For immediate release

Albright College Receives $120,000 Grant for Interdisciplinary Latin American Studies Projects

Reading, Pa. -- Albright College has received a $120,000 Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education to integrate teaching about Latin America into a broader range of disciplines in the College and to more fully integrate the Caribbean into its interdisciplinary Latin American Studies program.

The project supports the College's strategic goal of enhancing Albright's unique strengths in interdisciplinary education with innovative programs that expand opportunities for students to think beyond traditional disciplinary approaches.

The project will develop faculty, expand course offerings, and create two new learning abroad opportunities for students. The grant will also foster global education and awareness, and bilingualism among students.

The project was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Latin American Studies program and the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department. Project authors and co-directors are Elizabeth Kiddy, assistant professor of history and director of Albright's Johnson Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Kathy Ozment, chair of the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department and instructor of Spanish.

Project initiatives include providing nine faculty members with special seminars on Latin America, and support a trip for each to Latin America or the Caribbean. Ten faculty will develop new courses that incorporate a Latin American focus in the areas of sociology, music, art, political science, psychology, economics, women's studies, business and philosophy, for example, "Human Development in Cultural Context: Latin America and the Caribbean," and "Black Women Writers: Africa, America and the Caribbean."

For Albright students, the program will include opportunities for a three-week service- learning/Spanish program in the Dominican Republic that will enhance language skills and put those skills to use in a service setting. A semester internship program in Mexico will allow a hands-on learning experience in international business and the global economy.

In addition, the project calls for outreach to the Reading/Berks community with lecture and film series as well as making Albright's other resources available.

Albright provost David C. Stinebeck said of the grant, "This grant lends a new dimension to Albright's focus on an education that crosses boundaries. It supports language studies, cultural and global education, and will enhance our student and faculty connections not only with the world, but with the Latino community here in Berks County."

Founded in 1856, Albright College is a nationally ranked, private college with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum and pre-professional programs. The College's curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary education, student-faculty research, dual and individualized majors, and a 13:1 student/faculty ratio. Albright College enrolls some 1,400 undergraduates in traditional programs, and another 500 students in its accelerated degree completion programs. Albright College is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles from Philadelphia.

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