Over the next year, six Florida State University faculty members from across campus will travel internationally to teach and conduct research as part of the Fulbright Program.

Their expertise will take them to Japan, Kosovo, Austria, Brazil, the Philippines and Azerbaijan.

The Fulbright Program competitively selects Americans — students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists — to receive scholarships or grants to study, conduct research, teach or exercise their talents abroad. Citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States.  

Perry Howell, senior lecturer in the Department of English, will teach two classes in spring 2024 at Tokai University and J.F. Oberlin University near Tokyo. One of his courses will examine U.S. ideals and values as expressed in famous public speeches from American history. His other course will explore the function of public apologies in the U.S. and Japan.

“Teaching in foreign countries heightens your awareness of what is happening around you, so you notice with new energy many of the things in your everyday life that, in your home country, you screen out as too familiar,” Howell said. “That is one of my goals in teaching abroad: to bring that sense of energy and wonder back to my teaching here at FSU and to inspire a similar perspective in students here.”

This is Howell’s second Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award. During the 2019-2020 academic year, he taught at Yokohama National University in Japan as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar.  As Howell was finishing his doctoral studies remotely, he joined his wife Judith Pascoe, the FSU George Mills Harper Professor of English, when she taught at two universities in Tokyo as a 2009-2010 Fulbright U.S. Scholar.

Tatjana Soldat-Jaffe, associate professor of German and linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, will travel to Austria this fall to conduct linguistics research and teach at the University of Graz through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Her research at the Karl-Franzens-Universität’s Institute for Theoretical and Applied Translation will focus on language translation and its role in social media, with a focus on migrant populations. Many social media sites provide users with a button to instantly translate text, making the process of translation somewhat invisible and possibly skewing the way multilingual exchanges are perceived.

“With the ever-changing technology in mind and an increase in migration, social media has provided refugees — and, generally speaking, migrants — a way to maintain and expand their network of communication,” Soldat-Jaffe said. “This questions the traditional approach to translation studies: Who is the translator, and is the translated text still perceived as a translation?”

Ruby Lee, a professor in the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing in the College of Business, will travel to Kosovo where she will spend seven months teaching. She will also study how Kosovar consumers compare with those in the U.S. in how they view inclusivity of luxury brands. It marks her second Fulbright. In 2016-2017, Lee spent seven months as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Finland. 

Slightly larger than Delaware, Kosovo is a Muslim-majority country of 1.8 million that declared independence from Serbia after the Kosovo War of 1998-1999. An estimated 23% of its population lives in poverty, according to UNICEF. Many women lost husbands and fathers in the war, and girls today are twice less likely than boys to attend vocational training programs, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Overall, children in Kosovo lag behind their European peers in student assessments, the organization said. 

“The country needs people to teach so that more people can benefit immediately,” Lee said. “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood, but I got an education, and I’m excited that I’ll be able to bring my skills and knowledge, my happiness, my enthusiasm and my courage to Kosovo.” 

Besiki Stvilia, a professor in the School of Information, will travel to Azerbaijan and be hosted by ADA University in the fall through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Stvilia’s research focuses on developing models for information and data management, dynamics and intervention through collaborative work organization and data practices in communities. He is among the top 2 percent of scientists in his field based on citations.

Christine Mokher, associate professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the College of Education, will head to the Philippines for five months where she will continue her research while working with Urdaneta City University and nearby high schools.

She will conduct two studies related to student pathways from high school to post-secondary education and national education data system tracking through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

“Since I’ve been at Florida State most of my research has focused on state policy and the evaluation of those policies within the United States in Florida, Texas and several other states,” Mokher said. “I’m interested in expanding that scope more broadly to look at international policies in a comparative aspect and this Fulbright provides an opportunity to start that new line of research.”

Ming Cui, a professor of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Health and Human Sciences, will continue research at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil through the Fulbright Specialist Program.

She will work with faculty and graduate students in the social sciences graduate program, known as PPGCS, to encourage and promote cross-cultural collaboration and research through academic exchange.

“I hope my effort will bring international visibility and recognition to our Human Development and Family Science program at FSU while also helping PPGCS to build and expand their program,” Cui said.

This is Cui’s second Fulbright award. In 2017, she traveled to Finland as a Fulbright Scholar where she taught a graduate-level methodology course and conducted collaborative research at the University of Helsinki.

For more information about FSU’s Fulbright recipients dating back to 1951, visit global.fsu.edu/Fulbright.

Faculty interested in learning more about applying for Fulbright Program funding can contact Peggy Wright-Cleveland, campus liaison for faculty, or David King, Fulbright alumni ambassador.

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A Florida State University faculty member from the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics is traveling to Austria this fall to conduct new linguistics research thanks to a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award.

Tatjana Soldat-Jaffe, an associate professor of German and linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the award in support of her work on language translation and its role in social media, with a focus on migrant populations. Soldat-Jaffe will spend fall 2023 at the Karl-Franzens-Universität’s Institute for Theoretical and Applied Translation in Graz, Austria, working on her next project, “Translation as a Social Practice: Refugee Writing in Social Media.”

“As a Fulbright Scholar, I will join the ranks of many distinguished program participants,” Soldat-Jaffe said. “It is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world with an acceptance rate of only 20 percent. So, I feel confirmed in my scholarship but humble to have received such a prestigious award.”

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers over 400 awards in more than 135 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world. Five FSU faculty members received Fulbright Scholar Awards for 2023-2024.

Soldat-Jaffe will spend four months conducting research in Austria, a cultural melting pot in the center of the European Union. The country hosts approximately 146,000 refugees and subsidiary protection holders and over 18,000 asylum-seekers, largely from Syria and Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency reports. In Austria, Soldat-Jaffe will work collaboratively with international partners in educational, political and cultural fields while teaching students in translation studies at the University of Graz.

“I am excited to work with the Institute for Theoretical and Applied Translation Studies at the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria, which is known for its interdisciplinary approach to the study of translation from a sociocultural perspective,” Soldat-Jaffe said.

Soldat-Jaffe, who joined the FSU faculty in 2016, conducts research on language and identity, the politics of language, minority languages and translation studies. This upcoming research was inspired by what she calls a need to reevaluate current academic approaches to translation since the definition of the text — or what needs to be translated — as well as the translation process itself, has changed.

“With the ever-changing technology in mind and an increase in migration, social media has provided refugees — and, generally speaking, migrants — a way to maintain and expand their network of communication,” Soldat-Jaffe said.

Facebook, Soldat-Jaffe said, illustrates how social media can be used to provide social innovation for a diasporic community by means of sharing their experience, despite multilingual challenges. For example, the availability of a button that allows users to instantly translate text on the social media platform has made the translation process itself invisible to some extent, potentially skewing the way multilingual exchanges are perceived.

“This questions the traditional approach to translation studies: who is the translator and is the translated text still perceived as a translation?” Soldat-Jaffe said.

Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics chair Reinier Leushuis said Soldat-Jaffe’s Fulbright Scholar Award not only allows her to explore these questions but also serves as a testimony to her cutting-edge research focus on sociolinguistics, the study of language as it relates to social elements, such as bilingualism and regional dialect, gender and class differences.

“Dr. Soldat-Jaffe’s Fulbright Scholar Award is a recognition for the quality of her interdisciplinary explorations in language and identity, particularly in relation to minority languages,” Leushuis said. “I am thrilled that both Fulbright and the Karl-Franzens-Universität’s Institute for Theoretical and Applied Translation have recognized the importance of sociolinguistic studies such as hers on the intersection of migrant, refugee and minority communities and their linguistic behavior in mainstream media.”

Leushuis adds that the department — which offers coursework in linguistics and across 10 different languages to prepare students for careers in federal government, foreign services, non-governmental organizations and the private sector — places great emphasis on the cross-disciplinary investigations of global language, culture and identity, and Soldat-Jaffe’s interests are a prime example of this vision.

For more information, visit modlang.fsu.edu.

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Ruby Lee, a professor in the Dr. Persis E. Rockwood School of Marketing in the Florida State University College of Business, has received a prestigious Fulbright award for the 2023-2024 academic year.  

Lee will spend seven months teaching and studying in Kosovo. It marks her second Fulbright. In 2016-2017, Lee spent seven months as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Finland. 

Lee is also the College of Business’ director of international programs, in which she manages global student exchanges, faculty-led study abroad programs and the creation of international non-degree seeking student programs. 

“We congratulate Ruby for her remarkable achievement – a second Fulbright award,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the College. “Her selection underscores the caliber of her scholarship and our world-renowned faculty.” 

Mike Brady, director of the Rockwood School of Marketing, emphasized Lee’s efforts to “build an international brand for the college and the Rockwood School.”  

“Ruby’s natural curiosity, even temperament and warm personality have allowed her to develop a strong network of friends and colleagues around the world,” he said. “Luckily for us, she visits them often and takes the FSU brand with her when she goes.” 

Sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright Program aims to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”  

Lee will study how Kosovar consumers compare with those in the U.S. in how they view inclusivity of luxury brands. 

Slightly larger than Delaware, Kosovo is a Muslim-majority country of 1.8 million that declared independence from Serbia after the Kosovo War of 1998-1999. An estimated 23% of its population lives in poverty, according to UNICEF.

Many women lost husbands and fathers in the war, and girls today are twice less likely than boys to attend vocational training programs, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Overall, children in Kosovo lag behind their European peers in student assessments, the organization said. 

Those factors inspired Lee to apply for a Fulbright award in Kosovo over other places. Her award will include a teaching placement at the University of Kosovo, she said. 

“The country needs people to teach so that more people can benefit immediately,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate. I grew up in a very poor neighborhood, but I got an education, and I’m excited that I’ll be able to bring my skills and knowledge, my happiness, my enthusiasm and my courage to Kosovo.” 

For more information, visit the Fulbright Scholars Program.

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A Florida State University professor has been awarded his second prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award and will return to Tokyo, Japan, to teach next year.   

Perry Howell, a senior lecturer in the Department of English, earned the 2023-2024 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award and, starting next spring, he will teach two classes each at Tokai University and J.F. Oberlin University, both in the Tokyo area.    

“Every Fulbright placement presents its own unique challenges, so you have to respond flexibly to what each particular university needs from you,” Howell said. “Like studying abroad, teaching abroad challenges your habitual ways of seeing and responding to the world, so the experience can inspire a lot of creative thinking.” 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers over 400 awards in more than 135 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world. Fulbright scholars teaching in Japan focus their classes on various aspects of American culture. 

One of two courses Howell will teach examines U.S. ideals and values as expressed in famous public speeches throughout U.S. history, such as Sojourner Truth’s 1851 speech titled “Ain’t I a Woman?” The second course investigates how public apologies function in the U.S. and will explore differences between the U.S. and Japan in handling public apologies with curriculum focusing on famous American apologies. Both courses will align with Japan’s spring semester schedule, which typically runs from March to July.  

“Students in Japan are, in my experience, extremely interested in learning about American culture,” Howell said. “They question beliefs and assertions about the U.S. that most American students would take for granted, which makes for lively discussions.” 

“Students in Japan are, in my experience, extremely interested in learning about American culture. They question beliefs and assertions about the U.S. that most American students would take for granted, which makes for lively discussions.” 

— Perry Howell, a senior lecturer in the Department of English

Howell has lived in Japan twice before. During the 2009-2010 academic year, Howell finished his doctoral program at the University of Iowa remotely while his wife Judith Pascoe, the FSU George Mills Harper Professor of English used her own Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach at two different universities in Tokyo. A decade later, Howell earned his first Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, allowing them both to live in Yokohama while he taught at Yokohama National University for the 2019-2020 academic year.  

“I have great respect for the challenges my Japanese students accept by signing up for my courses,” Howell said. “Anyone who has gone from learning a foreign language in a classroom to using that foreign language in the real world can understand this challenge — it is both exciting and anxiety-provoking for students, and it is fun from the teacher’s side to be a part of that process.” 

Including Howell, nearly 20 faculty members from the Department of English have lectured internationally since 2017. Department chair and Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Gary Taylor said Howell’s continued international engagement reflects FSU’s strategic global orientation. 

“Dr. Howell’s Fulbright awards contribute directly to the international reputation of FSU as the home of outstanding faculty,” Taylor said. “It is also further confirmation that the English Department at FSU is recognized globally as a leader in English language research and teaching.”  

In addition to teaching in Japan, Howell has also lectured abroad in Italy through FSU’s Florence Study Center — he was part of the team to first offer the Editing, Writing and Media program there in 2022. 

“Teaching in foreign countries heightens your awareness of what is happening around you, so you notice with new energy many of the things in your everyday life that, in your home country, you screen out as too familiar,” Howell said. “That is one of my goals in teaching abroad: to bring that sense of energy and wonder back to my teaching here at FSU and to inspire a similar perspective in students here.” 

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