ARMS season 4
Synthesis
and
Closing Remarks
Mr. Charles Roy P.
Baguio
Dean, College of Arts
& Sciences
To the organizers of
this lecture series headed by Dir. Kathleen Villaneza and Dr. Alvin Zamora,
guest lecturers, faculty members, students, good afternoon. As a rundown of this
morning’s series of lectures we begin by asking: why are we here?
Dr. Zamora opened the day by saying, “The power of
language and communication has brought us here” which is manifested in the
various facets and aspects of human life. This power and how to harness it is
shared to us through today’s ARMS lecture which is a way of the USPF Alumni
with the able faculty members to give back to the Alma Mater by sharing one’s
expertise for the sake of development and philanthropy.
The first lecturer,
Mrs. Nerves, ushered us into the fascinating world of myths, folklore, and
legends which oftentimes titillates our imagination. She distinguished a myth
from a folktale and a legend, discussed their purpose, and ended with a
critical question as to what is the place and what meaning do these literary
works have in our lives?
Mr. Nagal, the second
speaker, began by saying that English is a “crazy” language and mentioned
examples of these “crazy” things in the English language. He proceeded by
stressing the importance of learning grammar and effectively teaching it with
the use of interesting sample activities. He also went into what is good
grammar, the components of good grammar, and how to teach good grammar. He
ended his lecture by presenting Larsen-Freeman’s Three Dimensional Grammar
Framework.
We were afterwards led
by Mr. Talastas to the importance of learning foreign language and how it
enriches us. He also stressed that learning a foreign language is not always
easy, but one must grab any window of opportunity to learn such at an early
age. This reminds me of my pre-college and college years when I studied 18
units of the Latin language, a dead language, in the seminary. It was indeed
enriching for through it I get to understand better the meaning of many English
words which are derived from it. However, it was the subject in which I almost
failed --- not always easy indeed.
Dr. Suarez introduced
us to the advocacy of using and learning the mother tongue. Language is the
expression of a people’s soul. Any language, no matter how few are the
speakers, is worth saving according to Dr. Suarez. She also deplored the
deprivation of the use of the Cebuano language in many instances.
Fr. Monteron shared
his African missionary experience, one in a foreign land with a language and
culture. They, as missionaries, had to learn the local language and culture in
order to effectively evangelize to the natives. He said that in learning a
foreign language and culture, we also learn to appreciate the beauty of our own
language and culture.
The sixth lecturer,
Mr. Emerson Aller, opened by pointing out that speech and language is the most
important cognitive function that distinguishes humans from other animals. But
humans must not only communicate, the challenge is on how to communicate
effectively. Effective communication process involves transmitting, listening,
perceiving, and reacting or TLPR. Communication connects people and starts
relationships.
The final lecturer,
Mr. Francis Torres, introduced us to the world of literary criticism which is
about the evaluation and interpretation of literary texts. Essentially, in this
study we deal with the text, the status, the source of interpretation, and the
reader. He also introduced some methods and approaches in literary criticism
and the why of doing criticism.
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| ARMS participants register online. |
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USPian alumna and Miss USPF 2010
Aubrey Gelig graces ARMS season 4
as Lady of Ceremonies.
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The lectures have indeed made our
morning more interesting and fruitful. Let me end today’s activity by affirming
that language and communication is indeed powerful. We, for sure, are both
beneficiaries and sometimes victims of its use and misuse. Effective
communication is indeed a skill that is a must for learning because those who
communicate effectively definitely have an edge. Thanks a lot to the
organizers, lecturers, and to all of you for coming. God bless us all.
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| Photo op after the successful lecture (L-R): OAR director and ARMS chairperson Ms. Kathleen Solon-Villaneza, Mr. Francis Luis Torres, IMC director & ARMS co-chairperson Dr. Alvin Zamora, Mr. Emerson Aller, Mr. Julian Talastas II, Dr. Angeles de Pio-Suarez, Mr. Cornelius Roy Nagal, Mrs. Rowena Nerves, and partner college & CAS dean Mr. Charles Roy Baguio. |
*photos from: USPF Instructional Media Center & Southern Scholar photo journalist
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