The Department of French & Italian is constantly striving to be better and align with the institutional shared values, which are so integral to The Ohio State University's success. As as part of that, we like to highlight how our FRIT folks are embodying the shared values we hold as Buckeyes. This edition's spotlights are Drs. Anne Mutidjo (French & Francophone Studies) & Giuliano Migliori (Italian).
Dr. Anne Mutidjo has been a stellar colleague and instructor since joining OSU’s Department of French & Italian in 2022. She demonstrates the Shared Values of Excellence and Impact, through her conscientious and timely approach to everything that she does, from lesson planning and curriculum building, to collaborating with French Basic Languages Course coordinators as well as in instructors. To this end she has been a leader in increased pedagogical course meetings and is always seeking to improve pedagogical practices. While also emblematic of the previous Shared Values, Dr. Mutidjo shows her Integrity and Respect in her relentless in her pursuit to allow all voices to be heard in the most open and unassuming way possible. She regularly models how to share well thought out opinions, and then invites all those around to her to respond honestly, creating a stimulating and inviting collaborative environment, no matter the task. Lastly, she is devoted to decolonial pedagogies, providing inclusive access to educational materials and recognizing the contributions of others whenever possible. As Dr. Mutidjo puts the values of Diversity and Innovation into practice, challenges instantly become opportunities under her leadership, and it is an absolute pleasure to work and grow beside her.
We thank Assistant Professor of Teaching Giuliano Migliori who demonstrated our Shared Values of Diversity and Innovation in AU24! Prof. Migliori launched FRIT’s first Sustainability-theme course, Green Italy, a course in which actively engage in current conversations on climate challenges and recognize the potential to creatively contribute to green practices and natural stewardship. Green Italy pushed students to consider the cultural boundaries of climate solutions and gave them opportunities to explore other worldviews with an open mind. As many students wrote in their final projects, Green Italy was a brave learning space where we reflected “on the ideas of ecological citizenship” and the impact of storytelling, “where everyone is tasked with playing an active role in protecting their cultural and natural heritage”. You can see just two examples of the work Professor Migliori's class has done in the slides above.
