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Show THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1994 Writing poetry is Lee's gift Spanish is most popular emphasis W. David Lee may have made SUU an That shook me fo my very foundations; it was institution very much his own through nearly a almost like my whole life was legitimized in quarter-century of service on the Cedar City that moment." campus; but the well-loved a11d respected Lee, who says he has published seven instructor is more widely known outside the volumes of poetry and written "about 40 of circles of higher education for his efforts on t. 1em," takes himself a rather down-to-earth paper-poetic characterizations of small-town approach to his poetic style, a style that has left America as rugged and as starkly beautiful as him dubbed "The Pig Poet" in artistic circles the landscapes of the West itself. for the verses he brought to life in his Born at the tail end of World War II on the celebrated collections "Porcine Legacy" and Matador Ranch in Matador, "The Porcine Canticles." Texas, Lee has enjoyed a "I write from the oral decorated career both on the tradition, and my subject university campus and in the matter is the agrarian artistic community at large. His lifestyle, " he said. verses have earned the native " I don' t write about pigs; I Texan, among other accolades, write about the people who The Governor's Award for raise them- and I' m not lifetime achievem ents in the asham ed of that. I am known arts by a Beehive State resident; as a storyteller poet, and I and the poet's most recen t embrace that reputation. " work, a collection ti tled "My The austere desert Town," has been nam ed a environment of Washington finalis t for the Western States County is proving an ideal Book Award- the Pulitzer Prize backdrop for the creative of the West- as t he largest · - -" musings of Utah's most decorated poet. " I live quietly literary presentation made to writers this side of the and deliberately with {wife) Jan M ississippi. and {children) Jon and Jodee in St. George, Utah," Lee says, But despite such impressive credentials, Lee said his greatest David Lee, departm en t bead of " where I wander the back roads language and literature. and scribble at the same honor cam e in a moment he leisurely pace." shared with a fo rmer student at the 1994 Commencem ent Exercises of SUU-a " I don't think of myself as a writer," he mom ent far removed from the artistic li melight added. "I think of myself as a family person that has so broadly illuminated his storied who tries to write every once in a while. I write career. because I have to; I don' t know how to quit. I "Writing awards are a sort of encouragem ent, would give up every one of my books for the I guess, but I don't really know what to do with opportunity to write another one- and that's them," Lee said. " If there is anything I am what writing is all about. "This is my gift, I guess- my gift to the really excited about, it is receiving the Valedictorian's Mas ter Teacher Award last year. community, to the area I call my home." By HEATHER GREEN OF THE JOURNAL STAFF According to class size and the number of classes available, the Spanish emphasis in the language and literature department is one of the most popular. The Spanish emphasis in the department has catered to the needs and interests of the students. This year, there are six divisions of elementary spanish " to meet the needs of those students interested in a foreign language to complete a requirement in their general education," said Leon Chidester, SUU professor of language and literature. Other courses available to students this quarter include intermediate Spanish, advanced composition and conversation, Spanish grammar and the cultural history of Spain. "Even on a beginning level," Chidester said, "our primary goal is for foreign language students is to help them actively use the language." In the beginning courses, students emphasize conversation, vocabulary building and basic grammar. The higher level courses are a review and continuation of elementary Spanish . In all levels, the practical language is stressed . T he basic conversation classes available especially emphasize conversational fluency. Despite popularity of the classes, beginning Spanish courses are limited to 30 students. "We don't allow them to go over that," Chidester said, "because the students need the interaction." The upper division classes are slightly larger, with between 30 and 40 students per class. Spanish education at SU is more than just classroom work, however. There are currently several Spanish speaking exchange students attending SUU and occasionally in the summer, SUU studen ts travel as a group to a Spanish speaking country. Professors currently teaching Spanish courses include Chidester, Elise Leahy, and Dick Carlson. Germans are great thinkers SUU offers French students By LEAH WOOD SENIOR STAPF WRITER "There is som ething really comforting in spending time with really great thinkers," said James W. Harrison, professor of language and literature. Goethe, Luther, Schiller, and Kant are only a handful of writers whose thoughts a re originally stored on paper in the Germ an language. Students of German can spend evenings sitting down to think with these great minds. Tran slations of texts into English do make it possible for all SUU students to read German literary masterpieces. But, rich depths of meaning and roots of connotations are difficult to reconstruct in a foreign language. English is a foreign language to German writers. Students who learn German have an advantage. They can think through the ideas of German writers in German. According to Harrison, the German culture has always attempted to look at the core of wLat it is doing. T hey are great questioners. T he culture has nurtured an intellectual nation that has an industrious economy. "Germans have been misrepresented from W.W.II. They are a remarkable people and their literature is extremely rich," he said. Enrollment for the German program has almost doubled over the last several years. Harrison said part of the reason is that Utah has toughened up coUege requirements. High school students are coming to SUU with scholastic experience in German. SUU offers two types of Gern1an majors. German literature is designed to prepare undergraduates for graduate school. The language emphasis prepares students to teach German in secondary schools. In addition to studying German to understand the language, Harrison said, "It's practical. Even with the problem s of unification with East Germany, the German economy is one of the strongest in Europe." SUU does not have a German study abroad program. However, students wishing to study overseas can register with programs offered through larger universities in the state. Credits earned while abroad are transferable to SUU. Harrison said, "I enjoy teaching German, because I spent some time in Germany. Intellectually, it is satisfying. I chance to travel to France By MICHELLE CLEGG OF THE JOURNAL STAFF The philosophy of the French program is to inform students about the language, through literature and conversational classes and to prepare interested students to become teachers of French. Professor of French Jim Mills feels there are additional benefits to learning French. He said that French is highly used with business and politics at an international level. Currently, there are 40 countries that speak French, either as the primary language or as one of its official languages. Leaming a second language also "helps students see other viewpoints " by learning the country's customs and culture. While the French program is young, Mills feels it is growing rapidly. The department has offered Frep.ch as a major for about six years, but, "We're doing well," Mills said. Once students have learned basic French, they have the option of visiting France. Summer programs are offered every three years by SUU and students can receive six credits for the trip. Mills said participants have to study to earn the credits, however. Students may also visit the country as an exchange student. These students attend school there and stay with families in the area . Mills said the department helps exchange students as much as it can. French exchange students also come to Cedar City. Here they usually help out as tutors for the department. "We use every native speaker (of French) we can," said Mills. One of the current French exchange students works as a tutor in the language and literature computer lab. Another student is the secretary of the department. |