Unlock the World

Situated in the interior of TCU’s manicured campus is Scharbauer Hall, a lovely neoclassical building enveloped in the university’s signature buff brick, that is home to the school’s oldest college, the AddRan College of Liberal Arts, colloquially known as AddRan.

Founded by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark during Reconstruction as AddRan Male and Female College, the College’s vision was as simple as it was progressive: to create a place where both men and women could earn a classical education while developing their character. It may be hard to believe that the original intentions of the College (the name was later changed to AddRan Christian University before becoming Texas Christian University) did not include plans for what would become a nationally recognized football program, but that minor oversight would be corrected before the turn of the century.

The student population at AddRan has grown significantly since the original 13 students and has undergone other seismic changes, but the brothers Clark would undoubtedly recognize the same dedication to providing young minds exposure to a spectrum of disciplines in preparation for a successful launch into the world. On the college’s website, in a mixture of jest and gravitas, is a rhetorical question with the perfect answer:

“What can you do with a liberal arts degree? Anything.”

A concise summation of what an AddRan education can do is found on a sign staked into the grass outside Scharbauer Hall that reads, “Unlock languages. Unlock the world.” This powerful and straightforward message comes from the college’s polyglot Department of Modern Language Studies (MLS), which offers undergraduate courses in six languages and the opportunity to major or minor in Chinese, French, German, or Italian. But the faculty of MLS provides students with more than just formal instruction. After all, any language department worth its sal knows that learning by immersion is the difference between correctly pronouncing the word for a buttery, flaky pastry and déguster un croissant en lisant Le Monde.

photo credit: Raquel Witt

Take it from junior Ella Mercer, an ambitious and contagiously cheerful journalism major and political science minor whose only exposure to Italian before choosing it as her foreign language was food-related.

“Other than eating pizza, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I had never been out of the country,” recalls Mercer with a laugh.

The decision to choose to learn Italian was not one that Mercer spent much time contemplating. Nor was she looking to unlock a language to unlock the world. It was a basic equation. Credit requirements, plus a friend signed up for the class, plus a plan to get a stamp in her passport equaled Italian 101. But one study abroad trip later, and Mercer was hooked.

“I went on a two-week study abroad with my Italian professor, the study abroad coordinator, and a history professor. It was a fantastic trip, and we got to see so much of Sicily. There was a beginner Italian course for everyone, but my friends and I felt a little ahead of the curve because we were already a semester into studying the Italian language. We ate so much good food. We went to the beaches. We learned about Italian culture, about nonprofits helping immigrants – it was just a phenomenal experience,” gushed Mercer.

The Nashville native entered her sophomore year with an Italian minor.

Photo courtesy of Ella Mercer

Dr. Muriel Cormican, associate dean of undergraduate studies and professor of German, refers to Mercer’s experience as “the tipping point.” Having devoted her entire career to teaching foreign languages (prompted by a very similar undergraduate experience in Austria to Mercer’s), Cormican attributes this shift in a student’s attitude toward whatever language they are studying to an immersive experience like studying abroad.

Prior to joining TCU’s faculty five years ago, Cormican and her husband were German professors at the University of West Georgia for over two decades. Every summer, they would take students to Deutschland for 10 weeks, and every summer, she would witness the transformation. It was as regular as German clockwork.

“The first three weeks were really positive. It didn’t matter what level the students were because everything was new and exciting, and they were away from home,” said Cormican. Then came the dip in morale during weeks four and five.

“We seriously prepared for this. We knew it was going to be awful. [The students] are all going to be depressed. They’re going to be homesick. Their brains are going to hurt. They’re going to feel like they’ll never be able to do anything.”

But just as all hope faded, the inevitable shift occurred.

“It was about week six or seven when this turn came for students at every single level. There was a point as the departure home came into focus, and they realized that this was really an extraordinary experience. Maybe enough time had passed where they could see what they had learned and how far they had come. We brought back so many students from that program who wanted to complete a minor,” Cormican said with a big smile.

Mercer did not spend 10 weeks in Italy for her study abroad (and if she had, she might not have returned to Fort Worth), and it certainly wasn’t enough time to master her language skills; however, it was enough time for her to fully understand that “you can’t separate the language from the culture.” If she couldn’t live in Italy for the duration of her undergraduate studies, the next best thing was to enroll in TCU’s MOLA Language House Program.

The program has four language houses: Chinese, French, German, and Italian. All the language houses are located on TCU’s campus, and all welcome learners at every level of competency. Since the purpose of living in a language house is to further immerse yourself in your language of study, each house has assigned coordinators (native, near-native, or other competent speakers of Chinese, French, German, or Italian) to speak with the House residents, provide language tutoring, and organize cultural events for the residents and the university at large.

Cormican, who used to oversee the language house program when she was the department chair, says it’s essential that the coordinators employed in the house “encourage the students to stay in the languages as much as possible” since the intent is to replicate the study abroad experience.

“We’ve got two English native speakers in this apartment [Mercer’s apartment in the Italian House], as well as one Italian native speaker and one Spanish native speaker. So, there’s just a ton of languages going on all the time, especially when we’re on the phone calling home. You’ll have one of us speaking Spanish, one speaking Italian, and one speaking English. It’s just really funny. But we do try to speak Italian when we’re together, just talking to try and get that conversational aspect,” said Mercer.

Another critical aspect of the “educational experience” that Mercer enjoys is eating. And if there’s one country that’s synonymous with good food, it’s Italy. When asked where her favorite Italian food in Fort Worth is, she replied, “Our professor’s house. Honestly, she can cook extravagant Italian pasta meals. There are flavors that I’ve never even tried before and pasta shapes I’ve never even heard of before that she rolls out by hand. Or we make pizza by hand.”

Mercer is entering her second year in the Italian House, and her positive experience brings genuine joy to Cormican because she knows the effort that her department puts into its student programs.

Photo courtesy of Ella Mercer

“The faculty and the department are, by and large, incredibly dedicated to the students, wanting to interact with them in really holistic terms, not just as people in the classroom, but as human beings. Everybody takes a lot of joy in [their] foreign language. They so love the act of using it and hearing others use it and learn it. I think that’s a really strong aspect of the modern language studies department and TCU in general,” said Cormican.

Cormican also specifically credits Dr. Nick Albanese, associate professor of Italian and department chair, for the continued success of the language house program. “Nick is absolutely devoted to the Italian program…and he’s done a great job maintaining the tradition and strength of the houses since he took over as chair.”

When asked about her plans following graduation next May, Mercer is hopeful for another trip to Italy but has no intention (yet!) of making a permanent move to la bella Italia. Instead, she would like to pursue her other passion for storytelling and work in broadcast news as a producer for a local station while continuing to use the Italian language and all that it taught her.

“I think the whole point of college is to try to learn about other people and other perspectives. Without that, you get echo chambers and a social media world that’s dangerous to navigate. But with other perspectives and with a globally focused mindset, I think I’m setting myself up for a better future.”

Ella Mercer may not have intentionally planned to unlock the world, but she certainly unlocked something in herself that will help guide her through the next phase of what’s sure to be a very dolce vita.

Learning a language is a lifelong pursuit, according to Dr. Muriel Cormican. If you are up for the challenge, these expert tips can help get you started and keep you motivated.

Photo courtesy of Ella Mercer

Dr. Cormican’s five tips for learning a language as a working adult

1. Commit to a formal structure. A class, even one weekly tutorial (can be online); something to keep you accountable.
2. Don’t underestimate listening. It’s a crucial part of language learning. Spend 10 minutes of your commute or walk listening to something.
3. Don’t overestimate Duolingo. It’s gamified learning and has its pluses, but it also has many shortcomings.
4. Sing in the language. Find some songs, listen, sing along, learn the lyrics.
5. Persist and take risks. Appreciate that it’s like running and rerunning marathons. It’s a long process with good and bad days; you just have to keep going.