Saint Mary's

Dr.Cecilia Natoli just successfully defended her dissertation at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) – in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Department of Modern Languages and Classics wishes to congratulate Dr. Cecilia Natoli, one of our recent part-time instructors in Spanish, who has just successfully defended her dissertation at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP) – in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The title of her dissertation is:
"La Literatura en el Marco en la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Segunda y Extranjera. Aplicaciones al Campo Cultural Argentino
(The Use of Literature in the Context of Teaching Spanish as a Second and Foreign Language. The Argentinian Cultural Field of Application)"

For those interested in reading Dr. Natoli's thesis, you can find it at: 

Congratulations to Andrés Arteaga for the publication of his book, Levaduras de Destrucción.

There will be a presentation by Dr. Arteaga about the book in the Patrick Power Library on November 28 (please stay tuned for details).

AFRICAN CULTURAL PRODUCTION AND THE RHETORIC OF HUMANISM – edited by Jean-Blaise Samou

“Although humanism has often been seen as a European concept, a wide range of African works of cultural production show the ubiquity of the concept in African societies before the European encounter with the continent. They attest to the existence of an African humanistic perspective based on the philosophy of Ubuntu (the centrality of the human being in society) that was severely undermined by colonialism and still being eroded by neocolonialism. Since then, post-independence Africa is entangled in dehumanizing bloody dictatorships, endless civil wars, dreadful poverty and indescribable human rights abuses. African Cultural Production and the Rhetoric of Humanism, is an inaugural attempt to examine the theme of humanism in African art that has, paradoxically, hardly been the subject of any sustained critical attention. Contributors from different fields critically examine the deployment of an Afrocentric humanist discourse in various forms of cultural production including oral and written literature, political speeches, paintings, and cartoons, arguing that what subtends the works is the artists' call for a return to the traditional African vision of humanism.”

Rebecca Payne

Rebecca Payne is from Halifax Nova Scotia and lived here her whole life. Rebecca just completed her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a minor in Classics from Saint Mary’s University this semester 2020. Rebecca has participated in three field schools in Italy through this department during her undergrad, which reinforced her interests in Classical archaeology. She is excited to begin her Masters of Geography in the fall, which will be based on the Villa of Titus. 

Sveva Savelli - New Hire

Sveva Savelli received an MA from the Italian Archaeological School at Athens (Greece) and a PhD from the University of Naples L’Orientale (Italy). Her main interests focus on Greek history and archaeology, in particular, the relationship between Indigenous Populations and Greeks in Southern Italy during the Early Iron Age. Her research also extends to the Athenian Empire, funerary archaeology, and cultural heritage protection. She is currently co-director of the Metaponto Archaeological Project (Italy) devoted to the investigation of the chora of the ancient polis of Metaponto and to the excavation of Incoronata “greca”, a mixed Indigenous-Greek settlement along the Basento River. In 2018 she published, Efestia II: la necropoli (V secolo a.C.-V/ VI secolo d.C.), Monografie della Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene e delle Missioni Italiane in Oriente, Rome-Athens.

John L. Plews is the 2021 recipient of the Father William A. Stewart

CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Plews!

John L. Plews is the 2021 recipient of the Father William A. Stewart, SJ Medal for Excellence in Teaching presented by the Saint Mary’s University Alumni Association and Faculty Union.

Plews is a professor of German and Director of the Canadian Summer School in Germany (CSSG). He studied German and French at the University of Manchester (1991) and completed a Master’s in German Literature at the University of Alberta, Edmonton (1992). He earned a Doctorate in German Literatures, Languages, & Linguistics (2001) and a Doctorate in Secondary Education (2010), both from the University of Alberta. He has taught at Saint Mary’s since 2005 and at the CSSG from 2009-2012 as well as since 2017 when becoming Director. He served as the President of the Canadian Association of University Teachers of German (CAUTG) (2016-2018) and President of the Halifax Languages Consortium (2015-2018). Dr. Plews researches study abroad for language learners and language teachers, second language learner identities and second language curriculum and teaching. His work draws on a variety of critical and sociocultural theories as well as qualitative approaches, including narrative analysis. His research has been funded by SSHRC, Saint Mary’s University, the Province of Alberta and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Fund. He is also the recipient of the Sheryl McInnis Award (2003) in recognition of academic service to the LGBTQ2S+ community of Edmonton and the CAUTG Award for Best PhD Dissertation (2002). 
Plews is being recognized by his current and former students and colleagues for his enthusiasm and dedication to the scholarship of teaching and learning of the German language, engaging teaching methods and positive impact on the lives of his students. He is currently compiling an edited volume on critical approaches to study abroad research methods and data (2022, Palgrave Macmillan, with J. McGregor). He is editor of several books and journal issues and author of articles and book chapters on various topics in study abroad research, second language education and German culture.