LaG CC Welcomes First Fulbright Scholar

Dr. Innocent Datondji, LaGuardia Community College's first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, will spend a year away from his native country of Benin.

When Dr. Innocent Datondji walked into his first class at LaGuardia Community College and looked out onto a classroom of 25 eager ESL students, the college's first Fulbright Scholar-in- Residence knew he was no longer in his native country of Benin.

"The smallest class I teach at my college is 250 students," Datondji, who teaches English at the Ecole Normale Superieure, an advanced teacher training college at the University of Abomey- Calavi, said. "I thought to myself, 'This should be a piece of cake.'"

For one year, Datondji, a linguist, poet, and playwright, will apply his linguistic talents in teaching English to LaGuardia's foreign speaking students, sharing his expertise with faculty and at the same time, learning as much as he can about the innovative pedagogy that drives this nationally acclaimed American institution of higher learning.

Dr. Peter Katopes, vice president for academic affairs, said having a Fulbright Scholar join the LaGuardia faculty benefits all parties involved-the visiting scholar, the host college and the students and faculty.

"A Fulbright can bring an extra bit of vitality to a campus because a foreign educator brings in fresh views, not only of a particular subject matter or discipline but also to the idea of education," Katopes said. "Used correctly, used intelligently, the arrangement provides our students with an opportunity to interact with the Fulbright, and allows the faculty an opportunity to interact and learn from him."

To provide Datondji, students and faculty with the most enriching experience possible, arrangements have been made to expose the Fulbright Scholar to the many facets

of the college community by involving him in a panoply of projects and activities.

As a member of the Education and Language Acquisition Department, Datondji has been assigned three ESL classes in the fall semester.

Datondji, a soft-spoken man with an easy smile, said it took no time for his students, who call him Innocent, to take to him. "I am surprised that the students have accepted me so quickly," he said during an interview that took place during the second week of classes. "They have even requested that we expand learning outside the classroom."

Along with his students, the visiting scholar hopes to meet with some of the 300 African-born students who attend the college.

Already, several faculty members have requested that Datondji visit their classrooms and speak to their students. Felicia Rose

of the English Language Center, said that as part of the center's guest speaker project, she has asked him to discuss some of his oneact plays that deal with intercultural misunderstanding. Datondji has written 15 plays, three of which have been translated into English.

Another faculty member, Professor Will Koolsbergen of Humanities, plans on selecting several of Datondji's plays for his theater classes to read and, subsequently, to perform as readers' theater. As part of the exercise, the playwright will meet with the cast during rehearsal to discuss each play's origin and meaning and to participate in a talkback with the audience after the performances.

The plays, satirical in nature, harshly criticize Benin's political system, which Datondji describes as an oppressive democracy. Benin, a small West African country the size of Tennessee, was a French colony until 1960 when it became independent. It was ruled by a succession of military leaders until Major Mathieu Kerekou seized power in 1972 and restored civilian rule. In 2006, President Yayi Boni was elected to office.

Despite the government's strong hold on its people, 10 of Datondji's plays have been performed in Benin. "Because the government is composed of intellectual people, they do not consider my plays as something bad," said the dramatist. "It is looked upon as a work of creative art."

However, Datondji regrets that the plays have been unable to encourage change. "I do everything I can to contribute to the success and development of my country," he said, "but, so far, as is the case for every writer, most of the things I have written have not produced positive results because people in power continue to oppress the people."

Another project the visiting scholar will participate in is Difficult Dialogues, a major college-wide initiative that will engage members of the college in discussions on religious issues as well as in brown bag discussion groups.

"We are including Innocent in the life of the college for our benefit and, ideally, his benefit," Katopes said. "I hope that he leaves here with a more defined sense, not only of this aspect of American education, but, I hope, also of what America is all about."

Although this is Datondji's first experience teaching at an American institution, he is no stranger to the American and European educational systems. After attending primary and secondary school in Benin, he attended the University of Lome in Togo and went on to receive his master's degree in English and his doctorate in African literature in English from the University Paul Valery in Montpellier, France. He received further training in teaching English as a foreign language at Leeds University in England, the University of Illinois, Ball State University (Master's in TELF), University of Creteil in France, London University, State College Beatriz Galindo in Spain and the University of Iowa, where he attended an international writers' seminar.

Datondji hopes that not only he, but also his impoverished West African country, will also reap some benefit from the experience. "I will be looking at teaching practices here and examining what can be taken back and be implemented in my educational system," he said. "If I can successfully integrate some of those practices, my objective will be met."

LaGuardia Community College, part of the City University of New York, is a nationally recognized leader among community colleges. Its vibrant and culturally diverse student body, representing 159 countries and speaking 110 languages, has established LaGuardia as "The World's Community College." The college provides a broad array of academic, workforce development, and continuing education programs to more than 41,000 students. LaGuardia is located in the heart of Western Queens. For more information, visit www.laguardia.edu.