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From early on in my university studies, I was drawn to contemporary French and Francophone literatures and cultures, areas that have been enhanced by my study of film. What has intrigued me the most, and most inspired my writing, are the varying philosophical approaches found throughout the French-speaking world to wide-reaching social, historical, economic, and political phenomena: democracy and civil rights, religion, capitalism, economic disparity and class struggle, cultural expansionism and geopolitical status, the women’s movement, racism, immigration/emigration and integration, among others. The question of identity, whether individual or communal (i.e., gendered, ethnic, generational, socio-economic, regional, national), has become a central focus in my research and is the thread that connects the conference papers and articles I have written and my current research projects.

My approach to teaching is based on the belief that learning to speak a language or to appreciate an artistic work or to understand human history is inherently a social act. It connects us to other speakers, creators, and analytical minds. My foremost role as a teacher, therefore, is to foster this dialogue among the students and the cultural figures and representations we are studying. From there, students may further open their minds to the new or the foreign. To that end, I work to find imaginative ways to inspire students’ critical and original thinking and increase their desire to learn about themselves and the world.