LCAL Welcomes New Faculty

The Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics (LCAL) is pleased to welcome four new faculty members in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Mathieu Berbiguier, Visiting Assistant Professor, Korean Studies

Mathieu Berbiguier will be a visiting assistant professor of Korean Studies. Berbiguier brings a deep expertise in Korean popular culture, particularly K-pop, which has been a focal point of his academic journey and research. He holds a Ph.D. in Korean Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where his dissertation explored the complex power dynamics within K-pop fandoms and their impact on perceptions of authenticity.

Berbiguier has several years of teaching experience at UCLA, where he served as a teaching assistant and fellow, leading both language and content-focused courses. His research interests include the global reception of K-pop, expressions of authenticity, and the interplay of national identity and language in Korean popular culture. This fall, Berbiguier will teach elementary Korean and "Topics in Korean Culture—Beyond the Korean Wave: A Critical Exploration of K-pop," offering students a unique opportunity to engage with contemporary Korean culture through a critical lens.

Giuseppina Gemboni, Visiting Lecturer, Italian Studies

Giuseppina Gemboni joins the Italian Studies program with a rich educational background and a passion for teaching Italian language and culture. She earned a Ph.D. in Romance Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and holds two M.A. degrees—one in Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language from the University for Foreigners of Siena, Italy, and another in Foreign Languages for International Communication from L'Orientale University in Naples, Italy. 

With expertise in 20th and 21st-century Italian literature, postcolonial studies, cultural studies, Mediterranean studies and second language acquisition theories, Gemboni is eager to engage with CMU students and guide them through an exploration of Italian language, culture, cinema and history that transcends textbooks and challenges stereotypes. 

Gemboni will be teaching several courses, including elementary Italian, Italian film and "Interpreting Global Texts and Cultures."

Sanghee Kang, Assistant Professor, Second Language Acquisition, English as a Second Language and Korean Studies

Sanghee Kang joins the department as an assistant professor of second language acquisition, English as a second language and Korean studies. As part of the LCAL curriculum, she will teach "Language Diversity and Cultural Identity" and intermediate Korean, starting this fall. 

Kang earned her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Georgia State University. Her dissertation examined the role of chatbot-based interaction and learner characteristics in the alignment-driven learning on second language grammar and pragmatics.

Kang is joining LCAL as a key faculty member of our new Korean Studies program.

Wei Peng, Adjunct Instructor, Chinese Studies

Wei Peng earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University and has held positions as a postdoctoral fellow at New York University Shanghai and a lecturer at Peking University HSBC Business School. Specializing in modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture, she focuses on popular genres like detective stories and science fiction.

Peng’s current research examines early 20th-cenury Chinese detective stories and the role of scientific technologies in both fictional and real investigations.

“I am excited to work with faculties and students from diverse cultural and research backgrounds in LCAL,” Peng said. “I look forward to exploring innovative teaching methods and enriching the studies of Chinese culture at CMU.”

This fall, Peng will teach "Comparative China: Merchants, Scholars & Artists in Imperial Times" and intermediate Chinese as a member of the Chinese Studies program.