{"669017":{"#nid":"669017","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meet John Lyon, Chair of the School of Modern Languages","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEasier travel, better business relationships, and new cultural knowledge \u2014 all of these are great reasons to study a new language. And to be sure, students will acquire this and more in a language classroom. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBut if you ask \u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Lyon\u003C\/strong\u003E, the new chair of the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Tech, he will tell you that they will also gain something more ineffable, and perhaps more valuable: a new way of thinking. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe think in our own language; we use it to build our understanding of a new phenomenon, to innovate and problem-solve, and to teach others what we\u2019ve learned,\u201d says Lyon. \u201cLanguage both reflects and structures how we interact with the world \u2013 and learning another language can expand those boundaries.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELyon says that the School of Modern Languages offers courses that build skills and strengths that are unique and essential to an education in a STEM-intensive environment. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe want our students to innovate, create, and approach problems with a new perspective,\u201d he says. \u201cThe humanities in general, and languages in particular, make this possible. When learning a new language, students are also learning to think outside the boundaries of their own culture, their experiences, and how they are accustomed to understanding the world.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EElevating the Profile of the School of Modern Languages\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMoving forward, Lyon is enthusiastic about elevating the School\u2019s profile within the Institute, helping faculty advance in professional rank, and building the School\u2019s interdisciplinary connections, research opportunities, and academic programs. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn the past weeks and months, Lyon says he has seen exciting glimpses of the work being done at the School of Modern Languages \u2014 including the Language for Business and Technology (LBAT) program, in which students study languages while immersed in business and technology sectors abroad.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cEnglish is often the language spoken in the boardroom \u2014 but the deals don\u2019t get made in the boardroom,\u201d Lyon says. \u201cThey get made after the meeting, when people are talking casually, forming interpersonal connections. Those conversations happen in the native language.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELearning a language also means learning about the culture from which it emerged and in which it is functioning \u2014 immensely valuable knowledge in any profession. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe modern world is a global place, and we face global challenges,\u201d says Lyon. \u201cTo be effective in any field, leaders need both linguistic and cultural knowledge to communicate sensitively and clearly across borders.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cLittle Red Riding Hood,\u201d Wounded Bodies, and More: Lyon\u2019s Teaching and Research\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn the classroom, Lyon encourages students to explore how cultural themes and ideas are reflected in language and literature. His focus is on 19th-century German literature.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cLiterature doesn\u2019t just fall out of the sky,\u201d he says. \u201cIt emerges from a very real historical and cultural context \u2014 and it addresses questions that we\u2019re still asking today.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe recently taught a course on Indo-European folk tales, tracing the first scholarship of such stories to the Brothers Grimm at the beginning of the 19th century. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cAs we study these common tales, which were passed down through families and gatherings, we see certain patterns emerge that reflect the beliefs, problems, and sensibilities of a culture. Some of the stories are still changing, because we are still changing,\u201d he says.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAs an example, he points to the story of \u201cLittle Red Riding Hood,\u201d which likely originated as a warning tale to young girls.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIn versions from two centuries ago, Red Riding Hood wasn\u2019t saved at the end,\u201d he says. \u201cShe was eaten \u2014 and before she was eaten, she usually climbed in bed with the wolf. Today we have much softer versions that speak to our current sensibilities and values.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe value in folk tales and literature, says Lyon, is in how they help us understand the cultural context from which they emerged, and in some cases, the context and form in which they continue to thrive today.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELyon\u2019s research is also driven by the pursuit of this understanding. In his work, he draws unexpected connections between literary themes and the cultural and philosophical trends of the 19th century. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHis first book, for example, explores early-19th-century authors\u2019 depictions of wounded bodies, and discusses how these portrayals of life experienced through pain and disability also address much larger questions raised by philosophers of the period. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHis current research project is on 19th-century adultery novels, including \u003Cem\u003EAnna Karenina\u003C\/em\u003E and \u003Cem\u003EMadame Bovary\u003C\/em\u003E. Drawing on the fact that the German and Russian terms for adultery are connected to foreignness, he finds that themes of transnationalism, treason, and colonialism run through the novels. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn his free time, Lyon enjoys running and baking, and he is hoping to find the time to do some choral singing in Atlanta. He also loves vacationing in Yellowstone National Park with his family, where he likes to go hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EJohn Lyon, who began his role as chair of the School of Modern Languages on Aug. 1, says that learning another language builds skills and strengths that are unique and essential for students at a STEM-intensive institution. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"John Lyon, who began his role as chair of the School of Modern Languages on Aug. 1, says that learning another language builds skills and strengths that are unique and essential for students at a STEM-intensive institution."}],"uid":"35777","created_gmt":"2023-08-17 13:54:00","changed_gmt":"2023-08-17 15:14:31","author":"Stephanie Kadel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671414":{"id":"671414","type":"image","title":"John Lyon, Chair of the School of Modern Languages","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Lyon began his role as chair of the School of Modern Languages on Aug. 1, 2023.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1692280458","gmt_created":"2023-08-17 13:54:18","changed":"1692280458","gmt_changed":"2023-08-17 13:54:18","alt":"a photo of John Lyon ","file":{"fid":"254466","name":"John Lyon.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/17\/John%20Lyon.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/17\/John%20Lyon.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":184330,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/17\/John%20Lyon.jpg?itok=WbKaPS-M"}}},"media_ids":["671414"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/news\/item\/667525\/john-lyon-named-chair-school-modern-languages","title":"John Lyon Named Chair of the School of Modern Languages"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1284","name":"School of Modern Languages"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"167342","name":"School of Modern Languages"},{"id":"192962","name":"john lyon"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stephanie.kadel@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EStephanie N. Kadel\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["stephanie.kadel@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}