Idaho State University Languages Program

08/25/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our MA alumni and current students Hillary Naomi, Rik Golden, Dilcia Schwartz, Johnathan Widdows, Erika Tumanuvao, Grant Harrison, Patricia Valery, and Yamileth Pusateri on the publication of their academic interview with award-winning Valencian graphic novelist Ana Penyas!

Published as “Todo bajo el sol. Turismo, memoria y representación: una conversación con Ana Penyas,” the interview appears in issue 26 (2026) of CuCo, Cuadernos de Cómic, an academic journal supported by Editorial Universidad de Alcalá. The conversation examines Penyas’s Todo bajo el sol (2021), a graphic novel that explores mass tourism, urban development, intergenerational memory, and the transformation of Spain’s Mediterranean coast.

The interview originated as a collaborative project in the Spring 2025 Critical Theory course. Its publication demonstrates how classroom learning can develop into meaningful scholarly work that contributes to knowledge production and promotes contemporary Spanish graphic narrative.

Congratulations on this outstanding achievement!

08/24/2026

Welcome back to all our students! We're happy to have you!

Welcome back, Grad Bengals!

We’re so excited to have you back, and we can’t wait for another amazing semester!

Please bookmark our Student Resources page so you know where to find various campus resources. As always, reach out to the Graduate School at [email protected] for any questions.

Good luck on your first day of classes!

08/17/2026

🌏 Ready to learn something new this fall?
Take CHNS 1101: Elementary Chinese at Idaho State University! Learn basic Mandarin communication skills, explore Chinese-speaking cultures, and gain a language skill you can use in school, travel, and beyond.
📚 Tuesdays & Thursdays | 2:30–3:45 p.m.
🎓 4 credits | CRN 15701
✨ Partially satisfies General Education Objective 4
Ready to register? Log in to your MyISU account and add Elementary Chinese to your fall schedule!

08/13/2026

Need a language class? We are offering Chinese 1101 in person or synchronously online. Email us at [email protected] for more information.

08/04/2026

📣 Don’t Miss Out!
The Priority Deadline for Spring 2027 is almost here! ⏳
Make sure your application is submitted by September 15 to receive priority consideration. Mark your calendar, finish up your materials, and hit submit before it’s too late!

📢 Know someone planning to apply? Share this post with friends and colleagues so they don’t miss out!
Email us at [email protected] for more information.
Or to apply: https://www.isu.edu/apply/graduate/

07/30/2026

Don't miss this great workshop!
Tune in next Thursday, August 6 | 8-9 AK | 9-10 PT | 10-11 MT for the Virtual Workshop on Leadership sponsored by our Spanish MA program, led by PNCFL Executive Director, Bridget Yaden. Professional development hours or credits may be available for participating. $20 for attendance.

Pacific Northwest Council for Languages PNCFL is now offering it's 2026 Summer Sandbox Professional Learning Series.
See their website for more information: https://pncfl.wordpress.com/virtual-workshops/

07/28/2026

🐯 Student Spotlight 🐯
Congratulations to our MA student Jaela Dinsmore for representing Idaho State University and our Spanish program at the international conference “The Uncanny in Language, Literature and Culture,” held July 24-25, 2026, in Mallorca, Spain. The conference was organized by the London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in collaboration with the University of the Balearic Islands.

On Friday, July 24, Jaela presented her paper, “La Llorona (2019): Trauma, Testimony, and the Feminine Voice in the Formation of Collective Memory.” Her research examines how Guatemalan filmmaker Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona brings together legend, memory, and history to challenge dominant narratives of collective memory and explores how silenced Indigenous and feminine voices emerge to confront historical violence and repression in Guatemala.

Congratulations, Jaela, on sharing your research internationally and representing ISU and our Spanish MA program!

07/27/2026

What does graduate study in Spanish at Idaho State University look like?

Hear directly from our faculty about what makes our M.A. in Spanish a unique place to deepen your knowledge of language, literature, culture, and linguistics while building the skills to teach, research, and lead in a global community.

Whether you're preparing for a career in education, pursuing doctoral study, or looking to expand your professional opportunities, the M.A. in Spanish can help you get there.

🎥 Watch the reel to hear their perspective—and discover where a graduate degree in Spanish can take you.

Learn more through the link in our bio.

07/22/2026

📚 Book Recommendation for your summer reading from Professor Laufenberg!
"Campus", a 2022 novel by Chilean Antonio Díaz Oliva (and who currently resides in Chicago, USA), brings together both a familiar world and a favorite genre—detective fiction based in the university environment. Specifically, Díaz Oliva creates characters and plot centered in a department of Hispanic and Lusophone studies, somewhere in the United States, and populated by a cast of likely characters, exaggerated versions of what we know first-hand: charismatic educators, cryptic wizened faculty who appear born in the wrong era, and graduate students who ban together and try to navigate the strange world of Academia to the best of their abilities. And to top it off, a strange disappearance and murder of a fellow professor create a knot of intrigue within which the main character (a new professor to the department) is caught. Darker pessimistic humor that will hit the mark for an audience in-the-know, and a well-orchestrated mystery will keep you reading. While you might miss your university campus in the summer, the book, "Campus", will fill that gap!

07/15/2026

Two of our former students met in person this summer! See how ISU's Spanish master's program manages to connect colleagues and form friendships despite distances! We are very proud of these two teachers, graduates of the program. Jess Ferronetti lives in Massachusetts and teaches Spanish at a high school. Julie Golden is also a high school teacher, but in Tennessee. We are pleased to see how our students remain connected even after graduation. Go for it, Julie and Jess!

Dos de nuestras ex-alumnas se conocieron en persona este verano! Mira cómo el programa de maestría en español de ISU logra conectar a colegas y formar amistades a pesar de las distancias! Estamos muy orgullosas de estas dos maestras, graduadas del programa. Jess Ferronetti vive en Massachusetts y enseña el español en una secundaria. Julie Golden es maestra de secundaria también, pero en Tennessee. Nos complace ver cómo siguen conectados nuestros estudiantes aun después de graduarse. A por ello, Julie y Jess!