When University of Wisconsin-Superior Professor and chair of the Writing, Languages & Literature Department Jayson Iwen made a trip to Beirut this spring, he wasn’t sure what to expect – even though he once called the city home.

“Because of the current crisis in Gaza and because of news reports of vandalism to the American University of Beirut – even though I’d lived there before – I was expecting anti-American resentment,” said Iwen.

Yet those expectations were never realized. What Iwen found was a friendly and welcoming community, which helped to strengthen the desire to travel and explore.

“I was pleasantly surprised because people were so happy to see me,” said Iwen. “Even people I was meeting for the first time seemed interested in talking. I don’t think they have as many visitors now as usual, so they were happy meeting someone from outside and wanting to talk.”

Iwen made the return trip to the capital and largest city of Lebanon to visit colleagues and friends at the American University of Beirut. While research was a large part of the trip, he also wanted to check conditions in the region, which has suffered many hardships in recent years, including an economy in crisis.

“A subject I’ve been interested in is teaching in the time of crisis, which is what everyone is going through on Earth, especially after the pandemic,” said Iwen. “Crises are multiplying. Our students are all more anxious than they’ve ever been. Mental health collectively seems to be at a breaking point.”

With only a week for the visit, Iwen’s schedule was packed with different activities each day.

“I gave a reading on Monday,” he said. “Tuesday, I visited a creative non-fiction class. Wednesday, I ran a workshop based on my most-recent book about navigating unconscious bias and recognizing it within yourself. Students at the workshop were particularly interested in how bias mitigation relates to translation. On Thursday, I gave a talk about publishing in the United States and the biases editors here have about what they consider worthy of publication.”

Upon returning to UW-Superior, Iwen was able to informally share his experiences, but has plans to add more to future teachings.

“I’m going to try to incorporate more about self-care and recognizing our prejudices, assumptions and stereotypes into my classes – particularly Writing 102 and even our course on professional writing,” he said.

The trip also helped reignite the joy that comes from visiting new places and cultures – and how students can access these opportunities through UW-Superior’s Study Abroad Program.

“I strongly encourage studying abroad,” he said. “You can work with our Study Abroad Program, and if they don’t have an established program for where you want to go, I’m sure they can help you find alternative programs. Think out of the box. All students should seriously consider Study Away Programs if they haven’t already. You can gain so much from the experience.”

UW-Superior’s Department of Writing, Languages and Literature focuses on the study of languages, literature, and cultures from an international perspective. You’ll be able to choose from a variety of learning paths, with majors and minors in writing, English and English education, as well as minors in Spanish and global studies. You also have the option of taking part in one of our correlated language Study Abroad programs.

You’ll learn from faculty who are published authors and have won numerous awards for their work. You will have the opportunity to be inspired creatively by these accomplished and dedicated instructors, as well as benefit from their professional experiences and networks.