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On Tuesday, April 13, the College of Letters & Science hosted high school students and teachers from across the state to experience some of the 60 plus languages and cultures offered at UW-Madison. More than 650 students from Wisconsin Rapids to Cuba City gathered to participate in this all-day event for the UW’s third-annual World Languages Day (WLD).
Through 48 sessions focusing on storytelling, cinema, skits, cuisine, dance, music, clothing and more, the students were able to get a taste of - sometimes literally - language and cultural opportunities they might like to pursue. “This is an invaluable opportunity for students,” World Languages Day coordinator Catherine Reiland said. “Some of the languages represented here are seldom taught at other universities in the United States. Fortunately, the size and caliber of education proffered by the university can support such a wide array of language programs.”
The scope of options offered at World Languages Day covers the globe, from the Americas to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, WLD participants had an opportunity to learn more about various ethnic groups in Wisconsin - indigenous peoples, Scandinavians, Germans and others - who helped shape the region and continue to influence it.
Distinguished UW Professor Harold Scheub welcomed the participants to World Languages Day. Scheub spent ten years in Uganda and Lesotho, teaching and researching the oral traditions of eastern and southern Africa.
The response to WLD has been overwhelmingly positive. When asked on an evaluation about the best aspect of WLD, a junior from Madison’s James Madison Memorial High School responded, “WLD broadened my horizons about what languages we can study and how we can study them.” A junior from Stevens Point Area High School liked “learning just how much knowing a foreign language can improve your knowledge and understanding of the world.”
World Language Day was sponsored by the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science, with additional support from UW’s Title VI Centers, UW-Madison International Institute and the Anonymous Fund.
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