Dr. Peter
Wuteh Vakunta is an Assistant Professor of Modern Languages at the University of Indianapolis in Indiana.
He is a passionate teacher with a 12-year track record of teaching
excellence at K-12 and University levels.
Vakunta has taught French Language and Literature, English language
Grammar, Creative Writing, Translation Theory and Practice, Contemporary African
Literature, Literary Theory and Hausa Language courses. The focal point of his teaching philosophy is
creativity. His approach is communicative, innovative and engaging; he calls
into question conventional practices and the belief in the lecture as an
effective paradigm for engaging learners in critical thinking and higher-order
learning.
Vakunta believes that higher education
instruction should shift from a passive teacher-centered approach to a
learner-focused collaborative transaction. He recognizes the fact that
traditional methods are obsolete and inadequate for addressing the need for higher-order
learning experiences and outcomes demanded of a changing knowledge and
communication-based contemporary society. Vakunta’s research interests include
postcolonial studies, intercultural communication, translation studies, applied linguistics, and second
language acquisition. He is poet, story-teller and novelist.
Vakunta's scholarly articles have appeared in the following peer-reviewed journals: Translation Review 73 (2007), Tropos 34 (2008), Meta 53.4 (2009), Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association 23.5 (2009), Chimères (2010), Journal of African Literature Association (2009, 2010), Miniatures 58 (2011), African Literature Today 29 (2011). He is author of Indigenization of Language in the African Francophone Novel: A New Literary Canon (2010), Cry my Beloved Africa(2009), and more. He spices classroom instruction with extra-curricular activities notably service learning, volunteerism with the Knights of Columbus, tutoring, and career talks at public schools in the district.
Vakunta's scholarly articles have appeared in the following peer-reviewed journals: Translation Review 73 (2007), Tropos 34 (2008), Meta 53.4 (2009), Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association 23.5 (2009), Chimères (2010), Journal of African Literature Association (2009, 2010), Miniatures 58 (2011), African Literature Today 29 (2011). He is author of Indigenization of Language in the African Francophone Novel: A New Literary Canon (2010), Cry my Beloved Africa(2009), and more. He spices classroom instruction with extra-curricular activities notably service learning, volunteerism with the Knights of Columbus, tutoring, and career talks at public schools in the district.
