About Trinity Language Council

The Trinity Language Council (TLC) is a long-standing committee whose charge is to represent language faculty, advocate for language studies at Duke, and promote language and culture awareness among students and educators. The TLC functions as an advisory council to the Trinity College of Undergraduate Education led by Deb Reisinger, with the support of the Dean of the Arts and the Humanities.

Members of the council represent language program directors and directors of language-related programs at Duke.

The TLC was originally created in 2000 as an advisory group to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Robert J. Thompson, while Curriculum 2000 was implemented.

Since then, the TLC has been active on campus supporting initiatives and events that support language study and communicate the value of languages in a multicultural world.

Members

Joan Clifford, Associate Professor of the Practice of Romance Studies & Director of Duke Service-Learning

Rex Crews, Lecturing Fellow in Classical Studies

Luciana Fellin, Professor of the Practice of Romance Studies, Director Italian Language Program  Chair TLC

Didem Havlioglu, Associate Professor of the Practice of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, QuadEx Faculty Fellow

April Lynn Henry, Lecturer of German Studies, Director of German Language Program

Kusum Knapczyk, Senior Lecturer of Hindi Language of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Yan Liu, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Director Chinese Language Program

Lisa Merschel, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Spanish Language Program Director

Sandra Valnes Quammen, Senior Lecturer of Romance Studies, Director French Language Program

Deborah Reisinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education, Ex Officio

Sarah Russell, Academic Dean for OUSF Scholars

Patrick Semmler, Senior Program Director of the Duke Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Co-Chair of the CLASP Language Committee

Daria Smirnova, Instructor in the Department of Slavic & Eurasian Studies

Brad L.Teague, Director of English for International Students Program

Past TLC Chairs have been Liliana Paredes, Clare Tufts, Corinna Kahnke, and Ingeborg Walthers.