Federica Santini, Ph.D., Named Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures

KENNESAW, Ga. (Mar 22, 2023) —

Dean Katie Kaukinen announced Dr. Federica Santini as chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). Dr. Santini has been serving as interim department chair and will assume the permanent position effective July 1st. Prior to her role as interim department chair, she was the Coordinator of Gender and Women's Studies and Professor of Italian and Interdisciplinary Studies. As WLC department chair, she will support the department’s faculty in implementing projects and exploring new ways, including curricular innovation and interdisciplinary work, to guide the WLC students in their exploration of world languages and cultures.  

“The time I have spent in the interim chair position has enabled me to develop a much deeper understanding of our students’ and our faculty’s needs. We are creating an environment that not only cultivates an understanding of the critical nature of global connectivity and understanding through language and culture, but how that understanding, language skills, and international perspectives correlate directly to a wide range of professional tracks,” Santini said.  

Global connectivity and mobile populations have made the world smaller and more accessible, and communities are becoming more diverse. The ability to embrace, understand, and communicate with international communities are marketable skills in most professional and academic arenas. “One of KSU’s and Radow College’s academic pillars is student success, and the ability to succeed in such a diverse and shrinking world will only become more important and help our students be more successful,” said Dean Katie Kaukinen. “The knowledge base and skill sets developed through the degree programs offered by the Department of World Languages and Culture prepares our students for wide-ranging careers, from teaching to international politics and diplomacy,” the dean added. 

Federica Santini is a Professor of Italian and Interdisciplinary Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Italian literature from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an M.A. in Modern Literatures from the University of Siena, Italy. In the Department of WLC, she was Coordinator of Italian Studies from 2007 to 2019. Most recently, she has served as Interim Associate Chair for the Interdisciplinary Studies Department (Fall 2022) and Program Coordinator for GWST (2020-2022). 

Santini’s work has appeared in numerous journals, including Autografo, Rivista di Studi italiani, L’illuminista, il verri, L’Ulisse, and Italian Culture, among others, as well as in many edited volumes. As a translator, she has published translations of US poets for Mondadori and Nino Aragno, as well as translations of Italian poets for the University of Toronto Press. Her poetry chapbook, Unearthed, was published in 2021 by Kelsay Books. She received a fellowship for the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers’ Conference (Arizona State University, 2021), a Best of the Net nomination (2021), and a nomination for the GAYA awards (2022).