Richman honored for online Creole course that builds connections to Haiti | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Richman honored for online Creole course that builds connections to Haiti Richman honored for online Creole course that builds connections to Haiti Published: May 02, 2012 Author: Esther Terry and Elizabeth Rankin Karen Richman, a faculty fellow in the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies and academic director of the University’s Institute for Latino Studies, has been honored by the OpenCourseWare Consortium with the 2012 Award for OpenCourseWare Excellence. Her free, online Creole Language and Culture course was selected from among the 17,000 courses shared openly by universities worldwide to receive one of five awards in the text and still image category. An anthropologist who studies Haitian culture and popular religion, Richman adapted her classroom curriculum for Internet use in 2007 with the goal of building sustained commitment to the people of Haiti through an introductory study of the “vivid and sonorous” language of Creole. Richman designed the course not only to teach grammar and phonetics, but also to introduce students to the complexities of Haitian history, economy, politics, religion and art. By placing language study within a broader anthropological framework, she aims to cultivate respect for Haitian thinking and values and “to teach a Creole perspective on the universe.” “Creole is more than a tool — it actually shapes people’s perception of experience,” she says. “If you want to get to a deeper level of understanding and a deeper level of support or service, it is imperative to master Creole.” After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the number of visits to the site spiked dramatically. Church volunteer groups, nonprofits dedicated to trauma recovery, journalists and even the UN peacekeeping team in Haiti contacted her and accessed course materials online. Richman notes that Haiti has been plagued by one disaster after another, from the 2008 flooding in Gonaives to the cholera epidemic following the earthquake. “Haitians are very familiar with poverty,” she says. “They have confronted tragedy and pain and struggle from time immemorial — as they would say, ‘from the time of Africa.’” In her course, Richman teaches Haitian proverbs to provide insight into the ways Haitians cope with disaster and poverty — and perhaps with the foreign aid organizations that descend upon the country in bad times. “I’ve seen a lot of well-meaning people not be able to accomplish anything,” she laments. “Haiti has received so much foreign aid, but often it doesn’t help the right people.” Richman intends for her course to give students a new point of departure for future efforts by promoting understanding of Haitian realities. Whether students go on to do relief and development work or undertake research in Haiti, “they’ll listen more and be able to interpret what they’re hearing,” she says. Since 2004, Richman has taught Haitian Creole as part of the Notre Dame curriculum. The course (ROFR 20680) is cross-listed in the Department of Anthropology and the Kellogg Institute’s Latin American Studies Program. An international collaboration of colleges, universities and associated organizations, the OpenCourseWare Consortium offers a broad body of open educational content using a shared model. Notre Dame’s membership in OCW Consortium began as an initiative of the Kaneb Center in 2006. Contact: Karen Richman, 574-631-8146, krichman@nd.edu Posted In: International Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 30, 2022 Nanovic Institute to welcome former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture September 12, 2022 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street … in different countries? For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn