Congratulations go to Budimka Uskokovic for passing her candidacy exam to gain ABD status!

Her committee members were Dr. Ludmila Isurin (Slavic), Dr. Leslie Moore (Teaching and Education), and Dr. Matthew Birkhold. Dr. Carmen Taleghani-Nikazm (standing with Budimka in the photo to the left) is her advisor.

The title of Budimka's prospectus was Investigating Intercultural Competence. She will soon begin to analyze the data that she collected this spring semester to try to understand how German learners at lower proficiency levels develop their intercultural competence in interaction with native speakers of German on an online platform (Talk Abroad), and how modules that she developed with Professor Taleghani-Nikazm can help them facilitate their learning. In May, Budimka will attend an online course on digital media offered by the Goethe-Institut. In the summer, she plans to continue working as an editor and contributing author on a new textbook with a focus on intercultural communicative competence, and she will definitely go to Germany and Serbia.