Lee Assumes Role of Vice President of Languages Association

Jun 02, 2021

The Christian Association of World Languages (CAWL) brings scholars together to provide a forum for promoting Christian reflection and practice in the field. And Trinity’s Department Chair and Associate Professor of Spanish Yeon Lee, Ph.D., will lay a key role in this mission as the association’s new vice president.

As vice president, Lee reviews abstract submissions, administers the Emerging Scholars Award, and organizes the conference program in the role as conference chair. As a member of the executive board, she also contributes with new initiatives and projects that advance the mission of CAWL.

“I am grateful to be a part of an organization where the contributions of many leading scholars continue to nurture the minds of our discipline,” she said. “These outlets provide opportunities for rich intellectual exchange and fellowship.”

For Lee, the Emerging Scholars Award has a particular resonance, since Trinity students Megan Gjertsen and Avery Kats won the award in 2018 at the 27th Annual CAWL Conference. “Both of my students conducted research under my supervision,” said Lee. “They presented their research and received recognition at the annual conference.”

The knowledge and relationships nurtured at CAWL also provided particular value to Lee over the past academic year. “Last year’s environment led me to create a remote learning setting that is a close equivalent to the traditional setting, as well as ways to enhance its educational value,” she said. “To engage more insight on remote learning, I would consult David I. Smith et al., who recently published a relevant book on the subject titled Digital Life Together (2020) and who is also a contributor to CAWL, to discuss the impact of technology on education and strategies under the classification of two different class sizes. This subject animates my research interest, and I plan to continue to take a deeper look at remote learning optimization in the shifting landscape of higher education.”

Founded in 1991, CAWL is home to the peer-reviewed “Journal of Christianity and World Languages” (JCWL), the CAWL Annual Conference in April, and the Emerging Scholars Award of undergraduate research.