Harinder Khalsa is a Teaching Professor of Italian and the Self-Study Language Program Coordinator at the University of Oregon, where she has been teaching since 1993, beginning as a graduate teaching fellow. Her passion lies in keeping language learning fun, interesting, and meaningful for all generations of students through research in pedagogy and the use of new technologies, and in her classes she seeks to create a community of learners who can recognize their current language skills and cultural understanding while working to improve them day by day.
Her main interests include integrating information technology in and outside the classroom, curriculum development, and assessment, and as a native speaker of Turkish who also speaks English and Italian fluently. She taught Turkish as part of the Yamada Language Center’s Self-Study Language Program, which she has coordinated since 2016 to expand access to less commonly taught languages and to connect students with native-speaking tutors.
Harinder earned two master’s degrees from the University of Oregon, in Italian Language and Literature (1993–1995) and in Linguistics (1996–1998), and has been a full-time instructor at UO since 1999. She has received several awards for her teaching and service, including the 2015 Thomas F. Herman Award for Excellence in Pedagogy, the 2024 CAS Career Faculty Excellence Award, and the 2025 Wayne T. Westling Award from the University Senate. She has also contributed extensively to university governance and language advocacy, serving as an academic advisor for undeclared undergraduates, holding multiple roles on the UO Senate and its committees, and serving as a member of the RL Undergraduate Committee, the Undergraduate Council, and as co-convener and steering committee member of the UO Language Council, a large group dedicated to advancing language studies at the University of Oregon.
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