Global Languages is happy to offer a non-credit class, “Quechua at MIT” during IAP 2024. Ten sessions will be held from January 9 to January 23, 2024, from 10:00 – 11:30 am. This is an in-person class.

This two-week introductory class introduces the basics of Kichwa, a variant of Quechua language, the most widely spoken indigenous language in the Americas. The class focuses on oral and written skills, with emphasis on tasks based on familiar contexts, using an interactive approach.  It also introduces learners to the history, culture, and geography of the Andes through cultural discussions and exposure to artefacts of the region (e.g., textiles).  Students will reflect on Kichwa and Quechua as endangered languages and on the significance of keeping this very popular indigenous language alive. Tupanakunkaman (See you then)!

Sessions will be led by Soledad Chango. Soledad Chango is a native of Ecuador, Kichwa Salasaka. She is a scholar of language acquisition, and is pursuing an advanced degree in linguistics at MIT.

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants with the expectation of attendance at all 10 sessions. Open to members of the MIT community.

Registration  opens November 27 at 2:00pm, using this link (Kerberos credentials required): Registration Form

Registration closes December 8. All registrants will be contacted by December 15 with confirmation of enrollment or information on placement in a wait list (in the event of over-enrollment).

For more information contact languages@mit.edu.

Buddhist Meditation IAP

RSVP HERE

Dates: January 19 - 21 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Location: SPXCE Room (W31-110)

There will be 3 drop-in sessions each day for 3 different meditation traditions.

Mind (9:30-11:00 AM): Vipassana meditation - Learn how to focus through contemplative meditation

Hand (1:30-3:00 PM): Yogic meditation - Learn to prepare the body for meditation focused on bodily harmony

Heart (5:00-6:30 PM): Metta meditation - Learn to spread love with mantras intended to open the heart <3

Some of the guest meditation leaders are listed below!  Tea will be served.

• Ven. Dorjey Dolma (Tibetan)
• Ven. Deung Myoung Sunim (Korean)
• Ven. Tenzin Gyurmey (Tibetan)
• Ven. Nedagamuwe Samitha Thero (Bhante Samitha) (Sri Lankan)
• Saly Sirothphiphat (Thai)
• Prahlad Iyengar (Hindu)
• Dr. Santoshkumar Raut (Indian Buddhist)
• Kyle Saisakorn Sandberg HDS MDiv student with IMS experiences

Join us to learn about the history of zines and disability. Then make your own zine with inclusive materials!

This event is a partnership with Women and Gender Services (WXGS), Disabled@MIT, and MIT Libraries.

Register

Image credit: Giulia Bertelli from Unsplash

Alt Text: Laying flat on a wood table lays a white zine that reads "coloring zine" surrounded by lavender flowers cloth and fabric.

Global Languages is happy to offer a non-credit class, Introduction to American Sign Language, during IAP 2024. Ten sessions will be held from January 9 to January 24, 2024, from 10:00 – 11:30 am. This is a virtual / Zoom class.

This non-credit IAP class is an introduction to elementary aspects of American Sign Language and to Deaf culture for those with no prior experience. Sessions will focus on gaining specific areas of basic understanding/competency which can be applied to later introductory studies of ASL. Participants will also interact with topics including the role of ASL in Deaf history, current culture, and others.

Sessions will be led by Andrew Bottoms. Andrew Bottoms was born and raised in a Deaf family from North Carolina and American Sign Language (ASL) is his native language. Bottoms graduated from Gallaudet University with two bachelor degrees, one in American Sign Language (ASL) and the other in Deaf Studies.

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants with the expectation of attendance at all 10 sessions. Open to members of the MIT community.

Due to over-enrollment, registration is now closed. All applicants will be contacted by December 15 with confirmation of enrollment or information on placement in a wait list (in the event of over-enrollment).

For more information contact languages@mit.edu.

January 8 – 31, 2024
Mondays-Thursdays from 6-9 pm over Zoom

Our application for the 2024 IAP Medical Interpreting Course is now open.

This 4-week IAP course will train multilingual MIT students and alumni in core principles, standards of practice, ethics, and medical terminology. Participants will be qualified to work or volunteer as interpreters in healthcare settings upon completion of the 40-hour course. 

• Classes Monday-Thursday from 6-9 pm over Zoom from Monday, January 8 – Wednesday, January 31, 2024. No class on January 15 (MLK Day).

• Attendance is mandatory and is required to earn a certificate of completion, which will qualify you to apply for national certification exams.

• You must be fluent in both English and at least one other language. Language coaches will assist with the most common target languages.

• Training will include interpreter skills, anatomy & physiology, and the glossaries needed to prepare for the national certification exam.

• Offered by CAPD’s Prehealth Advising Office and MIT ActLingual. Class facilitated by UMass Chan Medical School. The Office of the Vice Chancellor has subsidized the $950 cost per participant to make the class free for MIT students.

• Enrollment limit: 30 participants. Application deadline: November 30, 2023.

• Email prehealth@mit.edu with any questions.

Speaker: Dominique Dupuy, Ambassador of Haiti to UNESCO.

Moderator: Michel DeGraff, MIT professor of linguistics, director of MIT-Haiti Initiative, founding member of Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen.

This Starr Forum will be at the conclusion of a day-long conference on linguistic barriers, exploitation and resistance in Haiti. For more information on the conference, please visit this link.

SPONSORS:  MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), MIT Policy Lab, MIT Institute Community & Equity Office, MIT-Haiti Initiative

Free & open to the public.

MIT is committed to providing an environment that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you need a disability related accommodation to attend or have other questions, please contact us at starrforum@mit.edu.

Sign up for Starr Forum emails to get notified about upcoming events.

A full listing of Starr Forums is available here.

RSVP HERE

Not all Buddhists meditate, in fact, some do not meditate at all!... Then, what do the Buddhists do and what do the Buddhists believe in? Can we really generalize their practices and beliefs? What comes with the tradition do we lose when focusing mostly and heavily on meditation alone? 

This three day introductory IAP takes you into the fun, vibrant, ornamented, messy, breathing, controversial Theravāda Buddhism, one of the earliest kinds of Buddhism, which is still practiced in some parts of Southeast Asia and in Sri Lanka. The course focuses on Thailand and Myanmar through the eyes of Theravāda Buddhists. 

You will learn basic knowledge and vocabs to talk about the tradition like scriptures, teachings, and practices. You will be introduced to some complex issues and questions regarding the tradition. Comments, questions, concerns, and dialogues are welcome. On the last day, there will be home-cooked Thai food for everyone while the conversation focusing on food and faith. 

No background in anything is needed! Just be ready to step into the world of the unseens, animals, ghosts, relics, flowers, dust, and magics where time doesn't work the same way you're familiar with. 

Session 1: January 24 (Wednesday) 7-9 pm W11-155  Theme: The Pāli Canon and the Theravāda World through the eyes of Theravāda Buddhists

Session 2: January 25 (Thursday) 7-9 pm W11-155 Theme: Theravāda Buddhism and its relationship with other traditions in present days Thailand

Session 3: January 30 (Thursday) 6-8pm + home-cooked Thai food will be provided W11-190 Theme: Food and Faith

All sections are led by Saly Sirothphiphat an MDiv II student at Harvard Divinity School, a Thai Theravāda Buddhist and Win Kyaw Harvard Divinity School MTS '22 who studies Myanmar and Theravāda Buddhism. 

Hosted by the Addir Interfaith Dialogue Program

How do religions evolve and change? Is there anything inevitable about religious violence or peace? Who's the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Join us this IAP for an interactive series all about understanding religion's role in the world today.

Nonfiction is easy to read but not so easy to write. In this workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of writing compelling storylines for children. Who did it? Why did they do it? How did something happen without human intervention? The most important part of this process is to create a work that causes the reader to wonder, “what else is there to know?” Bring ideas, paper and writing tools.

Christine Taylor-Butler is a children's book author who has written more than 90 books, among them The Lost Tribe series, which she describes as “the technical Harry Potter.” Her 30 books for the Scholastic True Books educational nonfiction series range in topic, from planets and the human body to civil rights and the Supreme Court. She also visits schools, libraries, and festivals, where she encourages kids to explore the science behind her books. An advocate for diversity in children’s literature, she wrote an essay about gender inequity at the Caldecott Awards and the CSK Illustrator Awards, which she discussed on the kidlit women* podcast. In addition, her essay “Failure is Not An Option” on the importance of STEM literacy appeared in The Horn Book.

Taylor-Butler holds dual SB degrees in Civil Engineering and in Architecture (1981) from MIT and was formerly an interviewer for MIT Admissions. Her past experience includes working at a start-up software company and at Harvard University before moving to Kansas City, where she served as a graphic-arts and engineering manager at Hallmark Cards for more than a decade.

In addition to her writing, she served as a judge for the Society of Midland Authors children’s nonfiction award, the Walter Dean Myers children's literature award, and PEN America’s Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. Taylor-Butler is past president of the Missouri Writers Guild, an Emeritus Board member of Kindling Words, and a Toastmaster for World Fantasy. She is a member of the Author’s Guild, the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, and a Director At Large of Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).

_________________________

We are committed to making this event fully accessible to everyone who wants to attend. Please let us know if there is anything you need to participate fully in this event by e-mailing vulfp@mit.edu.

Photographs and/or videos may be taken at this event.

By entering and attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that your likeness and/or voice may be included in photos and videos of the event and used by MIT in connection with communications about the Institute Community and Equity Office or in other MIT communications.

If you do not agree to this usage, please notify the event organizer or do not enter the event.

January 8 – 31, 2024
Mondays-Thursdays from 6-9 pm over Zoom

Our application for the 2024 IAP Medical Interpreting Course is now open.

This 4-week IAP course will train multilingual MIT students and alumni in core principles, standards of practice, ethics, and medical terminology. Participants will be qualified to work or volunteer as interpreters in healthcare settings upon completion of the 40-hour course. 

• Classes Monday-Thursday from 6-9 pm over Zoom from Monday, January 8 – Wednesday, January 31, 2024. No class on January 15 (MLK Day).

• Attendance is mandatory and is required to earn a certificate of completion, which will qualify you to apply for national certification exams.

• You must be fluent in both English and at least one other language. Language coaches will assist with the most common target languages.

• Training will include interpreter skills, anatomy & physiology, and the glossaries needed to prepare for the national certification exam.

• Offered by CAPD’s Prehealth Advising Office and MIT ActLingual. Class facilitated by UMass Chan Medical School. The Office of the Vice Chancellor has subsidized the $950 cost per participant to make the class free for MIT students.

• Enrollment limit: 30 participants. Application deadline: November 30, 2023.

• Email prehealth@mit.edu with any questions.

Global Languages is happy to offer a non-credit class, Introduction to American Sign Language, during IAP 2024. Ten sessions will be held from January 9 to January 24, 2024, from 10:00 – 11:30 am. This is a virtual / Zoom class.

This non-credit IAP class is an introduction to elementary aspects of American Sign Language and to Deaf culture for those with no prior experience. Sessions will focus on gaining specific areas of basic understanding/competency which can be applied to later introductory studies of ASL. Participants will also interact with topics including the role of ASL in Deaf history, current culture, and others.

Sessions will be led by Andrew Bottoms. Andrew Bottoms was born and raised in a Deaf family from North Carolina and American Sign Language (ASL) is his native language. Bottoms graduated from Gallaudet University with two bachelor degrees, one in American Sign Language (ASL) and the other in Deaf Studies.

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants with the expectation of attendance at all 10 sessions. Open to members of the MIT community.

Due to over-enrollment, registration is now closed. All applicants will be contacted by December 15 with confirmation of enrollment or information on placement in a wait list (in the event of over-enrollment).

For more information contact languages@mit.edu.

Global Languages is happy to offer a non-credit class, “Quechua at MIT” during IAP 2024. Ten sessions will be held from January 9 to January 23, 2024, from 10:00 – 11:30 am. This is an in-person class.

This two-week introductory class introduces the basics of Kichwa, a variant of Quechua language, the most widely spoken indigenous language in the Americas. The class focuses on oral and written skills, with emphasis on tasks based on familiar contexts, using an interactive approach.  It also introduces learners to the history, culture, and geography of the Andes through cultural discussions and exposure to artefacts of the region (e.g., textiles).  Students will reflect on Kichwa and Quechua as endangered languages and on the significance of keeping this very popular indigenous language alive. Tupanakunkaman (See you then)!

Sessions will be led by Soledad Chango. Soledad Chango is a native of Ecuador, Kichwa Salasaka. She is a scholar of language acquisition, and is pursuing an advanced degree in linguistics at MIT.

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants with the expectation of attendance at all 10 sessions. Open to members of the MIT community.

Registration  opens November 27 at 2:00pm, using this link (Kerberos credentials required): Registration Form

Registration closes December 8. All registrants will be contacted by December 15 with confirmation of enrollment or information on placement in a wait list (in the event of over-enrollment).

For more information contact languages@mit.edu.

Join us to learn about the history of zines and disability. Then make your own zine with inclusive materials!

This event is a partnership with Women and Gender Services (WXGS), Disabled@MIT, and MIT Libraries.

Register

Image credit: Giulia Bertelli from Unsplash

Alt Text: Laying flat on a wood table lays a white zine that reads "coloring zine" surrounded by lavender flowers cloth and fabric.

How do religions evolve and change? Is there anything inevitable about religious violence or peace? Who's the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Join us this IAP for an interactive series all about understanding religion's role in the world today.

Buddhist Meditation IAP

RSVP HERE

Dates: January 19 - 21 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Location: SPXCE Room (W31-110)

There will be 3 drop-in sessions each day for 3 different meditation traditions.

Mind (9:30-11:00 AM): Vipassana meditation - Learn how to focus through contemplative meditation

Hand (1:30-3:00 PM): Yogic meditation - Learn to prepare the body for meditation focused on bodily harmony

Heart (5:00-6:30 PM): Metta meditation - Learn to spread love with mantras intended to open the heart <3

Some of the guest meditation leaders are listed below!  Tea will be served.

• Ven. Dorjey Dolma (Tibetan)
• Ven. Deung Myoung Sunim (Korean)
• Ven. Tenzin Gyurmey (Tibetan)
• Ven. Nedagamuwe Samitha Thero (Bhante Samitha) (Sri Lankan)
• Saly Sirothphiphat (Thai)
• Prahlad Iyengar (Hindu)
• Dr. Santoshkumar Raut (Indian Buddhist)
• Kyle Saisakorn Sandberg HDS MDiv student with IMS experiences

Speaker: Dominique Dupuy, Ambassador of Haiti to UNESCO.

Moderator: Michel DeGraff, MIT professor of linguistics, director of MIT-Haiti Initiative, founding member of Akademi Kreyòl Ayisyen.

This Starr Forum will be at the conclusion of a day-long conference on linguistic barriers, exploitation and resistance in Haiti. For more information on the conference, please visit this link.

SPONSORS:  MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), MIT Policy Lab, MIT Institute Community & Equity Office, MIT-Haiti Initiative

Free & open to the public.

MIT is committed to providing an environment that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you need a disability related accommodation to attend or have other questions, please contact us at starrforum@mit.edu.

Sign up for Starr Forum emails to get notified about upcoming events.

A full listing of Starr Forums is available here.

RSVP HERE

Not all Buddhists meditate, in fact, some do not meditate at all!... Then, what do the Buddhists do and what do the Buddhists believe in? Can we really generalize their practices and beliefs? What comes with the tradition do we lose when focusing mostly and heavily on meditation alone? 

This three day introductory IAP takes you into the fun, vibrant, ornamented, messy, breathing, controversial Theravāda Buddhism, one of the earliest kinds of Buddhism, which is still practiced in some parts of Southeast Asia and in Sri Lanka. The course focuses on Thailand and Myanmar through the eyes of Theravāda Buddhists. 

You will learn basic knowledge and vocabs to talk about the tradition like scriptures, teachings, and practices. You will be introduced to some complex issues and questions regarding the tradition. Comments, questions, concerns, and dialogues are welcome. On the last day, there will be home-cooked Thai food for everyone while the conversation focusing on food and faith. 

No background in anything is needed! Just be ready to step into the world of the unseens, animals, ghosts, relics, flowers, dust, and magics where time doesn't work the same way you're familiar with. 

Session 1: January 24 (Wednesday) 7-9 pm W11-155  Theme: The Pāli Canon and the Theravāda World through the eyes of Theravāda Buddhists

Session 2: January 25 (Thursday) 7-9 pm W11-155 Theme: Theravāda Buddhism and its relationship with other traditions in present days Thailand

Session 3: January 30 (Thursday) 6-8pm + home-cooked Thai food will be provided W11-190 Theme: Food and Faith

All sections are led by Saly Sirothphiphat an MDiv II student at Harvard Divinity School, a Thai Theravāda Buddhist and Win Kyaw Harvard Divinity School MTS '22 who studies Myanmar and Theravāda Buddhism. 

Hosted by the Addir Interfaith Dialogue Program

Nonfiction is easy to read but not so easy to write. In this workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of writing compelling storylines for children. Who did it? Why did they do it? How did something happen without human intervention? The most important part of this process is to create a work that causes the reader to wonder, “what else is there to know?” Bring ideas, paper and writing tools.

Christine Taylor-Butler is a children's book author who has written more than 90 books, among them The Lost Tribe series, which she describes as “the technical Harry Potter.” Her 30 books for the Scholastic True Books educational nonfiction series range in topic, from planets and the human body to civil rights and the Supreme Court. She also visits schools, libraries, and festivals, where she encourages kids to explore the science behind her books. An advocate for diversity in children’s literature, she wrote an essay about gender inequity at the Caldecott Awards and the CSK Illustrator Awards, which she discussed on the kidlit women* podcast. In addition, her essay “Failure is Not An Option” on the importance of STEM literacy appeared in The Horn Book.

Taylor-Butler holds dual SB degrees in Civil Engineering and in Architecture (1981) from MIT and was formerly an interviewer for MIT Admissions. Her past experience includes working at a start-up software company and at Harvard University before moving to Kansas City, where she served as a graphic-arts and engineering manager at Hallmark Cards for more than a decade.

In addition to her writing, she served as a judge for the Society of Midland Authors children’s nonfiction award, the Walter Dean Myers children's literature award, and PEN America’s Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. Taylor-Butler is past president of the Missouri Writers Guild, an Emeritus Board member of Kindling Words, and a Toastmaster for World Fantasy. She is a member of the Author’s Guild, the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, and a Director At Large of Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA).

_________________________

We are committed to making this event fully accessible to everyone who wants to attend. Please let us know if there is anything you need to participate fully in this event by e-mailing vulfp@mit.edu.

Photographs and/or videos may be taken at this event.

By entering and attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that your likeness and/or voice may be included in photos and videos of the event and used by MIT in connection with communications about the Institute Community and Equity Office or in other MIT communications.

If you do not agree to this usage, please notify the event organizer or do not enter the event.