Abstract
This paper examines how language and diaspora studies can reimagine community belonging within the framework of humanities education. Drawing from almost three decades of experience in developing Spanish and Italian programs at universities in the United States, I demonstrate how diasporic cultural narratives—particularly those of Sephardic diaspora in Europe and Italian migrants across the Americas—can serve as powerful pedagogical tools for fostering transnational awareness and intercultural empathy. The study centers on course modules and student engagement strategies that integrate literary, historical, and digital humanities approaches. These include classroom experiences in online language learning, Italian diaspora cultural studies, and multilingual student organizations. I argue that teaching the cultural productions of displaced and hybrid communities allows students to explore identity, memory, and migration through a humanistic and inclusive lens. By anchoring language instruction in global cultural perspectives, we extend the scope of the humanities beyond the classroom and into the lived experiences of our students and their communities. It proposes that rethinking curriculum through the lens of the Mediterranean diaspora and multilingualism can challenge rigid disciplinary, linguistic, and national boundaries, positioning the humanities as an engine for social cohesion and cultural resilience.
Presenters
Tugba SevinProfessor and World Languages Coordinator, Department of Language and Literature, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Past and Present in the Humanistic Education
KEYWORDS
INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION, INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM, CULTURAL IDENTITY
