future. She has developed a personal in-terest in human trafficking issues, and in the short term she feels called to serve in India where half a million children wind up in prostitution rings. In the long term she will end up back in Haiti or West Africa where once again she can put her French to use making those valuable human connections.

Making Human Connections with Language


IN THE PAST FEW YEARS the faculty-led short term study abroad op-tion has gained in popularity at UmSl and we have seen the addition of several new programs to serve our students. The programs were originally designed to meet the needs of non-traditional stu-dents who had family or work obliga-tions that prevented them from studying abroad for a semester or year, but who nonetheless felt that an international experience was vital to their univer-

sity education. The courses continue to attract participants with this profile, but we have seen a rise in interest from student populations across the spectrum, as students discover this creative and affordable option for completing course work in their major or minor. Histori-cally courses are offered during the win-ter intersession and in the early summer months, and currently UmSl language faculty members offer study tours to costa Rica, Barcelona, Strasbourg, and

the Dominican Republic. Plans for trips to Peru and Ecuador are also cur-rently in place. Alumni and community members have also taken part in the study tours with the non-credit option available in many cases. Interested in learning more? Visit the languages and cultures webpage at http://www.umsl.edu/divisions/artscience/forlanglit/ or the Study Abroad webpage at http://www.umsl.edu/services/abroad/sum-mer.html

Seeing the World with an UMSL Faculty Member!la

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Strasbourg Study Tour Dominican Republic Study Tour

WE cAPTURED JAPAN in snapshots. Shepherded by our all-knowing ‘sensei’, this group of twenty-some-odd students paused at each stop long enough to steal a few photographs before moving on. In two weeks we saw more of this island nation than a casual tourist might expe-rience in several months’ time. Armed only with our cameras and iron wills—and perhaps an onigiri snatched from the nearest 7-Eleven—we mastered concrete jungles, steep inclines, subway lines, and steps. many steps.

In Tokyo, we saw sumo wrestlers dance in sacred circles. Watched them advance, retreat, slap their hands, stomp their feet. School children cheered on their favor-ites, the ones they had seen on television commercials and talk shows. The backs of our tickets read “no gangsters admitted”.

In Nikko, we learned that you never say ‘kekko’ until you’ve seen Nikko. We walked the inclines of a small town swal-lowed in greenery, and navigated herds of tourists that wandered from temple to shrine. When a father set down his two-year-old daughter, dressed in her ‘Sunday

best’ with a pink dress and matching bonnet, the crowds suddenly shifted course and swarmed to take pictures of the little girl. We watched, and snapped a few shots of our own.

In Kyoto, we crossed wooden floor-boards that whispered nightingale weeps. We saw Gion lit up for night-time, and waited with bated breath for an errand-running maiko to shuffle past. Then, an explosion of camera flashes as people came down out of the wood-work, itchy trigger fingers snapping photo after photo.

The wisest ones took cabs.

on our free day, our class fractured into groups, with the meat of us taking the bullet train to Hiroshima. We took the ferry out to miyajima, where a giant orange torii loomed out of the sea, framed by a backdrop of rolling, tree covered mountains. Back on the main-land, we saw the charred husk of the dome that survived the atomic bomb-ing. life had grown up all around the dome, proof of the enduring resilience

of the human spirit.

In Nara, we found deer that bowed. Even so, signs posted all around warned in English and Japanese that the deer might kick, bite, or buck. They were, after all, still wild animals.

our last night in Japan, we sat around one long table and ate Italian pasta from communal plates. We shared stories, took group pictures, and bemoaned the long journey home that lay before us.

And then we said goodbye. calves ach-ing, backs slouched, faces haggard, we ended our whirlwind tour with months’ worth of experience packed into four-teen days. We carried our stories with us in our memories.

our memories, and our photographs.

Snapshots of Japanby Amy Perry, Japan Study Tour 2010 Participant




IN AUGUST 2010, UmSl Japanese major Kayla Strauss departed for a year-long study abroad program at Kansai University several hours south of Tokyo by bullet train. A dedicated student of Japanese language and culture, and armed with the coveted Boren Schol-arship, Kayla was looking forward to a year of intense language study and im-mersion in the Japanese culture that she had experienced briefly in a study tour in 2008. Reports from Kayla through the fall and early spring revealed that she was making the most of her time in Japan: taking part in calligraphy club, making new friends from all over the world, collecting data for undergraduate research, improving her language skills. Kayla was even able to be involved in some community service in her host country, including volunteering at a Youth Hostel in December. march 11, 2011 found Kayla in Tokyo, miles north of her campus, for a trip to meet with the Senior Advisor to the Ambassador of Japan, to discuss U.S. – Japan relations and talk about job opportunities for Boren Scholars studying in Japan. There as she shopped in a department store

in the Shinjuku district she expe-rienced first-hand the shock that rocked Japan in the form of a massive earth-quake. Stranded miles away from her hotel in a city with public trans-portation that was completely halted after the quake, Kayla walked with the throngs of people making their way home through the streets of Tokyo. When she finally made her way back to osaka by bus, Kayla struggled to process what she had experienced. In her own words: “All I can say is that it was very odd going from Tokyo to osaka, where nothing had happened at all. I felt guilty that I was safe in osaka while people were suffering up north. It didn’t seem like it was real, and after coming back from Tokyo, I tried to avoid the media so that I could maintain peace of mind, but it was very difficult since all of the girls in my dormitory were talking

about it.” Although Kansai University was in the virtually unaffected southern part of Japan, many exchange students were heading home at the urging of their universities and loved ones, and Kayla made the difficult decision to return to St. louis. Her adjustment back to life in the US has been a challenge, especially returning so suddenly, but she has clearly forged a lifelong connection with Japan during her months there and will undoubtedly be returning. In the meantime she is working to raise funds for disaster relief in Japan, and expanding on her comparative study of Japanese and American cultures.

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megan Wehrman (BA in German, 2010) has been accepted into the German graduate program at mizzou where she plans to pursue a master‘s degree.

>> Megan Wehrman

>> 2011 Languages & Cultures Awards

>> Kerry Nolan

Der Apfel fällt nicht wei vom Stamm‖‖The apple doesn‘t fall far from the tree‖

Graphite drawing, 2010 © Megan Wehrman.

Kerry Nolan graduated in the Fall of 2010 and now works full-time for a local St. louis company as a customer service/sales representative for their South American clients. She uses her Spanish on a daily basis with clients and sales representatives from many different Hispanic countries. Kerry says that one of her favorite parts of the job is being able to hear and understand the variety of accents she deals with every day! Kerry was a great student in our department and we’re glad to see her suc-cess, using Spanish, in the professional world.

>> Aujsha Weeden

Reina Karina Hamlin Outstanding Achievement Award, French

megan E. Wehrman Outstanding Achievement Award, German

Sarah Elizabeth Abery Outstanding Achievement Award, Spanish

Aujsha Weeden, a Spring 2011 graduate with a BA in Spanish has received a $15,000 Dean’s Scholar-ship to attend St. louis University law School.

Ana Noa, a Spring 2011 graduate with a BA in Spanish has been accepted into the master’s of Arts in Teaching program at Webster University.

>> Ana Noa


anthropology sociology languages

Congratulations to the Graduates!

Bachelors of Arts:

Isaac Arten

Kayla crouse

Nicole Daniels

Andrea Gregory

Jennifer Griggs

Genevieve Hodge

Nicole Houseworth

Elizabeth Klaus

Jill lemp

lauren masterson-Rodriguez

lauren mcGeorge

Sarah o’Donnell

Audrey Pavelka

caitlyn Rettke

Katherine Ross

Terra Sleep

Aimee Wilkinson

Richard Williams

Bachelors of Arts:

Angela christine Ashley

lisa marie combs

Robert Wesley Glass

James Rogalsky

lauren Sachs

Beverly lynn Wagner

Bachelors of Science

Sean michael cantor

Ra’Kel Je’Nee Dowell

Emanuel moses Grimes

Karen Yvette Jamison

Nathanael Frederick marks

Nancy J. maxwell

Sarah christine metropoulos

Deaz T. Petty

Rachyl l. Vogt

Bachelors of Arts:

Sarah Elizabeth Abery, Spanish

claire Beeman, Spanish

catie Brydels, Spanish

Nicole Jean Daniels, Spanish

Reyna Karina Hamlin, French

Johani Hernandez, Spanish

laura Ann Hill, Spanish

Yolanda Vennetta Jimerson, Spanish

Freddy mawyin, Spanish

Rachael Anne mccarthy, Spanish

chelsea Nicole miller, Spanish

luis miranda, Spanish

Rachel Elizabeth mortensen, Spanish

Ana Noa, Spanish

Kerry Nolan, Spanish

Kelly Rae Parker, Spanish

meghan Nicole Piper, German

margaret Patricia Norris, Spanish

Emily Annastasia Reister, French

Ellen Ryan Robinson, Spanish

Kathleen marie Roszak, Spanish

Bridget catherine Ryder, Spanish

carolina cornu Salgado, Spanish

Aujsha A. Weeden, Spanish

megan E. Wehrman, German


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