Department of Languages Cultures and Religions Archives

Graduate students attend American Academy of Religion regional conference

May 14, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Four graduate students from the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR) presented their research at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) Midwest regional conference April 16-18.

Religious Studies MA students Hezekiah Harrison, Ashley Jones, Michael Perez, and Seth Weidman attended the 2026 conference at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Associate Professor Vadim Putzu accompanied the students to the conference. Putzu currently serves as chair of the Study of Judaism section of the Midwest AAR.

The AAR is the largest scholarly society for the academic study of religion, according to Putzu. The Midwest regional conference is especially vibrant, he noted, as it attracts hundreds of scholars at all career stages each year.

“It was a great opportunity not only for our students to share their ongoing research, receive relevant feedback, and keep up-to-date with current scholarship, but also for our faculty to network and to recruit,” Putzu said.

From 2021 to 2025, Missouri State University hosted the Midwest regional conference, Putzu added.

Missouri State faculty present interdisciplinary panel on history of Route 66

May 5, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Four Missouri State University faculty members presented a research panel on Route 66 and its history April 22, 2026, in Strong Hall on the Springfield campus.

The panel event coincided with the roadway’s 100th anniversary.

“African American Lived Experiences: Unheard Stories of Route 66,” was a collaborative effort by the panelists to highlight how African American travelers experienced the famed scenic route.

Associate Professor Lyle Q. Foster of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology organized the event. Joining him were Assistant Professor Leonard Horton III of the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film; Associate Professor Judith Martinez of the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions; and Associate Professor Ximena Uribe-Zarain of the School of Special Education, Leadership and Professional Studies.

The researchers have been working on the project since September 2025.

Interdisciplinary approach highlights multiple views

As an interdisciplinary group, the panelists found that their varied academic backgrounds blended nicely, Foster noted. “Since the team brings together perspectives from sociology, communication, languages and cultures, and education, that mix of viewpoints really shaped how we interpreted what we found,” he said.

Each panelist drew heavily from oral history interviews conducted in 2014 and 2015 as part of the Greater Springfield Route 66 Oral History Project at Missouri State.

“These interviews are publicly available through the Missouri State University Libraries YouTube channel,” Foster said. “Anyone can go listen to them.”

Other resource material included the Negro Motorist Green Book, historical records and existing scholarship on race and mobility in America. During the session, the panelists also premiered a mini documentary, “Reflections on the Route.”

“The film highlights the stories of local Springfieldians who traveled Route 66 during the Jim Crow era and used the Green Book directory as a guide to find safe places to eat and spend the night,” Foster explained.

Religion and Healing course emphasizes critical thinking

April 28, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Students who take Dr. Amy Artman’s Religion and Healing course (REL 378) can expect her to ask a lot of questions.

Artman even starts her course syllabus with questions.

“What does it mean to be healed? How do we cure?” she asks. “Can I be healed without being cured? Cured without being healed? What role does religion play in healing? Does religion have a place in healing?”

She concludes by stating, “These are only a very few of the many questions we will explore together this semester.”

Right away, students understand that Artman will journey with them as they explore the relationships between religion, health and healing. Specifically, students will look at the complex histories of biomedicine, faith and folk healing in twentieth century America up to the present.

Grant-funded course examines role of faith in medicine

Artman first taught REL 378 in 2020. Now a regular offering in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR) curriculum, the class was originally part of a suite of courses developed through a grant. That grant was funded by the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, Artman said.

Coordinated by Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, Dr. John Schmalzbauer and Dr. Philippa Koch, the grant supported research and course development for the Medical Humanities certificate. Berkwitz, Schmalzbauer and Koch all teach in LCR, and Berkwitz also serves as department head.

Today, introducing students to the debate about whether biomedicine should include a spiritual component remains an important learning objective in the course.

“In recent years, the idea that medical healing should include a spiritual component had basically won,” she noted. “But post-Covid, and as I teach the course in 2026, this discussion is now a live one again, I believe, if in a different way.”

Her goal is not to revive the debate but rather to give students a historical overview of the question and how it has been examined over time.

Woman standing in front of classroom writing on board — Dr. Amy Artman reviews historical concepts during her Religion and Healing course.

French cultural ensemble celebrates Francophone music

March 11, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

French Honor Society students and Alain Gbenouga, a graduate student in French, have collaborated with Dr. Antoinette Barffour to create the first ever French Cultural Ensemble.

The ensemble is open to all interested students, regardless of their ability to speak French. Participants can expect to enjoy Francophone music and culture while building community through song, Barffour said.

“The French Cultural Ensemble is designed to bring students together through the joy of singing French and Francophone music,” she continued. “This is the first ongoing French music ensemble open to the broader university community. It offers a creative space where students from all backgrounds—whether or not they speak French—can participate.”

Barffour is an associate professor of French in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

The ensemble meets on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Plaster Student Union 317A. Contact Barffour to confirm dates.

Missouri State students’ artwork on display at Schweitzer Brentwood Library

March 4, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Throughout February, students in Dr. Weirong Yan-Schaefer’s Chinese language courses had their artwork displayed at the Schweitzer Brentwood branch of the Springfield-Greene County library in Springfield, Missouri.

Faith Sheridan, Audrey Roney, Lauren Bleau, Ella Hemingway and Ally Vestal had their works on view in the exhibit. They are enrolled in Schaefer’s Chinese Reading and Composition (CHI 312) and Intermediate Chinese (CHI 202) courses.

Schaefer is a senior instructor of Chinese and Japanese languages in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

Four young women holding their Chinese artwork — Students from Dr. Weirong Schaefer’s Chinese language courses proudly display their artwork. L-R: Lauren Bleau, Faith Sheridan, Ally Vestal and Audrey Roney.

Project blends language and art

Blending language learning with personal creativity, the students designed artwork incorporating Chinese language and Chinese New Year elements. The artwork ranged from Chinese characters to lotus flowers and New Year’s zodiac signs.

Junior modern languages major Lauren Bleau is in Schaefer’s CHI 312 class. Her project, “The Year of the Horse with Chinese characters,” helped her learn more about the Chinese New Year.

“I loved getting to use art as a way to learn. It made me more interested in learning,” she said.

Chinese artwork of Year of the Rabbit — Audrey Roney’s “Moon Jade Rabbit” on display at the Schweitzer Brentwood library.

Students must learn a significant number of Chinese characters in these classes, Schaefer said. They also gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture through immersive assignments like the Chinese New Year art project.

Schaefer got the idea for the project from her Fun with Kanji (JPN 311) course. In that class, students created artwork entirely from kanji characters.

“Their creativity was impressive,” she said. “Some created kanji maps, some designed flowers made of characters, and some formed complex images using only kanji.”

This inspired her to try the same approach in her Chinese language classes.