Often times, as a student of foreign language or any other given humanities subject, it can be easy to feel isolated from students in the sciences or those on the Saint Paul Campus. The time and effort spent practicing grammar, learning vocabulary, or reading foreign literature can seem to drive a wedge between your interests and those of others outside the department. However, thanks to the sponsorship of the Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch, the Department of French and Italian, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), and the CLA Language Center at the University of Minnesota, there will be a special showcase dedicated to media projected generated by students in the humanities and sciences.
What is this?
The Language/ Environment/ Media 2012 showcase will exhibit side-by-side projects generated by students of both environmental sciences and the humanities in order to bridge gaps and foster communication between the diverse fields of study that University of Minnesota students often pursue. The projects submitted to this showcase may vary in content, medium, and style as much as the students who enter themselves. There are awards presented for both creative, expressive works as well as more research-based or group-oriented works.
Though the projects themselves may vary a great deal, the unifying theme of the exhibition centers on a discussion of environmental awareness, sustainability, and issues persistent in modern society. In allowing students from diverse fields to produce these projects, the Institute on the Environment, which provides the grant for this event, hopes to foster communication between students, generate ideas and solutions to difficult issues of society and environment, and create a more rich dialogue on these issues which wouldn’t be possible without interdisciplinary cooperation.
Who may enter?
Students enrolled in participating German, French, and Spanish courses may submit work to their professors by the announced dates listed on the syllabus. Independent student entries are more than welcome and may be submitted to that student’s department Director of Language Instruction in Folwell Hall by Monday, April 9, 2012.
Projects themselves should reflect both an understanding of specific environmental content as well as an understanding and appropriate use of foreign language. Projects are limited to 5 minutes in length and will be displayed at the exhibition via laptop and projection and must be submitted electronically through the CLA MediaMill. Full details for contest rules and entry are listed below.
When and where can I view the project entries?
Interested students may attend the LEM 2012 showcase on April 12, 2012 ad the Institute on the Environment Commons in the Learning and Environmental Sciences Building from 2:00PM – 4:00PM.
Contest rules and details:
Contest rules:
1. Students enrolled in participating German, French, and Spanish courses must submit projects to their instructor by the date announced on the syllabus. Independent entries (including ones from students enrolled in U of M study abroad programs) are also welcome and must be submitted via the Director of Language Instruction in one of the participating Folwell departments by Monday, April 9, 2012. Contact information:
2. Projects should reflect choice of an suitable medium for the work, thoughtful research of environmental content, level-appropriate use of a foreign language, and well-crafted execution. Each project will be evaluated and ranked for awards by the appropriate course instructor or Director of Language Instruction, the Director of the CLA Language Center, and the Sustainability Education Coordinator.
3. The maximum length for media projects is 5 minutes. Shorter entries are welcome. Entries will be displayed via laptop and screen projection at the showcase. Students participating in the contest are strongly encouraged to be present for this event.
4. Entries must be submitted using the entry form, indicating participant name, contact information, and project title. Each project must include an abstract in English (maximum length 200 words). https://docs.google.com/a/umn.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDIzUnpDZEowWXNmRHMtSW1TeldlVVE6MQ
5. Projects must be electronically submitted. Instruction for submitting projects:
You should submit your digital project through the CLA MediaMill. If you do not yet have an account, request one through a simple email to mmhelp@cla.umn.edu from a University of Minnesota e-mail address. Instructions for using MediaMill are in the video tutorial at
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/. Watch the tutorial. Once your video is uploaded into your personal MediaMill account, be sure to share it with your instructor, or the Director of Language
Instruction if you are not currently enrolled in a language course.
6. All intellectual property materials incorporated into the project must be properly cited. It is the responsibility of participants to make sure that these materials (images, music, texts, etc.) are handled in a manner that complies with fair use. For fair use guidelines, go to: http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/fairuse.
7. All decisions about the awards are final. The top entry in each of the six categories described below will be eligible for an award ($75 gift certificate for individuals, $25 per group member for group projects).
Awards categories:
1. Best creative project (open to all language course levels and students studying a foreign language). This category is open to entries that use multimedia and language in forms of creative expression linked to environmental awareness. Digital storytelling projects, animations of texts, recorded slam poetry performances, and personal responses to environmental questions are encouraged.
2. Best research-based project (open to all language course levels and students studying a foreign language). This category is open to entries that incorporate student research about scientific information, policy discussions, and public debate related to environmental and sustainability issues, etc. Projects that provide and interpret information with a focus on communicating with a broad audience are encouraged.
3. Best lower division individual project (open to students in 1xxx-level language courses and others studying a foreign language). This category is open to individual students currently enrolled in language course and to University of Minnesota students not currently enrolled in a language course. Projects that explain an aspect of an environmental topic, demonstrate how sustainable practices function, argue a position, or hypothesize solutions are encouraged.
4. Best upper division individual project (open to students enrolled in 3xxx-level+ language courses). This category is open to individual students currently enrolled in a language course and to University of Minnesota students not currently enrolled in a language course. Projects that explain an aspect of an environmental topic, demonstrate how sustainable practices function, argue a position, or present solutions are encouraged. Students on study abroad are invited to submit work the reflects learning experiences related to environmental topics.
5. Best lower division group project (open to students enrolled in 1xxx-level language courses). This category is open to student groups currently enrolled in language course on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. Projects that explain an aspect of environmental topic, demonstrate how sustainable practices function, argue a position, or present solutions are encouraged.
6. Best upper division group project (open to students enrolled in 3xxx-level+ language courses). This category is open to student groups currently enrolled in a language course on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. Projects that explain an aspect of an environmental topic, demonstrate how sustainable practices function, argue a position, or present solutions are encouraged.
Culture Shock 