At ISSoTL, Associate Professors Kirstie Doehler (Mathematics and Statistics), Associate Professor Nina Namaste (World Languages and Cultures), and Associate Professor Amanda Sturgill (Communications) presented preliminary findings from a study undertaken in tandem with James Madison University as part of a grant project sponsored by the Colonial Academic Alliance and titled “Engaging Difference: A Deep Dive into the Assessment of Transformative Learning.�

Co-researchers Associate Professor Matthew Buckmaster (Music & Assistant Dean of Global Education), Associate Professor Olivia Choplin (World Languages and Cultures), and Professor Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler (Psychology and CRGE) and undergraduate Elementary Education major and Spanish minor Emily Ford ’20 presented preliminary focus group findings on student reentry post-study abroad as well as data related to the pre-, during-, and post-study abroad course offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures.

Professor Eric Hall (Exercise Science), Assistant Professor Mussa Idris (Sociology and Anthropology), Professor Caroline Ketcham (Exercise Science), and Vandermaas-Peeler shared best practices for mentoring undergraduate research in global contexts and for helping students to engage with the global even while they are studying at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ. Assistant Professor Pablo Celis-Castillo and Senior Lecturer Ketevan Kupatadze (World Languages and Cultures) also led a round table discussion on the meaning of the term “global citizenship.”

Their play, "Où irons-nous? (Where will we go?)," was staged in French with English subtitles on Jan. 23 and 24 as the culminating experience of their Winter Term course.

Marie-Célie Agnant was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1953 just before François Duvalier came into power. Her childhood was tinged by an awareness of the pervasive fear that haunted the adults around her as the regime eliminated its political opponents. She moved to Montréal, Québec in 1970 where she has lived ever since, working during various periods as a translator, interpreter, social justice activist, teacher, and a writer.

Her 1997 book of short stories, "Silence Like Blood," was a finalist for the Governor General’s award in Canada. Her critically acclaimed novels, short stories, and poems offer poignant refusals of silence—both forced and chosen. In her works, she brings to light stories that have been occulted by official history, fighting to preserve a sense of memory and refusing the temptations of forgetting that lead to impunity.

While her works often treat her native Haiti, they combat the erasures of atrocities all over the world: thus, they sound echoes of Trujillo’s Dominican Republic, Franco’s Spain, Pinochet’s Chile, and the struggles that the United States has faced regarding our own fraught histories of prejudice and oppression. Agnant is a writer of and from the world: Haitian, Québécoise, Latin American, Canadian, immigrant, North American, Caribbean—and her writings offer a vision of a 21 century world that is interconnected—often by invisible threads—for better or for worse.

She spoke about the interconnectedness of those threads at a public lecture at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ on Jan. 7 entitled “Writing from the Silence.” While at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, in addition to speaking with many groups of students informally over meals, she also discussed Caribbean society with Professor of Performing Arts Kirby Wahl and the cast of the spring musical "Once on this Island," which is set in the French Antilles. She met with students in professors Allison and Ren Bryan's Core Capstone Seminar COR 415: Why Were these Books Banned? to discuss how and why certain books get published and others not; and she engaged with students in Associate Professor of History Amy Johnson's HST 140: Themes in Caribbean History to talk about her experience of the Duvalier dictatorship and its fallout. 

Students enrolled in French 349 grappled with many of the themes that Agnant’s works address during the creation of their original production, and Agnant partnered with Choplin to guide them through the collaborative process of theater creation while encouraging them to bring their entire bodies and full voices to their French learning. Several of the students had read works by Agnant in previous French courses, and they greatly appreciated being able to work closely with a living Francophone author.

During her time in North Carolina, Agnant also gave lectures on campuses in Greensboro, Chapel Hill and Charlotte. Her visit was organized by associate professor of French Olivia Choplin and was graciously sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, the Government of Quebec, the Association Internationale des Études Québécoises, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, African and African American Studies at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, Theater Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Latin American Studies, and the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Core Curriculum.

The AATF publishes the French Review and the National Bulletin and holds an annual convention that alternates between sites in Francophone countries and the U.S.  The AATF also sponsors the National French Contest and National French Week (Nov. 1-7, 2018). ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s French program was recognized as a Program of Excellence with Honors from the national organization in 2016. 

The group session led by the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ cohort entitled “Modest Numbers, Major Impact: Strategies for Student Engagement in French on a Small Campus” offered insight into the curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular initiatives that have allowed ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s French program to retain enrollment numbers and improve student outcomes and engagement over the past several years.

In addition to their group panel, all four faculty members presented individual research. Sophie Adamson offered a preview of her upcoming sabbatical project on integrating stand-up comedy in the French classroom as a way to engage students with current events and cultural differences while improving their listening skills in French. Patti Burns introduced attendees to scaffolded activities that allow students, even at beginning levels, to have authentic conversations with native speakers, thus improving their confidence, speaking skills, and intercultural awareness. Olivia Choplin shared new research from her sabbatical work on Haitian-Québécois authors Marie-Célie Agnant (who will be visiting ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ in January 2019) and Jan J. Dominique. Sarah Glasco presented an introduction to her forthcoming sabbatical project on the French yéyé singers as pioneers of French feminism.

The ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ cohort was part of a strong presence of North Carolina-based French teachers, including faculty from Duke University, UNC-Charlotte and several North Carolina high schools. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s program was praised for its engagement with students and alumni by Bill Rivers, executive director of the Joint National Committee for Languages and member of the Working Group on Language Learning of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Vickie Jeffries, tribal administrator for the Occaneechi Tribe of the Saponi Nation, a Native American tribe of the Piedmont, discussed the history, culture and arts of her people. Students, faculty, and staff were able to examine many artifacts of the Occaneechi-Saponi, including baskets, drums and sewing materials. 

Jeffries told the story her tribe, which hails from the eastern woodlands of the United States and received official recognition from the state of North Carolina in 2002. She invited students, faculty, and staff to visit the Tribal Center in Burlington which houses an exhibition telling the story of the tribe. The Center, located at 4902 Daily Store Rd., is open to the public most weekends.

Jeffries offered reflections on the ways in which traditional basket-weaving is a form of story-telling, with the “fingers are guided” to reveal the story of the materials. That prompted a discussion among students, faculty and staff about the boundaries of ownership regarding tribal artistic methods, symbols and artifacts.

This dinner was the last of a series that has included speakers from across campus and has engaged hundreds of students, faculty and staff during this academic year. 

Approximately 70 students, staff, and faculty gathered over dinner in upstairs Lakeside on Tuesday, Oct. 4 to hear Professor Ahmed Fadaam present “Art Under Fire” as part of the annual programming related to the Global Neighborhood’s 2016-17 theme: “The Arts Without Borders.”

Fadaam, an Iraqi-born artist, journalist, and interpreter who is an assistant professor in the School of Communications, first asked students to define art and to reflect on its purpose before presenting a historical overview of the ways in which art in Iraq has evolved from the birth of the nation through the present day. As he showed students artistic works produced during significant moments of Iraqi history, including the Iraq-Iran War, the rule of Sadaam Hussein and the U.S. invasion of 2003 and its aftermath, he encouraged them to think about how art may serve as a mirror for society, and how political, economic and social changes can impact the work of artists. 

At their tables, students and faculty and staff discussants debated the purpose of art, discussed its importance as a form of expression, and asked Fadaam about his own personal relationship to his art. Admitting that he was not always as comfortable speaking in public as today, Fadaam shared: “I always try to express beauty … painting and sculpting were my way of showing people what I thought.”

The next Global Neighborhood House Dinner will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 1, where Professor Sophie Adamson from the Department of World Languages and Cultures will engage students on the cultural significance of the art of political cartoons in a global context.

In addition to the monthly House Dinners, the Global Neighborhood sponsors a yearlong film series that is free and open to the public. The next film screening will take place on Tuesday October 25th at 7 p.m. in Global Commons 103. Professor Emeritus Ken Hassell from Art and Art History will lead a pre- and post-film discussion of the 2012 documentary: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present. 

Students, faculty, and staff from ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, Wake Forest University, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University gathered for the day-long conference exploring “Perspectives sur le monde français et francophone” (Perspectives on the French and Francophone World). The conference was generously sponsored by the Fund for Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ College of Arts and Sciences, the Student Professional Development Center, the Office of Alumni Engagement, and the Department of World Languages and Cultures, and was organized by Professor Patti Burns, lecturer of French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures.  

During morning and afternoon panels as well as a poster session, students from ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, UNC-CH and Wake Forest presented both finished work and work in progress. Their research in French was on topics that ranged from the depiction of sexual violence in medieval fabliaux to the narrative voices of contemporary French graphic novels. During lunch, Michael Garval of N.C. State University gave the plenary lecture “L’anatomie de la célébrité culinaire : le chef et ses mains,” describing the rise in stature of the position of chef to its current celebrity status. 

The final conference event was a Professionalization Panel during which two ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ alumnae, Christina Peterson ’10 and Margaret (Maggie) Liston ’16, talked about their own personal and professional journeys related to engagement with foreign languages and cultures. While both Peterson and Liston have used their French professionally, they reminded students that deep knowledge of another language and culture is always viewed positively by potential employers (whether or not the language is a prerequisite for the position) because it demonstrates open-mindedness, an ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and a willingness to engage with difference.

French professors Adamson, Burns, Choplin, and Glasco hope that the conference will become an annual event that will expand to include panels in additional languages in the future. Seeing and hearing advanced students present their research early in their college careers can be a true motivator for first year students like conference attendee Elizabeth McFarland, who commented: “I’m grateful to the presenters for their willingness to speak in front of their audience in a second language, and for showing me that it is possible to get to that point myself one day. I’m jealous of their fluency in the language and their ability to understand questions and answer them in French. Attending this conference has given me a goal to work towards and has furthered my love for French culture and language.”

The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) conferred the honor of Exemplary Program with Honors on the French program at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ on April 23, 2016.

This honor recognizes post-secondary French programs that demonstrate growth, innovation, pedagogical excellence, the support of colleagues and administrators, and the success of current students and alumni. Mary Helen Kashuba, past president of the AATF, wrote to congratulate Associate Professor of French Olivia Choplin, who submitted the dossier for consideration: “Our committee was especially impressed by your growth in numbers, both of faculty and students, your many activities, and your innovative programs. As a college teacher myself, I was especially pleased to see your interdisciplinary programs, and your creative courses. I hope that your success will continue into the future, and that you will inspire other universities to enhance their programs.” 

Several of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s French faculty have been recognized for their teaching excellence and their collaborations with colleagues across campus. This semester, Associate Professor of French Sarah Glasco’s experimental course FRE 378: Cultural Shifts in France Through Music, will be performing the creative culmination of a semester’s worth of research and study of the May 1968 cultural revolution in France on Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Tap House in collaboration with students from Clay Stevenson’s MUS 310: Live Sound Production Recording. 

The exemplary program recognition means that ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ will be featured on the website of the AATF from 2016-2018, and Glasco will accept the award on behalf of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s French program this summer at the AATF convention in Austin, Texas. 

Nearly 90 spectators enjoyed the farce performed by students enrolled in Assistant Professor Olivia Choplin’s “French Theater in Production” course on Jan. 26 and 27 in Yeager Recital Hall. Le médecin malgré lui (in English The Doctor in Spite of Himself) is Molière’s most frequently staged play, and it offers a whimsical critique of unethical medical practices in 17th-century France.

During the three weeks of Winter Term, the students both discussed and analyzed the play in its historical context and did all of the work necessary to stage it for a contemporary audience. Many of the students in the course had no previous acting experience, but they all enrolled ready to tackle the challenge.

The course offered them an opportunity to use their language skills in a non-traditional classroom setting as they discussed interpretations of the text, brainstormed staging ideas, designed and built elements of the set, created the program and publicity, and, of course, memorized and performed the play—all in French.

Where:  Carlton Kitchen (La Cocina-Carlton 109)

When:  6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Tuesday, Nov. 8

Cash and Phoenix Cash accepted! 

Merci beaucoup!