A UNCW professor in the English department plans to teach in the spring semester of 2004 in Skopje, Macedonia.

Lee Schweninger will lecture to English majors in the Philology department at the University St. Kiril i Metodij. Schweninger’s stay in Macedonia is a part of the Fulbright Faculty Scholar program.

Schweninger is interested in the Fulbright program and teaching in the Balkans because he feels that the program is important for the United States, and UNCW in particular.

“The stated purpose of the program is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries,” Schweninger said. “In these times, mutual understanding is of critical importance.”

Macedonia has large Muslim and Orthodox Christian populations. The country borders Kosovo on the north and Greece on the south. There have been serious conflicts in the area as recently as the late 1990s. According to Schweninger, Macedonia’s attitude toward the United States is not always friendly, so understanding is needed.

Macedonia is one of the poorest of the former Yugoslavian states-thus, the university system needs faculty. Through the Fulbright Scholar program, they can get scholars from the United States to teach for a semester or a year at little cost. The program also provides library funds and other services.

While in Macedonia, Schweninger plans to lecture on the American short story, American Indian literatures and college reading and writing. His own research and writing tends to be on the subject of American Indian literature, but he also studies early American writers and nature writers.

Colette Corbin, a former student of Schweninger, said, “His style of teaching is really engaging and thought-provoking. I think he’ll be a great asset to the program as well as a wonderful representative for our school.”

Schweninger emphasizes the need for Macedonian students to be pro-active; he believes that reading literature that reflects great diversity in American thought and opinion is a pro-active task.

“I believe reading literature will help the Macedonian students understand (and understanding is an action) the United States as something other than ideologically monolithic,” Schweninger said.

Schweninger has taught in Germany, Wales and London. He enjoys traveling and studying different cultures and worldviews. He is currently studying Macedonian, a South Slavic language, and working on a collection of Pioneer Women’s narratives of Colorado.

Fulbright Scholarship awards are available to undergraduates and recent graduates. For more information, visit the Web site: www.cies.org.