"Students' learning is in their power": Interview with Karen Evans-Romaine

We interview our guest Karen Evans-Romaine, professor of Russian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and director of the UW-Madison Russian Flagship Program.

Podcast host Dr. Natalie McCauley and her guest discuss ways to promote students’ autonomy, how technology changed over the years and what it means for language teaching, how Karen uses songs in her classroom, and many other practical aspects of language teaching. They also talk about how our field has changed over the years, and the importance of mentorship, and faculty support. 

Podcast host:

Dr. Natalie (Natasha) McCauley is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Richmond and the current director of the UR Summer Study Abroad Program in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Since she began teaching Russian in 2012, Natasha has taught at the University of Pittsburgh, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and the University of Michigan, where she finished her PhD in 2018. What Natasha enjoys most about teaching Russian studies, whether language, literature and film, is the experience to help students not only learn about a different region and culture of the world, but also learn to think critically about the ways societies are structured, including how this is reflected within languages. Her research interests include gender and sexuality, contemporary television and media, and affect theory. 

Podcast is created by Evgeny Dengub for TeachRussian.org