About Me

I have always loved other languages. As a child growing up in Scotland, I remember spending some late nights listening to Radio Luxembourg with my grandmother. Neither of us understood a word, but she would always say, “You need to learn to speak other languages so you understand what they’re saying!” It is that desire to understand and communicate with people from other cultures that has continued to make me want to learn languages and know other cultures.

Having studied French and Italian (along with some Latin and Spanish) in school, I came to the U.S. to complete an undergraduate degree in French at a small, residential liberal arts university not too different from SU. While I was in college, I was able to participate in a semester and two summer programs in Italy. These experiences created in me a love for Italy and all things Italian (not to mention an even greater love for the woman who would become my wife!). In fact, my wife and I went on to spend two years living in Padova (Padua) Italy, where, among other activities, I got a start on my future teaching career.

Now, teaching at SU, I get to share my passion for Italy with my students, and hopefully inspire them also to explore new languages and cultures just as I did.

Professional Experience

EDUCATION

2002- 2007, Ph.D. Italian Linguistics, with Certificate of Advanced Study in SLATE (Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dissertation title:The Development of Verbal Morphology in Instructed Italian L2A

1999-2001, M.A. Italian, summa cum laude, The Ohio State University

Thesis title:A Synthetic Analysis of the Italian Subjunctive and its Use in Three Works of Carlo Cassola

1992-1996 B.A. French & Missions (Theology), summa cum laude Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

July 2019-present, Chair, Department of Language, Literatures and Cultures

September 2015-present, Associate Professor of Italian, Program Director – Applied Linguistics Minor, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA

August 2013-August 2015, Assistant Professor of Italian, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA

August 2012-May 2013, Assistant Professor of Italian, Director of Italian Basic Language Program, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

August 2009-May 2012, Assistant Professor of Italian, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA

August 2007-May 2009, Visiting Assistant Professor of Italian and SLATE, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL

2002-May 2007, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL

March-June 2002, English Language Instructor, British Institutes, Padova, Italy

1999-2001, Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University

Jan 1997-May 1998, English Language Instructor, Istituto Linguistico Bertrand Russell, Padova, Italy

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY
Italian 101 & 102 Elementary Italian (1) & (2)
Italian 201 Intermediate Italian (1)
Italian 202 Intermediate Italian (2)
Italian 301 Advanced Conversation and Oral Expression
Italian 302 Advanced Grammar and Composition
Italian 310/460 Topics in Italian literature/ culture: The Mafia in literature and life
Italian 311/461 Introduction to Italian Linguistics
Italian 542 Independent Study: Various topics
Education 350 English Language learners: Theory and Instruction
English 100 Writing and Thinking
Language 300 Introduction to Applied Language Studies
Language 360 Introduction to Second Language Acquisition
Language 500 Language Teaching Methods

AREAS OF RESEARCH

Principal areas of research are (1) second language acquisition, with particular interest in the effects of formal instruction on the acquisition of Italian; (2) language teaching methodology, in particular content-based instruction (CBI), and the effectiveness of CBI in the foreign language learning context; and by extension (3) the teaching of Italian language and culture in general. Ultimately, my research seeks to connect second language acquisition theory and language instruction.

PUBLICATIONS

Refereed Journal Articles

Rodgers, D. (2018). The “Non-Level Concept” and its Potential for Curricular Innovation. ITALICA - The Journal of American Association of Teachers of Italian, 95(3).

Rodgers, D. (2017). Come si dice? Come si fa?: Incorporating the teaching and assessment of pragmatics into a first year university-level Italian curriculum.. ITALICA - The Journal of American Association of Teachers of Italian, 94(4).

Rodgers, D. M. (2015). Mandating a Change? Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes and Self-Efficacy Regarding English Language Learners. Pennsylvania Teacher Educator.

Rodgers, D. M. (2015). Incidental language learning in foreign language subject matter courses. Modern Language Journal.

Rodgers, D. M. (2014). Making the case for content-based instruction. Italica, 93(1), 16-28.

Rodgers, D. M. (2011). The automatization of verbal morphology in instructed SLA. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL), 49(4), 295-319.

Rodgers, D. M. (2011). The acquisition of verbal agreement in instructed Italian L2A. L2 Journal, 3, 93-115. (http://escholarship.org/uc/uccllt_l2)

Rodgers, D. M. (2006). Developing content and form: Encouraging evidence from Italian content-based instruction. Modern Language Journal, 90, 373-386.

Invited Books

Aski, J., D. Musumeci, J. Ehrenberg, C. Onorato-Wysokinski, Z. Robles & D. M. Rodgers. (2013). Workbook/ Laboratory Manual to Accompany Avanti! Beginning Italian (3rd edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Aski, J., D. Musumeci, J. Ehrenberg, C. Onorato-Wysokinski, Z. Robles, D. M. Rodgers & A. Rowden. (2010). Workbook/ Laboratory Manual to Accompany Avanti! Beginning Italian (2nd edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Aski, J., D. Musumeci, J. Ehrenberg, C. Onorato-Wysokinski, Z. Robles, D. M. Rodgers & A. Rowden. (2007). Workbook/Laboratory Manual to Accompany Avanti! Beginning Italian (1st edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

(selected) PRESENTATIONS

Invited Lectures and Readings of Original Work

Rodgers, D. M. (April 2010). How do we learn another language? Delivered at Undergraduate Research Colloquium, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

Refereed Presentations at Conferences

Rodgers, D. M. (2013). Combining Cultural and Linguistic Goals: Content-based Instruction in Action. Presentation at Teaching Italian Culture conference at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. (Scope: International)[unable to attend]

Rodgers, D. M. & W. Cordero-Ponce. (2012). Is language learning really happening in content courses? Roundtable presentation at ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo 2012, Philadelphia, PA. (Scope: International)

Rodgers, D. M. (October 2009). Object clitics and the power of perception. Presentation at Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. (Scope: International)

Rodgers, D. M. (April 2008). The automatization of verbal morphology. Presentation at American Association for Applied Linguistics 2008 Conference, AAAL, Washington, D.C. (Scope: International)

Rodgers, D. M. (October 2007). The automatization of verbal morphology in instructed SLA. Poster presentation at Second Languages Research Forum (SLRF), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL. (Scope: International)

Rodgers, D. M. (April 2004). The Effect of Collaborative Dialogue on the Acquisition of Italian Morphology. Presentation at American Association for Applied Linguistics 2004 Conference, AAAL, Portland, OR. (Scope: International)

Refereed Presentations at Symposia

Rodgers, D. M. (October 2005). Connecting content and form: Two possible approaches. In Diane Musumeci (Chair), Bridging the Divide: Teaching Strategies for the Second Year. Presentation at the meeting of American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI), Washington, D.C. (Scope: International)

Rodgers, D. M. (April 2005). Content and Form: Development in a Non-Traditional Classroom Setting. In Diane Musumeci (Chair), Rethinking Beginning Italian courses. Presentation at the meeting of American Association of Italian Studies (AAIS), Chapel Hill, NC. (Scope: International)

Courses Taught