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Professor Esperanza Román-Mendoza from the Department of Modern and Classical Languages was invited to participate in the 36th Summer School at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain to address the impact of AI on language learning and education.

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Copilot, and Grok are increasingly used by university students, yet they face fundamental limitations. In second-language learning, chatbots struggle to match the nuance and communicative intent of human language. While prompt engineering, RAG, and local LLMs allow some customization, true personalization—grounded in students’ voices, needs, and goals—remains out of reach. AI support is largely limited to remedial practice and explanations, and even these can be unreliable or dull.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has rapidly entered the field of language teaching and learning, promoted by various educational promises, particularly the assertion that it can improve and customize opportunities for interaction in the target language. Nevertheless, its clear shortcomings in capturing the emotional, social, and identity dimensions that are fundamental to language use require us to go beyond technosolutionism and examine the difficulties its adoption creates in language learning environments. This paper presents a set of approaches based on critical digital pedagogy principles for integrating GenAI into instruction of additional languages broadly, with specific attention to Spanish, while recognizing that classrooms should not be isolated from the social contexts that surround both learners and educators. The study argues that establishing guidelines and recommending approaches to this emerging technology is essential to avoid creating further social divides and to foster the development of critical and engaged citizens who are equipped to face the challenges of 21st-century society. Román Mendoza, E. (2025). La inteligencia artificial generativa en la enseñanza de español. Una aproximación desde la pedagogía crítica. Culture Crossroads, 28, 211-229.

Foreign languages major Yamileth Hernandez-Becerra and community health major Melody Campos received a Best Poster award for their research, “Community Roots, Linguistic Equity: The Power of Outreach in Dual Language Immersion,” during the Summer 2025 Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR) Celebration of Student Research and Impact in August.

The year-long series seeks to foster cross-disciplinary AI literacy, explore how AI shapes and is shaped by culture, ethics, history, and society, and provide opportunities for research incubation and exchange.

After spending last spring semester studying in Granada, Spain, students returned with unforgettable stories (from taking classes at the Universidad de Granada to making lifelong friends and immersing themselves in Andalusian culture). Their time abroad not only enriched their academic journey but also deepened their appreciation of global perspectives. Inspired by such a rewarding experience, they encourage future students to take part in the next program in 2026.

The VIII Congreso Internacional del Español en Castilla y León is organized by the Castilla y León government, the city of Salamanca, the Universidad de Salamanca and the German Association of Teachers of Spanish from June 26 to June 28, 2025 in Salamanca.

The Hispanic Culture Review (HCR), George Mason University’s only bilingual literary journal, has been awarded the 2024 National Pacemaker Award—widely regarded as the “Student Pulitzer” and one of the highest honors in college media.