2008 Woodie Awards
Writing Across Borders
By: Heather Hammons
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News
Writing Across Borders will give students the chance to see how culture and writing come together.
"It's an opportunity to increase awareness on issues that second language speakers deal with when they come to colleges and universities in the United States," said Mary Ann Crawford, director of the CMU Writing Center and English professor.
Writing across Borders will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday in Anspach 162.
"There will be a documentary film focused on what second language speakers of English encounter when they come to the U.S.," Crawford said. "It's based on interviews with second language speakers who talk about their personal experiences and surprises."
Margaret Mieske, Instructor for the English Language Institute, said she has previewed the documentary. She said the film was helpful to her and also will benefit many students.
After the film, the floor will be opened to an international student panel that will discuss issues and answer questions from the audience, Crawford said. She said they also will discuss writing that may or may not match what their writing like is in their home culture.
"It will be very beneficial for second language students," said Graduate student Shanshan Wang. "They (international students) have difficulties in writing and communicating with others, and this will be very helpful."
There also will be instructors from the English Language Institute and Writing Center consultants who will be able to help answer questions that the audience has, Mieske said.
Mieske said the panel will answer questions the audience of both professors and from international students who might have problems.
"I believe that this will help students understand why they have some of the difficulties that they have," Mieske said. "I'm sure some times they get very frustrated and wonder why they can't write English better."
Mieske said English is a difficult language for others to learn, especially writers of Arabic, which is backwards of what we know, and Chinese, Korean and Japanese, which use symbols as opposed to letters.
"They have totally different writing systems," Mieske said.
This event is being sponsored by the Department of English Language and Literature and the Writing Center. This event is free and open to the public.
news@cm-life.com
"It's an opportunity to increase awareness on issues that second language speakers deal with when they come to colleges and universities in the United States," said Mary Ann Crawford, director of the CMU Writing Center and English professor.
Writing across Borders will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday in Anspach 162.
"There will be a documentary film focused on what second language speakers of English encounter when they come to the U.S.," Crawford said. "It's based on interviews with second language speakers who talk about their personal experiences and surprises."
Margaret Mieske, Instructor for the English Language Institute, said she has previewed the documentary. She said the film was helpful to her and also will benefit many students.
After the film, the floor will be opened to an international student panel that will discuss issues and answer questions from the audience, Crawford said. She said they also will discuss writing that may or may not match what their writing like is in their home culture.
"It will be very beneficial for second language students," said Graduate student Shanshan Wang. "They (international students) have difficulties in writing and communicating with others, and this will be very helpful."
There also will be instructors from the English Language Institute and Writing Center consultants who will be able to help answer questions that the audience has, Mieske said.
Mieske said the panel will answer questions the audience of both professors and from international students who might have problems.
"I believe that this will help students understand why they have some of the difficulties that they have," Mieske said. "I'm sure some times they get very frustrated and wonder why they can't write English better."
Mieske said English is a difficult language for others to learn, especially writers of Arabic, which is backwards of what we know, and Chinese, Korean and Japanese, which use symbols as opposed to letters.
"They have totally different writing systems," Mieske said.
This event is being sponsored by the Department of English Language and Literature and the Writing Center. This event is free and open to the public.
news@cm-life.com
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