About Modern Languages
Learn about our department, faculty, and program offerings.
Department of Modern Languages
What We Do
Our department promotes multilingualism and cross-cultural understanding across the university. We prepare our students for the complexity and diversity of a rapidly changing job market. Our students achieve high proficiency in a second language. They also develop knowledge of global languages and cultures and the skills to analyze linguistic structures and literary texts in their language of choice.
Who We Are
The University of Mississippi is categorized as an R1 research institution, which means that our faculty are at the top of their fields and actively conducting groundbreaking research. It also means students work and study alongside some of the best.
The Department of Modern Languages faculty includes award-winning teacher-scholars who are ready to support our students’ interests in every aspect of language learning. The faculty conduct research in literature, linguistics, language pedagogy, cinema, and cultural studies, in languages from all over the world.
Faculty Spotlights
- Dr. Corina Petrescu, Professor of German, will serve as a fellow at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem for the 2025-2026 school year. She will focus on collections at the National Library of Israel to support her work on Yankev Shternberg (1890-1973), an Ashkenazi poet, playwright, theatrical director, and cultural analyst of the twentieth century.
- Dr. Maria Jose Garcia Otero, Croft Instructional Assistant Professor of Spanish, won the Howell Family Outstanding Teacher of the Year from the College of Liberal Arts. The criteria for the annual award include excellence of class instruction, intellectual stimulation of students, and concern for students’ welfare.
This image of a medieval monk character is part of a video game project to gamify a 12th century text, The Voyage of Saint Brendan, to help teach Old French. The project, "Brendan's Voyage," is a collaboration between Dr. Daniel O'Sullivan, Chair and Professor of French, with his colleagues at Vanderbilt and Baylor that is partially funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Welcome from the Chair
The Department of Modern Languages is proud of our outstanding faculty, staff, and students. We have a strong tradition of scholarship and dedication to teaching students to a high level of language proficiency. We support our language programs with sound linguistic and pedagogical principles, as delivered by our programs in linguistics and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Equally important is the study of literature, cinema and culture, fundamentally important programs in all serious language departments.
Daniel Edmund O'Sullivan
Chair and Professor of Modern Languages
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Modern Languages promotes multilingualism and cross-cultural understanding across the university. It seeks to develop in its minors, majors, and graduate students high proficiency in a second language, knowledge of global languages and cultures, and skills to analyze linguistic structures and literary texts. Its faculty is dedicated to creating a dynamic intellectual atmosphere through continuing research and scholarship in literature, linguistics, cultural studies, and philology, thus preparing many of its graduate students to join the next generation of teacher-scholars. Furthermore, the Department provides opportunities for civic engagement, service learning, internships, and graduate assistantships. These opportunities develop students’ global and cross-cultural competence and thus prepare them for careers, leadership, citizenship, and stewardship. Consequently, the Department of Modern Languages prepares students for the complexity and diversity of a rapidly changing world.
Department Leadership and Support
Daniel O'Sullivan
- Chair and Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Filippi
- Administrative Assistant
Sasha Sims
- Administrative Secretary
Allen Clark
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Zhini Zeng
- Associate Professor of Chinese
Donald Dyer
- Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Modern Languages
Zachary Adamz
- Project Coordinator
Emma Lane
- Project Coordinator
Sara Wellman
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Felice Coles
- Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Fionda
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Michael Raines
- Instructional Associate Professor of TESL
Arabic Language
Allen Clark
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Emad Gerges
- Instructor in Arabic
Charles Joukhadar
- Assistant Professor of Arabic
Ahmed Mansour
- Instructor in Arabic
Yasmine Sedeek
- Instructor in Arabic
Asmaa Shehata
- Assistant Professor of Arabic
Chinese Language
Zhini Zeng
- Associate Professor of Chinese
Cheng-Fu Chen
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Yu-Ting Chiu
- Instructor in Chinese
Tianwen Han
- Instructor in Chinese
Rongrong Hao
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Mengjie Lin
- Instructor in Modern Languages
Henrietta Yang
- Associate Professor of Chinese and Linguistics
Shuyu Yeh
- Instructor in Chinese
French, German, and Italian Languages
Marta Chevalier
- Senior Lecturer in French
Hailey Kaim
- Adjunct Instructor in Modern Languages
Daniel O'Sullivan
- Chair and Professor of Modern Languages
Anne Quinney
- Professor of Modern Languages
Elodie Tantet
- Instructional Assistant Professor of French
KRISTEN Walker
- Instructor in Modern Languages
Sara Wellman
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Christopher Hutchinson
- Assistant Professor of German
Corina L. Petrescu
- Professor of Modern Languages
Kai Wash
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Valerio Cappozzo
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Elisa Modolo
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Modern Languages
Japanese, Korean, and Russian Languages
Kaoru Ochiai
- Croft Instructional Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Minjin Kim
- Instructor in Korean
Donald Dyer
- Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Modern Languages
Valentina Iepuri
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Tamara Karakozova
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Russian
Ala Simonchyk
- Instructional Associate Professor of Linguistics
Linguistics and TESOL
Christiana Christodoulou
- Research Assistant Professor of Modern Languages
Felice Coles
- Professor of Modern Languages
Donald Dyer
- Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Modern Languages
Stephen Fafulas
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Fionda
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Jimin Kahng
- Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics
Whitney Sarver
- Senior Director of the Intensive English Program and Instructional Associate Professor
Vance Schaefer
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Ala Simonchyk
- Instructional Associate Professor of Linguistics
Daniel Valle Arevalo
- Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Tamara Warhol
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Robyn Wright
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Henrietta Yang
- Associate Professor of Chinese and Linguistics
Spanish and Portuguese Languages
Heather Allen
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Julia Bussade
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Director of Elementary Spanish and Portuguese Programs
Felice Coles
- Professor of Modern Languages
Enrique Cotelo
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Karla Duran
- Instructor in Modern Languages
Stephen Fafulas
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Fionda
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Gabriel Alexander Garrido Franco
- Lecturer in Spanish
Hernan Garrido
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Ian Gowan
- Instructional Associate Professor of Spanish and Croft Associate Director
Irene Cotelo
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Jason Klodt
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Maria Landa Vera
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Emily Maples
- Instructor in Spanish
Diane Marting
- Professor of Modern Languages
Milene Prewitt
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Maria Garcia Otero
- Croft Instructional Associate Professor of Spanish
CARMEN Sanchis-Sinisterra
- Instructional Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Diana Semmes
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Edgar Serrano
- Lecturer in Modern Languages
Maribel Sullivan-Gonzalez
- Instructor in Modern Languages
Daniel Valle Arevalo
- Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Ivonne Whitehead
- Senior Lecturer in Spanish
Robyn Wright
- Associate Professor of Spanish
Intensive English
Marco Devera
- Instructor in Intensive English
Michael Herrington
- Instructor and Coordinator of Instructional Support for the ESL Program
Velsie Pate
- Instructor in Intensive English
Michael Raines
- Instructional Associate Professor of TESL
Whitney Sarver
- Senior Director of the Intensive English Program and Instructional Associate Professor
Department Programs
Arabic Language Flagship Program
Our competitive-entry Arabic Language Flagship is one of just three federally-funded, intensive Arabic language flagship programs in the country. The five-year program has a capstone in Morocco in the fifth year, which includes an internship. The program equips students with professional proficiency and cultural competency for careers in international business, engineering, law, government, corporate security, military, intelligence, think tanks, academia, and more.
Chinese Language Flagship Program
As one of only eight Chinese Language Flagship programs in the nation, the five-year program has a goal to create global professionals with superior-level proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. Students must apply to this competitive-entry program. Through multiple study abroad summers and a capstone year in Taiwan, our graduates gain a deep level of cultural understanding for working in China or Taiwan and with Chinese counterparts here and around the world.
Intensive English Program
In partnership with the Office of Global Engagement, the Intensive English Program provides English-language instruction to, and promotes global citizenship among, speakers of other languages from the University of Mississippi and surrounding community by offering multi-level, differentiated language instruction, community engagement initiatives, and cultural activities.
Our Community
A Place That Ever Calls
Located 70 miles from Memphis and surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern Mississippi, Oxford boasts thriving music, art, and literary scenes along with great restaurants. UM's athletics provide many opportunities to watch and participate in sports—and one of the world's best tailgating parties.
With everything Oxford has to offer, it's no wonder USA Today named Oxford as one of the Top Six College Towns in the Nation.
Come see why.