University of Utah World Languages & Cultures

Today’s Faculty Friday features Prof. María Laura Martinelli in Spanish! María Laura is a scholar of 19th-century Latin America, with a focus on the Southern Cone. Her research explores the intersections of literature, borderlands history, settler colonial studies, and Indigenous studies—examining how nation-states were formed from their margins and how those histories of resistance and dispossession continue to shape the present.

This fall, she is teaching Intermediate Grammar and Composition and Introduction to Textual Analysis, and in Spring 2026 she will offer Postcolonial Desires in Latin American Cultures, a special topics course in Spanish.

We are delighted to welcome María Laura to the World Languages & Cultures community!

Learn more about Prof. Martinelli in our Faculty Spotlight Q&A—link in bio.

Today we are kicking off our very first Faculty Friday of the Fall 2025 semester! Today's featured faculty is Prof. Fiona Bell in Russian. Fiona comes to us from the Slavic Languages & Literatures doctoral program at Yale University, and her research interests include Russian literature, global histories of race, gender and sexuality studies, theater and performance, translation.

This semester, Prof. Bell is teaching RUSS 4710: Studies in Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature, a survey of Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov, which frames literature as a site of political debate in Tsarist Russia. In Spring 2026, Bell is excited to offer “Russian Theater,” in which students will both read and perform Russian plays. We are thrilled to have her join our faculty! Welcome, Fiona!

Learn more about Fiona Bell in our Faculty Spotlight Q&A! Click the link in bio.

BE GLOBAL READY and come check out all of the amazing resources on campus that will help set you up for success anywhere around the world!

The World Languages and Cultures department is closed today as we observe Juneteenth—a day of freedom, resilience, and unity.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally/internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. We honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, we also recognize the ongoing journey toward equality and justice

Happy Russian Language Day!

Russian Language Day is celebrated on June 6th. This day also coincides with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin was a Russian poet who is considered the father of modern Russian literature.

Check out these videos of Dr. Natalya Kuznetsova’s students sharing why they love the Russian Language!

Did you know June is also Caribbean American Heritage Month? It is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich culture, history, and contributions of Caribbean people and their descendants. This includes recognizing their impact on American society in various fields like government, sports, entertainment, and the arts.

The month was officially recognized by the United States government through a Presidential Proclamation in 2006, marking a milestone in the celebration of Caribbean American heritage.

This Pride Month, we honor the many voices, identities, and stories that enrich our global community. Love and language connect us all.

Congratulations to the class of 2025!

Thank you for the ideas you sparked, the conversations you shaped, and the community you built. We will miss you!

Cheers to all the comes next! 🎓🎉

Hungry to learn more Chinese this summer!? If you're interested in understanding Chinese culture through food and dining customs, come join us in Chinese 4900 this May!

Cheers to the graduating Master’s students from the World Languages & Cultures department! Your hard work, passion, and multilingual magic have paid off. The world is your campus now—lead it, question it, connect it.
 
Graduates:
Pierre Romangin- - WLC MA in French
Sara Rodríguez Matarredona- MA in Language Pedagogy Spanish
Saydi Anderson-  WLC MA in Spanish
Madeleine Howland & Honey Howland (Service Dog)- WLC MA in French
Silvia Sanz Megías -MA in Language Pedagogy Spanish
Rosario Sorensen-MA in Language Pedagogy Spanish
Daniela Hernández López-MA in Language Pedagogy Spanish
Ana Tavera-MA in Language Pedagogy Spanish
Faaizah Ghazi-  WLC MA in CLCS
 
Not Pictured:
Alan Gutiérrez-WLC MA in CLCS
Mike Day- CLCS PHD

’sGraduates