DSU Podcast Summer Camp returns for second year

Delaware State University continued its support for local dual-language immersion education this summer with the return of Podcast Summer Camp.

Now in its second year, the series brings together faculty expertise from DSU’s Department of Languages and Literatures and the Appoquinimink School District to support K-12 educators and families involved in Chinese and Spanish dual-language immersion programs.

Recorded in the DSU studio with support from Zachary Kimball of the Department of Mass Communications, Visual and Performing Arts in the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (CHESS), the opening episode, “When Universal Isn’t Universal: Rethinking Culture and Communication,” featured Dr. Yi Zhang, DSU Associate Professor and Director of ESL Programs, and Dr. Sarah R. Vieni-Vento, World Language and Immersion Senior Coordinator at the Appoquinimink School District.

During the episode, Zhang and Vieni-Vento discussed how culture shapes the ways people communicate and understand one another. Beginning with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the conversation moved from a global celebration of cultures to the underlying assumptions that can influence everyday interactions.

The discussion explored high- and low-context cultures, cultural expectations surrounding personal space, different ways of responding to compliments and the importance of cultural humility. Through these examples, Zhang and Vieni-Vento highlighted how behaviors that may seem natural or universal in one culture can be understood very differently in another.

Podcast Summer Camp reflects DSU’s continued collaboration with local schools to strengthen language learning and intercultural understanding. By bringing University expertise into conversation with K-12 educators, the series gives families an accessible look at the language and cultural learning taking place in dual-language immersion classrooms.

Additional episodes will explore language, culture and immersion education throughout the 2026 Podcast Summer Camp series.

Watch the first episode and explore the Podcast Summer Camp series on the Appoquinimink School District’s YouTube page and immersion website.