Languages in the South Conference

The inaugural conference, Languages in the South: Perspectives, Approaches, and Practices in Language Pedagogy, brought together language educators and scholars from Augusta University, USCA, the University of South Carolina, USC Upstate, Coastal Carolina University, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Co-organized and co-hosted by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at USCA and the Department of English and World Languages at Augusta University, the event was an opportunity to share innovative and creative ideas to strengthen language programs in the region. Presentations included pedagogy techniques, innovation with technology and Artificial Intelligence, or practices to reframe programs or create new learning paths in Spanish, French, Arabic, German, Korean, Navajo, and American Sign Language 

Overall, this collaborative gathering invited language experts to reimagine the educational development of our students through an intercultural and interdisciplinary lens, one that is workforce-centered and positions language learning as a vital asset that enhances critical skills across disciplines, degrees, and professions. 

The gathering concluded by addressing the necessity of finding ways to ensure that language education continues to play a significant role in the academic and professional formation of South Carolinians and Georgians, as it has for decades. A spectacular success, the conference will now become an annual event, continuing to foster necessary and critical collaboration across the region.