Office of University Communications 

English professors awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholar grants

SPRINGFIELD — Two Missouri State University English professors – Dr. Christina Biava and Dr. Etta Madden – have been awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholar grants to lecture overseas.

Biava, who specializes in linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), will teach applied linguistics and language teacher training courses in the Department of Letters and Languages at National Pedagogical University, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Madden will serve as a senior lecturer in American literature in the Department of Modern Philology, Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Catania in Italy. Both professors will teach abroad during the spring 2009 semester.

The Fulbright Program, America’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 286,000 people – including students, scholars and teachers from America and other countries – the opportunity to observe the political, economic, educational and cultural climates throughout the world.

“It’s been explained to me that Fulbright Scholars are ambassadors, and it’s exciting to see that as my role,” Madden said. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to live in Italy for a significant period of time and to teach Italian students who are studying American literature.”

Madden recently served for two years as interim director of Missouri State’s School of Social Work. In the fall of 2004, she served as faculty and academic director of the Missouri London Program. Her research interests include American literature and cultural studies.

For Biava, this is the second time she has been honored with a Fulbright grant. In 1999, she taught as a Fulbright Scholar in Budapest, Hungary. Her research has explored several Italian-American writers and the Mimetic Theory of René Girard, particularly how it explicates various issues in linguistics.

“Fulbright is a great program to work for. It is prestigious as well as well-run,” Biava said. “I’m quite interested in the culture and language situations of Central America. I wanted to use my expertise in linguistics and language teacher training to help students in a developing situation, especially in the Western Hemisphere, and then return with that experience to share with my students at Missouri State.”

From its inception, the Fulbright Program has fostered bilateral relationships in which other countries and governments work with the U.S. to set joint priorities and shape the Program to meet shared needs. Fulbright student alumni populate an entire range of professions and include heads of state, cabinet ministers, ambassadors, members of Congress, judges, heads of corporations, university presidents, journalist, artists, professors and teachers. More information on the Fulbright Program can be found at http://www.fulbrightonline.org/.