Schedule

World Languages and Cultures Day 2026

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026

Location: Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center

Welcome Session and General Events

8:30 – 9:10 a.m. | Teacher Registration/Check-in: Corker Lounge
9:15 – 9:50 a.m. | Welcome Session: Ballroom ABCD
- College of Liberal Arts Co-Acting Interim Dean, Jennifer Smith
- Lourdes Albuixech and the SIU School of Languages & Linguistics Faculty
- Guess the Language Game
- Kichwa Performance
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | SIU College Fair: Corker Lounge
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | School Poster Contest Display: Art Alley

Interactive Lounges (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

These ongoing activities are located in the International Lounge area:

Your Name in…: Translation into Chinese, Japanese, ASL, Arabic, and IPA (International East)
Kichwa Culture: Musical instruments, dancing, and language with the Kichwa Community of Chicago (International East)
Linguistic Puzzles: Hosted by Linguistics Faculty and Graduate Students (International West)
UnEssay Displays: SIU Classics student projects (International West)
German Games: Joseph Davis (International West, 11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Breakout Sessions

Each session is designed to offer specialized cultural and linguistic insights.

10:00 – 10:20 a.m.

Room	Activity	Presenter(s)
Auditorium	Latin Drinking Songs	David Johnson
Corker Lounge	Schnitzeljagd im Freien / Nature Treasure Hunt	Mary Bricker *Session offered in German/ Meet in Corker, and Treasure Hunt goes outside.
Ballroom ABCD	Zumba with Liz & Geni: Working out to World Rhythms	Liz Taylor and Geni Afua
Old Main Lounge	The Spanish Sprint: Race Through The Regions. Join us for a high-speed scavenger hunt across Spain!	Lourdes Albuixech
Old Main Room	Immerse Yourself in Tswana Culture	Wazha Ditsheko
Saline	Writing with Pictures in Ancient Americas	Ayla Amadio
Kaskaskia/Missouri	Meditate Like a Monk	Sabrina Starnaman
Mississippi	American Sign Language	Chris Warmack
Ohio	Chrząszcz w Szczebrzeszynie: Why Polish Orthography is a Nightmare	Kacper Sordyl
Illinois	Chinese Paper Cutting: The Art of Jianzhi	Tingjia Guo
Mackinaw	Technologies to Support your Language Learning	Shannon McCrocklin, Nathaniel Mensah, Gabriela Werner

10:25 – 10:45 a.m.

Room	Activity	Presenter(s)
Auditorium	Syriac: Language of Middle Eastern Christianity	Michelle Freeman
Ballroom ABCD	“Hot Ones” School of Languages and Linguistics Style	Joe Wager, Lili Angel-Post, Jeff Punske
Old Main Room	Immerse Yourself in Tswana Culture	Wazha Ditsheko
Saline	Before Emojis: Writing with Pictures in Ancient Americas	Ayla Amadio
Kaskaskia/Missouri	Non-Verbal Communication in Ghanaian Community: Gong-Gong beating, Stone throw, Whistling and Dance language	Nathaniel Mensah, Esther Nakoja, Berlinda Koomson
Mississippi	American Sign Language	Chris Warmack
Ohio	Teaching German through SIU SPARK Reflections on Teaching German through SIU SPARK	Deborah Zimmerman
Illinois	Y'all, Y'inz, and You'se guys: Where you're from, how you talk, and why it matters	Mike Olsen
Mackinaw	Technologies to Support your Language Learning	Shannon McCrocklin, Ilham Yunus, Jacqueline Sowah

10:50 – 11:10 a.m.

Room	Activity	Presenter(s)
Auditorium	Latin Drinking Songs	David Johnson
Ballroom ABCD	Zumba: Working out to World RhythmsZumba with Liz & Geni: Working out to World Rhythms	Liz Taylor and Geni Afua
Old Main Lounge	The Spanish Sprint: Race Through The Regions. Join us for a high-speed scavenger hunt across Spain!	Lourdes Albuixech
Old Main Room	Discover Taiwan: Study Abroad and Cultural Exploration	Shu-Ling Wu
Kaskaskia/Missouri	Non-Verbal Communication in Ghanaian Community: Gong-Gong beating, Stone throw, Whistling and Dance language	Nathaniel Mensah, Esther Nakoja, Berlinda Koomson
Mississippi	Emoji vs Real Languages: Which Communicate Better?	Vakaba Touré
Ohio	Sophia Scholl: German Anti-Nazi Political Activist	Audrey Ward
Illinois	Language As User Interface	Tobias Merriman
Mackinaw	Writing Systems Around the World	Katherine Martin

11:15 – 11:35 a.m.

Room	Activity	Presenter(s)
Auditorium	Speak the World: Study Abroad Opportunities Explained	Brian Henry and SIU Study Abroad
Ballroom ABCD	Japanese Dance: Bon-odori	Maki Pardieck
Old Main Room	Global Human Library: SIU students share their first-hand knowledge about the culture and language of their countries.	CESL Students
Saline	Before Emojis: Writing with Pictures in Ancient Americas	Ayla Amadio
Kaskaskia/Missouri	Arabic: Letters That Connect	Abdullah Alsharari
Mississippi	Translating Race	Ted Cohen
Ohio	The Rhein in Germany	Nick Brown and Nolan Chansophy
Illinois	Los diablos rojos- Panama's "Red devils" buses	Grace Darmour-Paul
Mackinaw	The bouba & kiki of it all: Exploring sound symbolism in language	Rachel Olsen

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Room	Activity	Presenter(s)
Auditorium	Speak the World: Study Abroad Opportunities Explained	Brian Henry and SIU Study Abroad
Ballroom ABCD	Japanese Dance: Bon-odori	Maki Pardieck
Old Main Lounge	The Spanish Sprint: Race Through The Regions. Join us for a high-speed scavenger hunt across Spain!	Lourdes Albuixech
Old Main Room	KnowWhatI'mSayin? The Language of Hip Hop and Racial Identity in Contemporary America	Jeremy Allen
Saline	Before Emojis: Writing with Pictures in Ancient Americas	Ayla Amadio
Kaskaskia/Missouri	The Elephant Game (American Sign Language)	Kim Berger and Katherine Moore
Mississippi	Translating Race	Ted Cohen
Ohio	Speak Like an Alien: Create a Language in 20 Minutes	Jeff Punske
Illinois	Los diablos rojos- Panama's "Red devils" buses	Grace Darmour-Paul
Mackinaw	Sharp Museum	T Lance

Maps of Student Center

Student Center South End
This map displays the southern portion of the Student Center where the main morning events and large gatherings take place.

International Lounge: A large rectangular area located at the far north-west corner of this section, adjacent to a patio and entrance. It houses the "Your Name in..." activities and Kichwa Musical Instruments.

Ballrooms A, B, C, and D: A continuous row of large rooms running east-to-west across the center of the map. Ballroom ABCD is the site for the Welcome Session, Zumba, "Hot Ones," and Japanese Dance.

Auditorium: Located at the south-west corner, south of the International Lounge. It hosts Latin Drinking Songs, Syriac language sessions, and Study Abroad presentations.

John W. Corker Lounge: Located at the south-east corner, south of Ballrooms A and B. This is the location for Teacher Registration and the SIU College Fair.

Art Alley: A hallway-style space located north of Ballrooms A, B, and C. It features the School Poster Contest Display.
Student Center North End
This map displays the northern portion of the Student Center, which contains the majority of the breakout session rooms.

Old Main Room and Lounge: Located at the far north-west corner of this section. These rooms host Tswana Culture, The Spanish Sprint, and The Language of Hip Hop.

River Rooms (North Side): A row of rooms along the northern wall, including the Wabash, Vermillion, Ohio, and Illinois rooms.

Ohio Room: Hosts Polish Orthography, Teaching German, and Speak Like an Alien.

Illinois Room: Hosts Chinese Paper Cutting, Language Dialects, and Panama's "Red Devils".

Breakout Rooms (South-East Side): A cluster of rooms in the south-east corner.

Saline Room: Hosts Writing with Pictures in Ancient Americas.

Mississippi Room: Hosts American Sign Language, Emoji vs. Real Languages, and Translating Race.

Kaskaskia and Missouri Rooms: These joined rooms host Meditation, Non-Verbal Communication, Arabic, and The Elephant Game.

Mackinaw Room: Hosts Language Learning Technologies, Writing Systems, and Sound Symbolism.

Study Lounge: A large central area located west of the Mississippi room.