Departmental Newsletter for Modern Languages & Literatures at the College of William & Mary
Maryse Fauvel, Professor of French and Francophone Studies, retires this year after more than twenty years of teaching at W&M. During her tenure at W&M, Professor Fauvel published Exposer “l’autre”. Essai sur la Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration et le Musée du quai Branly (2014); Tâches d’encre, Maryse Fauvel, co-author, Heinle Cengage (2011); A vous de… Read More
Prof. Brett Brehm sat down with Nathan Rabalais to talk about his new book of original poetry in French, Le Hantage: un ouvrage de souvenance, just published by Éditions Tintamarre. BB: I’m intrigued by the play of text and image in this book. Could you tell us how you conceived of that interplay? NR: I… Read More
We are happy to welcome our new colleague Déborah Lee-Ferrand to our department! We sat down with her to hear about her exciting courses and research, including her new course “Food for Thought” and her dissertation. Bienvenue!
Throughout his time at W&M, Jesse Tanson has studied a wide range of topics in French and Francophone Studies, including cinema, literature, and creative writing. Jesse studied abroad in Strasbourg through the IFE program and worked in cinema there. He was also the recipient of the French program’s most prestigious award: the McCormack-Reboussin scholarship, which supports significant undergraduate… Read More
Every year, the month of March features a week dedicated to the French-speaking world: la Francophonie! The diverse cultures and accents of la Francophonie are celebrated throughout the world with art, festivals, and cultural events; and William and Mary is no exception! Prof. Angela Leruth organized a series of fun and engaging events including an… Read More
Michael Leruth has been recognized for his outstanding dedication to his students and the university with the prestigious Plumeri award. This prize shows the great appreciation and support for his work from both his colleagues and the student body. Michael Leruth holds a Ph.D. in French from Penn State University (1995) and teaches courses and conducts research on… Read More
This exciting new lecture series recognizing the distinguished career of Prof. Maryse Fauvel began with a lecture entitled “Screening Racialized France: Immigration, Discrimination, and Citizenship in Contemporary French Cinema”. The thought-provoking lecture was given on Feb. 23 by Prof. Cybelle McFadden (W&M ’97) from University of North Carolina, Greensboro following a screening of Ligne de couleur… Read More
Experiences in Granada, Spain Julie Luecke (French and Francophone Studies, ’20) In 2014, I spent three days in Granada, Spain, with a family I had known growing up. I distinctly remember walking around the fountain at los Reyes Católicos, the main square in Granada, with braids in my hair but not a single Spanish… Read More
Editing a Criminal Law and Policy Journal in D.C. Zarine Kharazian (Government and French and Francophone Studies, ’17) Zarine Kharazian currently works as a legal assistant at the Washington, DC law firm of Berliner, Corcoran, and Rowe. Part of her job is to serve as assistant editor of International Enforcement Law Reporter, a monthly… Read More
In this video, Prof. Michael Leruth talks to us about his latest book Fred Forest’s Utopia: Media Art and Activism published, this year by MIT Press. As mentioned on the MIT Press webpage, Prof. Leruth “shows that Forest chooses alternative platforms (newspapers, mock commercial ventures, video-based interactive social interventions, media hacks and hybrids, and, more recently, the… Read More
Welcome to our new Faculty member, Brett Brehm, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies with a specialization in 19th Century French Studies. His current research focuses on the history of color photography and its connections with literature and the visual arts. Brett is also working on a book project, “Kaleidophonic Modernity: Sound, City and Technology.” For… Read More
Two French and Francophone Studies seniors recently defended their honors theses. Zarine Kharazian and Paul Naanou both conducted innovative research and received highest honors following the oral defense of their work. Financial support through the McCormack-Reboussin and the Charles Center, respectively, helped make these ground-breaking studies possible. Their work shows the interdisciplinarity and relevance to… Read More
Thirteen W&M seniors are publishing a brief biography in French to the forthcoming open-access biographical encyclopedia on important figures of francophone Louisiana. The Class of 2017 seniors in French and Francophone Studies got a chance to engage with the authors, poets, and researchers whom they were studying, thanks to a collaboration between Prof. Nathan Rabalais and… Read More
During 2016-17, the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, and the W&M community at large, enjoyed an informal and lively film series on the representation of women in film. The film series, aptly titled Mad-Made Women, was a unique opportunity to engage in discussions of gender, psychoanalysis, sci-fi, etc., and watch a variety of movies…. Read More
The timing couldn’t have been better: as she was finishing the syllabus of her French literature course, “Circus Freaks and Bad Mothers,” centering on depictions of monsters in the 19th-century, Visiting Assistant Professor Julie Hugonny received a call for papers for the 2017 Institute of Nineteenth-Century Studies conference titled Odd bodies. “When I saw the… Read More
Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of cinema is its ability to not only project and perpetuate stereotypes, but also to challenge and even break them. In fall 2016, students in Prof. Maryse Fauvel’s course FREN 393 “Representations of Paris in cinema: stereotypes and beyond”, studied French cinema that moves beyond these stereotypes. Eight of the students enrolled… Read More
La Fete de la Recherche is an annual conference that showcases our students’ research projects. It is an opportunity for students to present to their professors and peers the research they are doing for an honor thesis, courses, internships or, projects completed during the summer program in Montpellier. Presenters explain their motivations, research process, discoveries,… Read More
Since I was a child, I’ve always been interested in the role of food in contributing to a culture’s shared identity and sense of community. My interest in cuisine stems primarily from my family background because my parents have worked in the food service industry my entire life, and they used to run their own… Read More
News about our McCormack Reboussin scholar in France William & Mary student Zarine Kharazian ’17 shares news about her research on “the right to be forgotten” and differing views between the U.S. and France when it comes to preserving (or deleting) one’s digital past. Zarine is a double-major in French and Francophone Studies and Government. Read… Read More
Zarine Kharazian – Paris – SciencesPo, Centre de recherches internationales Zarine is working as an assistant researcher with CERI, a renowned center for IR research and joint laboratory of Sciences Po and the CNRS. Zarine was assigned to a research project entitled ITIC and aimed at analyzing modern political uses of new information and communication… Read More
In the Fall semester 2014, Prof. Magali Compan taught a new course in the French section, a Freshman seminar entitled “Francophone Women Writers”. The course examined texts by women from around the Francophone World (Mauritius Island, France, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Reunion Island, Sénégal, Tahiti, Algeria). During the course of the semester, students examined how women from… Read More
Preston Heinlein transferred to W&M at the beginning of his junior year. He knew that he wanted to study linguistics and the French language in particular. He spent a summer in Montpellier, taking courses at the Université Paul Valéry and working on an independent research project about the local LGBT community, which he then presented… Read More
The French & Francophone program has just awarded three graduation prizes: The St.Onge prize is awarded annually to the student in French & Francophone Studies who shows the most promise for graduate-level work. It was established in May 2010 to honor Professor St.Onge’s forty years of dedication to the College. This year the St. Onge prize goes to Preston… Read More
Congratulations to Elisabeth Bloxam (’15), the latest recipient of the McCormack-Reboussin scholarship in French & Francophone Studies! Starting this summer, Elisabeth Bloxam will research an honors thesis entitled “Le Mythe et la Mémoire : Les séquelles de la deuxième guerre mondiale en France à travers ses monuments nationaux.” This research will focus on the lasting effects… Read More
Congratulations to Preston Heinlein (’14) for his election to Phi Beta Kappa! And congratulations to our many seniors who have been selected to teach English in France through the French Embassy’s TAPIF program: Laura Bolger (’14) and Emily Eyestone (’14) have been placed in Bordeaux Samantha Fansler (’14) will be going to Lille Preston… Read More
The William and Mary French and Francophone Film Festival brings every year award-winning french language films. The program starts this year on Friday January 31 and will run until February 28. For more details about the program, consult the festival website (wm4f.wm.edu). You can also watch the trailer:
Congratulation to the four students sho received a Graduation prize in French and Francophone Studies this year. Kayla Grant is the recipient of the St.Onge prize. Angela Hayes received the Pierre Oustinoff prize. Madeleine Aggeler and Jasmin Harper are the corecipients of the MLL French Book Award.
Congratulation to our French and Francophone seniors! This year, 6 of you are heading to France to teach English! Angela Hales, Rachel Eilbott, Kayla Grant, Jasmin Harper, Daniel Hodges and Alix Kashdan who received a French embassy Teaching Assistantship and will be teaching in France in 2013-2014. Rachel will be teaching in French Guyana, while… Read More
Associate Professor of French & Francophone Studies Giulia Pacini talks about her book on trees and eighteenth-century cultures of nature: You just co-edited a volume entitled Invaluable Trees: cultures of nature, 1660-1830, published by the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford (2012). Why are you so interested in trees? Why were they important in the… Read More
An annual “Fête de la Recherche” (faites de la recherche!) features the student research that takes place at the core of the French & Francophone Studies program. Students often present projects from their studies abroad in Montpellier, France, as well as longer papers written in association with I.F.E internships in Paris, Bruxelles, and Strasbourg. Other talks frequently showcase independent Monroe… Read More
Research is at the center of the French & Francophone Studies program. Students are able to conduct research projects in many different ways, as the annual Fête de la Recherche demonstrates: short projects done while studying in Montpellier; longer projects conducted while studying and doing an internship through the I.F.E program in Paris, Strasbourg, or Bruxelles; Monroe projects; and honors theses…. Read More
Every year the French & Francophone Studies program organizes a lively conference to showcase student research. The Fête de la Recherche is both a moment of intellectual exchange, and a sociable event with music, fun stories, and good food. The students deliver presentations entirely in French, and answer questions about the process of doing… Read More
USE THIS TIME TO TALK TO THE FACULTY ABOUT YOUR IDEAS! THE FINAL PROJECT CAN DISCUSS ANY TOPIC PERTINENT TO FRENCH & FRANCOPHONE STUDIES, AND CAN BE WRITTEN IN EITHER ENGLISH OR FRENCH. The McCormack-Reboussin scholarship is awarded on an annual basis to a rising senior (= current junior) French and Francophone major at the… Read More
After graduating in May 2011 with a B.A. in French and Francophone Studies (Highest Honors/McCormack-Reboussin scholar) and Women’s Studies, Eve is now a Flagship Fellow starting her first year in the Women’s Studies Ph.D. Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. There, she will continue integrating her interests in French and Francophone studies and… Read More
After graduating from William and Mary in 2009 with a major in Biology and a minor in French, Abby attended Harvard Law School where she studied intellectual property law. She is now an Associate in the intellectual property department at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in the law firm’s Washington, DC office. Studying French at William… Read More
Following graduation in 2009, Laura Wagstaff (McCormack-Reboussin Scholar 07-09) moved to Washington, DC to pursue a career in higher education and multicultural exchange. She has held positions in the Development & Special Events department of Washington National Opera and in Georgetown University’s Office of Advancement. Currently, Laura serves as the Assistant Director in the Georgetown… Read More
Bridget, the 2011-12 Reboussin scholar write: “I currently hold a term appointment (renewable for up to four years) at the U.S. Dept. of Justice Antitrust Division in Washington, D.C. as a “paralegal specialist.” In the Antitrust Division I have the opportunity to work side-by-side with the attorneys preparing for depositions, serving subpoenas, interviewing witnesses, and… Read More
Thursday 4th, October at 3:30pm in Washington 315 Throughout the eighteenth century, trees stood at the intersection of numerous and often competing discourses of value. Across Europe and North America, they were viewed both as precious commodities and as ‘the true monuments of nations’, as Bernardin de Saint-Pierre noted in 1784,underscoring the imposing and inescapable… Read More
Bridget Carr, one of our graduating seniors in French and Francophone Studies, was kind enough to sit down and talk with us right after she defended her Senior Honors Thesis on French relations in Senegal. Prof. Nicolas Medevielle and I talked to Bridget about her study abroad research, how she used that research to develop… Read More
Students of French & Francophone studies have done original research for years. In order to recognize students who embarked in such projects and inspire other students to do the same, the French & Francophone studies section decided to create an annual Student research conference in 2010. In this video interview, Stephanie Kumah, a senior (French… Read More
In this video profile, one of the Department of Modern Languages’ newest faculty members, Rob St. Clair, sits down with me to discuss his research on the French poet, Arthur Rimbaud; some of his favorite topics to teach; and a reading recommendation, among other things.
We wish to extend a special tribute to the following students for their outstanding honors theses in French & Francophone Studies: Eve Grice Philippe Halbert Macs Smith And congratulations to the recipients of our graduation prizes in French & Francophone Studies: This year’s St.Onge prize goes to Macs Smith The Pierre Oustinoff prize goes to… Read More
Thursday, April 21st, 4:00 PM, Washington 315 Sound Moves: Sonic Space in French and Senegalese Cinemas This presentation explores the ways in which sound creates a new sense of spatiality in the films of Jean-Luc Godard and Djibril-Diop Mambety. Both directors challenge the primacy of the visual by foregrounding how aural planes affect and alter… Read More
The 2011 Tournées French & Francophone Film Festival was attended by about 2000 people this year. The 5th French & Francophone Film Festival took place from January 28th to February 25th at the Kimball Theater in Williamsburg. Organized by prof. Magali Compan (MLL. French & Francophone) , the French & Francophone Film Festival was made possible… Read More
Location: Washington Hall 315 Wednesday, February 16, 4pm The Bellini Colloquium in Modern Languages and Literatures is pleased to invite you to a talk by Nicolas Médevielle, Assistant Professor of French & Francophone Studies “Maps of Desire: French Renaissance colonial Ventures and Cartography” Wednesday, February 16, Washington Hall 315, 4 pm From the 1530s on,… Read More
When I got to college, I’d completed my language proficiency requirement and was fully prepared to stop taking French, and in fact I didn’t take any French my first semester at William and Mary. However, I can honestly say that restarting French was one of the best decisions I’ve made since arriving on campus. I’ve… Read More
February 19, 2pm All films will be shown at the Kimball Theater on Duke of Gloucester Street For more information visit the Film Festival website here: http://frenchfilm2011.blogs.wm.edu/
February 18, 2011, 7pm All films will be shown at the Kimball Theater on Duke of Gloucester Street For more information visit the Film Festival website here: http://frenchfilm2011.blogs.wm.edu/
February 11, 2011, 7pm All films will be shown at the Kimball Theater on Duke of Gloucester Street For more information visit the Film Festival website here: http://frenchfilm2011.blogs.wm.edu/
Our first annual French & Francophone Studies research conference took place on Saturday, Nov. 13, between 9am and 1pm, and it featured six twenty-minute formal presentations by students in our program. These talks featured: three ongoing honors theses projects; research done as part of a student internship in Paris; an original video produced in one… Read More
Ashley Hoover, Ingrid Heiberg, and Michael (Macs) Smith have just been invited for induction.
To honor Professor Ronald St.Onge’s forty years of dedication to the College of William & Mary, on the occasion of his retirement the Department of Modern Languages has established a fund for a prize to be awarded every year to the senior in French & Francophone Studies with the most promising plans for graduate work…. Read More
Two French and Francophone Studies majors are currently studying in Paris, France (at the I.F.E). Besides her classes on European and French politics and culture Bridget Carr (’11) is doing an internship at a French think tank, IFRAP, and will conduct her research in public aid to development Eve Grice (’10) is doing an internship… Read More
Kathryn Ticknor, who majored in French Studies and Linguistics in 2007,, has been accepted in the Master’s and Phd Program in Linguistics at Georgetown University
Professor Maryse Fauvel (MLL Francophone studies) has won a 2010 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence. Created by alumnus and former Board of Visitor member Joseph J. Plumeri (’66), the Plumeri Awards are given annually and recognize faculty who demonstrate exceptional performance in research, teaching and service over a number of years. Last year, Katherine Kulick,… Read More
Our warmest congratulations to Christine Bobal, Juliana Glassco, Katelyn Moscony, Michelle Thibault, and Kelsey Williamson, our graduating French majors (’08) who have been awarded teaching assistantship by the French Ministry of Education and the office of Cultural Services at the French Embassy. They will teach English and American culture to students in major French cities… Read More
CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA WAGSTAFF, the recipient of the McCormack-Reboussin scholarship for 2007-09! Laura will travel to France in the summer of 2008 to do research for her honors thesis on the eighteenth-century French pipe organ. In addition to working at the Bibliothèque de la Musique in Paris, Laura plans to visit key organs built by… Read More
Ariel Hunsberger, a double-major in French and European Studies, just received a Fulbright Assistanship to teach English to high school students in the Principality of Andorra. During her stay there, she also plans to conduct a reading and discussion group with parents and children on the topic of fairy tales, and to study the intersections… Read More
Our warmest congratulations to Christine Bobal, Juliana Glassco, Katelyn Moscony, Michelle Thibault, and Kelsey Williamson, our graduating French majors (’08) who have been awarded teaching assistantship by the French Ministry of Education and the office of Cultural Services at the French Embassy. They will teach English and American culture to students in major French cities… Read More
Stephen Sheehi, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Chair of Middle East Studies, Professor of Arabic Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, has received the 2018 Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence, celebrating exemplary achievements of William & Mary faculty in teaching, research, and service. Prof. Sheehi’s work meets at the intersection of cultural, visual,… Read More