Jonathan Choti, Associate Professor of African Languages and Cultures in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is a 2024 recipient of two International Studies and Programs Awards, which recognize his dedication to international education and excellence in teaching, research, service, and student mentorship.
He received the MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad, which recognizes faculty and staff who give their time, energy, and creativity to the development and implementation of education abroad programs that support MSU’s commitment to providing students with high-quality international education opportunities. He also received the Inspiration Award for Professional Achievement, which is sponsored by the Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) and recognizes individuals who demonstrate a unique drive and passion within their career and positively influence the culture of Michigan State University.
Choti teaches Swahili language and courses focused on African cultures, particularly social customs, livelihoods, gender/sexuality issues, and technology. He also directs the six-week “Sustainable Community Development in Tanzania” summer education abroad program.
“Global engagement is important to me because it enables me to teach my students through real-life and hands-on experiences that promote intercultural understanding and the creation of global citizenships,” Choti said.
His research interests focus on Bantu languages, gender and sexuality in Africa, inclusive pedagogy, and the pedagogy of minoritized languages. He co-authored a book in 2022, titled Descriptive and Theoretical Approaches in African Linguistics: Selected papers from the 49th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. He also serves as president of the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA) and has served in executive boards of the Association of Contemporary African Linguistics (ACAL) and the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLTCL).
“Dr. Choti has expertly guided students through every aspect of the education abroad program, ensuring its excellence in academics in both pre-travel preparation and onsite teaching, intercultural experiences, and student safety measures.”
Leo Zulu, former Interim Director of the African Studies Center
Choti was nominated for the MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad by Leo Zulu, Associate Professor of Geography and former Interim Director of the African Studies Center.
“Over the past eight years, Dr. Choti has expertly guided students through every aspect of the education abroad program, ensuring its excellence in academics in both pre-travel preparation and onsite teaching, intercultural experiences, and student safety measures,” Zulu said. “His passion and energy for educating students about Africa through experiential learning has been pivotal in the [Sustainable Community Development in Tanzania] program’s success.”
For the Inspiration Award, Choti was nominated by Kwame Yeboah, Director of the Tanzania Partnership Program (TPP) that supports Choti’s education abroad program.
“Dr. Choti has a long, impressive track record in his career,” Yeboah stated in his nomination letter. “His achievements demonstrate clearly a unique drive and passion in undergraduate teaching and positively influences the culture of MSU.”
GenCen Advisor Pat Arnold, who presented the Inspiration Award to Choti, said that he “has been a mainstay of global cultural engagement, advocacy, education, and research in the MSU community for over a decade. He has rightly received numerous awards recognizing his interdisciplinary scholarship in African languages and linguistics, as well as numerous teaching awards for his transformative pedagogy and the global exposure he has brought to the MSU student community.”
“Dr. Choti has a long, impressive track record in his career. His achievements demonstrate clearly a unique drive and passion in undergraduate teaching and positively influences the culture of MSU.”
Kwame Yeboah, Director of the Tanzania Partnership Program
The other awards, grants, and fellowships, Choti has received include the Mid-Michigan Spartans Quality in Undergraduate Teaching Award, Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Scholarship, Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant, Network for Global Civic Engagement Grant, Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge Grant, Lilly Teaching Fellowship, AAP’s Transforming Institutions Strategic Partnership Grant, and GenCen’s Strategic Partnership Grant.
He also is a graduate of MSU having earned his Ph.D. in Linguistics from Michigan State University. He has an M.A. in English Language and a B.A. in English and Swahili Linguistics from Egerton University in Kenya.
