THE GLOBAL FRENCH STUDIES PROGRAM PRESENTS The French Newsletter INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ► French Students Overseas ► Je suis sous le charme by Briana Armand 2 ► Plans for the Class of 2015 ► Pre-Health Adventures in Nice by Shaylyn 3 ► French Students at CUR ► Pi Delta Phi Initiation 4 ► French Outside 5 the Classroom ► French Film Festival ► French Stu6 dents Awarded Across Disciplines ► Catch Up with Hope’s Global French Studies Professors ► Meet the 20142015 Ambassadrices Culturelles ► La vie en rose Year-End Fête 7 ► Meet the New- 8 est Global French Studies Professor, Pauline Remy ► From the Edi- V O L U M E 2 4 , F A L L 2 0 1 5 ▲ Susan at the American Ambassador’s residence in Paris (next to a photo of Barack Obama) One Year Post-Graduation & Eight Countries Later This year, I lived and worked in Perpignan, France, as a Fulbright scholar. I taught English in a socioeconomically-diverse, previously ZEP (zone éducation prioritaire) high school. My students were often bi- or tri-lingual and multicultural as this area of France has a high concentration of gypsies and immigrants. As Perpignan was part of Spain, specifically Catalan, for years, many of my students speak Catalan in their homes and French is simply their language for education and social life. Sometimes English seemed to be of little importance to my French, Catalan, Arabic, and Spanish-speaking students, so it was definitely a challenge, but a most rewarding and meaningful experience. I led a conversation club during the students' weekly free hour and developed close relationships as we exchanged cultures, debated controversial topics, practiced tongue twisters, and shared in my vegan baked goods--almost unheard of to the bread and cheese fanatics of the world! On the side, I carried out an immigration and cultural diversity project. I interned with an organization called La Cimade, where I participated in meetings between international human rights lawyers and immigrants/refugees. I welcomed immigrants from North and subSaharan Africa, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, Chechenia, Mongolia, Albania, Serbia, and many more places. We helped them understand their rights in France and apply for asylum or a residence permit. We also intervened in cases where racism and discrimination were evident during their applications in order to protect their rights and dignity. In Feb., I was invited, along with the 4 other Fulbright ETAs, to Jane Hartley's residence in Paris, the American Ambassador to France. It was an absolute honor to meet her! We spent the afternoon at her residence for an event to discuss education and immigration and watch the documentary I Learn America, which follows 5 immigrants in a New York high school. Afterwards, I was able to get a U.S. Embassy official to screen the documentary in Perpignan for my students, who were super excited to get to meet someone from the Embassy! I was impressed by the courage and vulnerability of many of my students who shared their stories, touched by immigration, discrimination and racism. For housing, I lived in a building with 15 French people, divided into 3 apartments. Being the only foreigner and English-speaker, it was an incredible everyday, every minute way to improve my French. I was entirely immersed culturally and linguistically and also met my two best French friends. I took many weekend/day (Continued on page 3) PAGE French Students Overseas 2 Fall 2014 - Summer 2015 Paris Regina Guerra Marisela Meraz Claudia Sanchez Abby Wilhelm Rennes Melanie Julison Nantes Kaleigh Doan Laura Johnson Briana Armand Bethany Disher Je suis sous le charme Briana enjoys a crêpe in Nantes ► “WHEREVER I GO I WILL TAKE THE LESSONS THAT I LEARNED STUDYING ABROAD IN FRANCE ALONG WITH ME.” -BRIANA ARMAND THE Nantes, France. A year ago that city meant nothing to me, today, it means everything. I have been looking forward to studying abroad since as long as I can remember. Before I left for France everyone kept telling me “you’re going to have an amazing time” and “Studying abroad is life changing.” My semester in Nantes was filled with growth, adventure, and of course, French. There I had the privilege of living with an FRENCH NEWSLETTER Brussels Tarah Plut Nice Madeline Brochu By Briana Armand ‘16. Communications Major, French Minor amazing host family that was so excited to share their city and culture with me. Nantes was the perfect size for my study abroad experience; there was always something new to do as well as providing constant opportunities to improve and practice my French. It’s hard to answer the question of what was my favorite memory of studying abroad; honestly I can’t choose one! I loved being able to live and thrive every day in a new culture. I loved being able to learn something in French class that morning and use it to communicate later on in the day. I loved getting to know the cultural norms, conversing with the people and trying out new things. I loved building relationships with those around me. I loved having all of Europe at my fingertips. The whole semester was my favorite memory. I cherished being immersed in the French culture, something that I’ve dreamed about doing for so long. I also grew so much during my semester. My French of course greatly improved and I have a greater love for French now and plan to continue improving. I learned how much I love my independence and that nothing is out of my reach. I learned how to stay positive even though some days were hard and to always focus on the good, because it’s always there. I also can now call Nantes a home away from home. After studying abroad I have so much more confidence in myself and truly believe I can flourish in whatever I do and wherever I go. I know studying abroad is going to set me apart in the future because I have all these amazing experiences that have greatly shaped who I am as a person. I’m open to any experience in the future, in the US or anywhere else in the world. Wherever I go I will take the lessons that I learned studying in France along with me. Studying abroad in Nantes was truly an invaluable, life changing experience and I’m excited to see how it will continue to shape me. VOLUME 24, FALL PAGE 2015 Class of 2015 (Continued from page 1) trips to the Pyrenees, Collioure, Barcelona, Cadaques and other nearby destinations with my French friends. There is no better way to learn about a country than through the eyes of its people! In addition, I took full advantage of my vacation time! I snowboarded at Chamonix Mont Blanc in a UCPA guided group which had been my dream for years. I visited Charlotte, the previous Hope College German assistant, in Gottingen, and Lucile, the previous French assistant, who is now in Barcelona. I went to eight different countries with some of my dream destinations like Istanbul, Turkey and Plitvice National Park, Croatia. In Mar., I participated in the week-long Fulbright European Conference in Berlin and especially enjoyed meeting all the Germans who had just received Fulbright scholarships to come to the U.S. this year. My year as a Fulbright scholar in France was an amazing way to master my French, gain international, crosscultural working experience, and create many lasting European contacts that will be beneficial to my career and future travels. Here is what some of the 2015 Global French Studies graduates are up to in the coming year: Rachael Kabagabu is teaching French at Cypress Falls High School in Houston, Texas. Hannah Gingrich will be working as an English teaching assistant in Moulins, France, as arranged by TAPIF. Dorothy Dickinson will be living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, taking language courses and interning at the Hermitage Museum in preparation for graduate school. Mary Liz Winther will be working as a costume intern for Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, MI. She will also be applying to graduate schools and hopes to get her M.F.A. in Costume Design! Shirly Samuel will be attending medical school in the Spring. Brandon Verna will be living and working in France through the TAPIF program. Pre-Health Adventures in Nice By Shaylyn Pritchard ‘15 French, Biology, Philosophy Majors Shaylyn attended a five-week summer program for pre-health students in Nice, France. Here is some of what she had to say about her experience! People: I stayed with a wonderful host family who were very welcoming, accommodating, and genuinely interested in me as a person. They showed me around the city, introducing me to the local culture and history in a really in-depth but personalized manner. We engaged in discussions and even debates about some heavier topics over dinner (which was always delicious). Our instructors, Mme Laborde and Mme Winn work so hard to put together this program and it shows. My classmates came from about ten different universities across the US and it was a really diverse group. Internship at the Hospital: The whole experience was very personalized and interactive, and I loved every minute! I was placed in the public health department of a local hospital called l’Archet 1, and I worked with really welcoming people. They included me in conversation during our morning coffee break, and when I had 3 class close by, they also invited me to eat lunch with them. It was from these casual conversations that I gleaned a lot of my knowledge of France’s medical and research cultures, and that’s not really knowledge that you can find in a book. tor who told us about her experiences with practicing homeopathy, sometimes called a complementary or alternative medicine in the States. Overall: The linguistic and cultural immersion is one of the key aspects of this As for the work I did, I conducted a small program, and I felt that my French really independent research project comparing improved as a result. I also felt that beantibiotic consumptween my clastion and antibiotic ses, my internresistance in France ship, and my and the US. This work discussions with heightened my awaremy host family, ness of the cultural I learned about differences that unattitudes toderscore the distincward immigrations between the tion, the French French and American research sysmedical systems. I also tem, and so got to attend a conmuch more, ference on area public health ▲ Shaylyn visits a French marina and I could not initiatives and I was even invited to talk at have learned these things anywhere else. the end and share my opinion! After having done this program, I can honClasses: The classes themselves had great estly say that it was such a good fit for me variety covering many aspects of French that I couldn’t imagine myself choosing a healthcare and directly comparing the different one. It’s a subtle thing, but I have French system with the American system. an inclination that this program has been For the two classes I took, we almost even more beneficial and life-changing for always had speakers in to discuss their me than I realize now... area of expertise. My favorite was a doc- PAGE French Students Present at Celebration for Undergraduate Research 4 lin and t h e French R e Of the 7 projects sistance during presented by the World Modern and War II,” AlexanClassical d r a DeJongh Languages ▲ Students and professors of French at CUR a na lyz e d Department, 6 On April 10, 2015, Hope College the impact of Resistance leader hosted its 14th Annual CelebraJean Moulin, whom General were in French! tion of Undergraduate Research. Charles de Gaulle charged with The multidisciplinary event allows unifying a movement composed of students to present their collabopeople of diverse political beliefs. rative faculty-student research Dorothy Dickinson presented and to engage in discussions with her research entitled “The Magic other students, faculty members, of Words: The Role of Griots in family and community members. West African Film and Society,” an This year, six students presented examination of the potential relaoriginal research conducted for tionship between griots (traditional Global French Studies courses. West African storytellers and singIn April of 2015, the folIn her research entitled “La ers) and modern West African lowing students became Paysanne et l’Héroïne: The Life filmmakers. members of Pi Delta Phi, the French National and Mission of Joan of Arc in the Maria Gowon presented her Honor Society: Social Context of the Middle Agresearch entitled “Aux Yeux de…: es,” Alexandria Barbu disA Study of the Perceptions of the Megan Brubaker cussed how Jeanne d’Arc both Hannah Gingrich Mali Empire” in which she examdefied and worked with the social, Kelsie Lynch ined both Arab and European imreligious, and gender structures of Amanda Pendery pressions of Mali between 1250 the fifteenth century as she Benedict Fils-Aime and 1650AD through the eyes of Rachael Kabagabu sought to save France from Engtwo travelers—Berber Islamic Lize Loubser lish occupation. lawyer Ibn Batouta, and PortuShirly Samuel In her project entitled “Jean Mouguese explorer André Alvarez Laura Johnson Mary Elizabeth Winther ▼ New members of Pi Delta Phi d’Almada. Pi Delta Phi Initiation Dorothy Dickinson Brandon Verna Raphaele Brachet* In her research e n t i t l e d “White Women and Black Women in *Native Assistant, honorary member THE FRENCH NEWSLETTER American and African Films,” Rachael Kabagabu contrasted the racist and sexist portrayal of African American women in the early American film industry with the dignified and intelligent portrayal of black women in Francophone-African films. In his project entitled “The Role of the French Communist Party during World War II,” Robert Lampen explored the presence and impact of the French Communist party during the Resistance, examining the Party’s use of propaganda and how it reflected the party’s views and actions during the first half of the war. Numerous students of French also presented work in other disciplines. Congratulations to these multidisciplinary scholars! Biology: Lize Loubser, Shirly Samuel English: Hannah Gingrich, Robert Lampen History: Emily Gaddis, Katelyn Kiner, Miriam Roth, Brandon Verna Mellon Scholars: Dorothy Dickinson, Katelyn Kiner, Robert Lampen, Miriam Roth, Katherine Sauer, Mary Elizabeth Winther Phelps Scholars: Clarisa Chavez, David Kallgren, Kevin Rukundo, Leigh Wynveen VOLUME 24, FALL 2015 PAGE French Outside the Classroom ◄ Floriane Brown with Hope gradu- Orleans.” Her presentation discussed the historical roots ate Daniel of Francophone culture in Owens, who Louisiana and the recent arranged reimagining of New Orleans Brown’s as a Francophone place. visit Twenty-three students repEvery year, the French program offers a diverse program of cultural enrichment which allows students of all levels and abilities to expand their knowledge of French and Francophone language and culture. Here is a glimpse of the events of the 2014 -2015 program. The year kicked off on September 5 with the annual soirée crêpes at the Maison Française. There, students chatted en français and sampled delicious crêpes and other French foods. On September 29, a round table of students returning from studying abroad in Frenchspeaking countries was held, with another held after the holidays on January 27. ▲ Hannah Gingrich and Lize Loubser ings presented on “Life After Hope College.” Rawlings has studied in Morocco and Israel, and is the current Deputy Director of Administration at the Stimson Center in downtown Washington, D.C. ▲ Speaker Dr. Anne Heath The Second Annual Hope College French Film Festival took place January 22-24. Students, as well as the general public, were able to view French cinema and participate in discussions led by Hope faculty and students (see feature). Two speakers appeared as part of the French program during the month of September. Floriane Brown, Founder and Executive Director of the Nibakure Children’s Village in Rwanda, presented on the village, which provides help and care, housing, family, and education for the children who live there. Dr. Dianne GueninLelle of Albion College, gave a presentation entitled “The History of ‘French’ New Two more guest speaker events were held during the spring semester. On February 18, Hope Professor of Art History Dr. Anne Heath presented her work entitled On March 5, the Global French Studies Program also hosted a Student Research Colloquium featuring the work of two French students. Lize Loubser presented on “La representation des Femmes dans les films d’Ousmane Sembène: Un Féministe Africain ou Occidental?” and Hannah Gingrich presented her research entitled “Ousmane Sembène « L’Afrique ne Régressera Plus ».” Speaker Dr. Dianne Guenin-Lelle ▼ The Second Annual Hope College French Film Festival featured the following films over the course of its three day program: Quai d’Orsay La Guerre est déclarée Le Chat du Rabbin Le Passé The event was very well-attended and was a big hit for both the Hope and Holland communities. Big thanks to the Festival’s Organizing Committee: Prof. Brandon Guernsey, Hannah Gingrich, Katelyn Kiner, and Raphaële Brachet. Les Choristes at IMAGES ▲ “Politics, Performance, and Memory in Abbey Church of Saint-Germain d’Auxerre: The Urban Life of a Medieval Monastery.” Her research explored the connections between architectural and sociopolitical developments in medieval Auxerre, France. On March 23, Hope graduate Lacie Rawl- resented France at the IMAGES International Student Showcase on November 21, performing a song from the celebrated film Les Choristes. On October 3, French students hosted a Fête Gourmande where they presented posters on Francophone cuisine from around the world. ▲ Students at the Fête Gourmande 5 Over the course of the year, the French ciné-club presented a variety of films, including Elle s’appelait Sarah, and The Valet/La doublure. This year also saw the continuation for the second year of the Pause-Café, a weekly gathering at Lemonjello’s for casual French conversation. The year closed out with a La vie en rose party (see feature on page 7)! PAGE 6 French Students Honored Across Disciplines French students at Hope are awarded not only for their efforts in French, but also for their work in other disciplines and in interdisciplinary work. Graduating seniors received the following French awards: Brandon Verna received the AATF Outstanding Senior in French Award; Dorothy Dickinson, Benedict Fils-Aime, and Mary Elizabeth Winther were presented the Linda D. Palmer Memorial Award in French; Lize Loubser and Shirly Samuel received the Marguerite Prins French Award; Hannah Gingrich was awarded the French Faculty Book ▼ 2015 graduating seniors Award. Seniors graduating from the French program also received the following noteworthy awards: Benedict Fils-Aime was presented the Global Awareness and I nvolvem ent Award; Liz e Loubser, Shirly Samuel, and Nicholas DeJongh received Senior Sigma Xi Research Awards. Dorothy Dickinson, Alexa Duimstra, Hannah Gingrich, Lize Loubser, Shirly Samuel, and Mary Elizabeth Winther were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honors society. The French program also applauds those students who earned recognition for their work in other disciplines through other departmental awards: Hannah Gingrich: Erika Brubaker ‘92 Award for Proficiency in Literature Dorothy Dickinson: Theune Family Award, Charles E. Lake Memorial Prize in Philosophy Dorothy Dickinson, Katherine Sauer, and Mary Elizabeth Winther: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholars in the Arts and Humanities Alexandria Barbu: Paul Norman Timmer Memorial Award Katherine Sauer: Clarence DeGraaf English Award Mary Elizabeth Winther: Theatre Depart- ment Senior Prize Marie Schrampfer: SloanStegeman Mission Prize Miriam Roth: Phi Alpha Theta Sophomore Book Award Congratulations to all of our exceptional honorees! Phi Beta Kappa Inductees, L to R: Lize Loubser, Mary Elizabeth Winther, Dorothy Dickinson, Hannah Gingrich ▼ Catch Up with Hope’s Global French Studies Professors Anne Larsen with a French friend in front of Ladurée (macaroons) Left Bank, Paris ▼ THE Anne Larsen’s conferences this year included a session “New Approaches to French Women and Authorship” at North East MLA (Toronto) (her paper was entitled “Walking a Tightrope: To be or not to be a Savante in the Salons of Seventeenth-Century France”); and a session at the conference “Attending to Early Modern Women” (Milwaukee) (she was a panelist on the topic “Time to Talk about Women in Salons and Learned Circles”). She was elected to the Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women for a three-year term. She published a review of Faith Beasly, ed., Teaching Seventeenth– and Eighteenth-Century French Women Writers, in HFrance Review (electronic review), 15 (January 2015), no. 6. Her book Anna Maria van Schurman ‘The Star of Utrecht’: The Educational Vision and Reception of a Savante is due to be published in February 2016 (Ashgate Publishing, U.K., in the FRENCH NEWSLETTER series “Women and Gender in the Early Modern World”). She is currently collaborating with Steven Maiullo on a critical edition/translat ion of Anna Schurman’s manuscript letters contracted with the Toronto Center for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, in the series “The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe.” Her travels took her this summer to The Hague and Paris for research at the Dutch National Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. She vacationed in Provence with family friends. After two wonderful years of teaching at his undergraduate alma mater, Brandon Guernsey has accepted a visiting position in French for the 2015-2016 academic year at St. Mary's College of Maryland. As a scholar of francophone Africa, Brandon is especially excited by this new venture, as he will be teaching French courses in African literature and culture as well as collaborating with the African studies program at St. Mary's. Regarding his new position, Brandon says, "I am thrilled by this new opportunity and look forward to all the future has in store. However, leaving Hope is also rather bittersweet, as I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I feel blessed to have worked with such wonderful colleagues in the DMCL, and it was truly a pleasure getting to know my students. Merci à vous tous! I have some great memories of the last two years, and thanks to you, I won't soon forget my time at Hope." Brandon will be moving to Maryland with his family over the summer - he is pictured to the left with his wife, Alexis, and their son, Emmet. Brigitte Hamon-Porter presented at the Midwest Modern Languages Conference in Detroit (Continued on page 8) VOLUME 24, FALL 2015 Meet the 2014-2015 Ambassadrices Culturelles This past year, four French students became ambassadors for the Global French Studies Program. These students helped organize and run events like the Soirée Crêpes and the Pause Café. The two students who had studied abroad also shared their experiences with prospective study abroad students in French 3 and 4. Meet the ambassadrices culturelles: Hannah Gingrich ‘15 graduated with majors in French and English Literature. From January May 2014, she participated in the CIEE program located in Rennes, France, where she studied the French language and was delighted to learn a lot about the region of Bretagne. She wishes she could talk to La Duchesse Anne (a prominent medieval figure who was crowned queen of France twice), but is perfectly content to read about her. Hannah’s favorite part of the CIEE Rennes program was her language classes with other international students of all ages and backgrounds studying at the Rennes 2 university campus. Katelyn Kiner ‘17 is majoring in History and French. She is originally from Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Right now, she loves riding her ‘68 green PAGE Schwinn around campus and spending too much time baking, daydreaming about Paris, and wandering the library. This coming year, Katelyn will be studying abroad for two semesters in Paris, where she hopes to improve her French and spend time in the archives doing research on Louis XIV. Following Hope, Katelyn is not sure what she wants to do, but she knows whatever it is she wants to do it in Paris. Lize Loubser ‘15 graduated with majors in French and Biology, and a minor in Chemistry. She grew up in Pretoria, South Africa, until in 2007 her family moved to Eastern Michigan. She loves all outdoor activities, especially biking, backpacking, and swimming in the ocean, as well as dancing of all sorts, especially ballet, ballroom, and s win g. After graduation, Lize hopes to attend medical school and eventually become a physician in a rural area, most likely in Southern Africa. For that reason, she La vie en Rose Year-End Fête An end-of-year "La vie en rose" party at the Maison Francaise took place on Saturday 11 April. On the menu: Madeleines; Mousse au chocolat; Crèmes brulées; and the traditional Crepes, with games and music. Merci à Raphaële, our native assistant for organizing this, and for the chefs of French 4 for cooking! 7 chose to study abroad in Madagascar during the Spring 2014 semester with a program called SIT (School for International Training). Her favorite part of the program was the last month, when she got to do a public healthfocused field study project in a rural village. Since Madagascar is a former French colony, Lize got to practice speaking French too! Overall it was a truly amazing and unique experience that she wouldn’t trade for anything. Miriam Roth ‘17 is studying French and History for Secondary Education. While she is passionate about all three of these components (history, French, and education), she especially loves it when she is able to combine them all at once. She loves dance, theatre, and music, and sings with Hope’s women’s a cappella group, Luminescence. In the future, Miriam hopes to become a high school French and/or history teacher and to share these passions with her students. This fall, she will be studying abroad with the IES program in Nantes, France. Miriam cannot wait to experience the Nantaise culture and expand her language skills as she embarks on this new adventure. (Continued from page 6) in November 2014. on Abdherramane Sissako, a movie director whose latest movie, Timbuktu, looks at the invasion of Jihadists in northern Mali. Her paper was titled “L’Afrique Consciente d’Abderrahmane Sissako.” She also published a book review in The French Review journal on literature in the South Pacific. In June, she attended a seminar on chairing at George Mason University in Washington D.C. and has been working as the new chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages since July. In late June, she explored Southeastern Utah with her family. They all made it to the top of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. View from Angel’s Landing: Prof. Hamon-Porter and her children, Cedric and Tristan ► Please welcome the newest member of the Global French Studies Program Faculty, Pauline Remy! She writes: “I come from a tiny island in the Eastern Caribbean called Dominica. One of my greatest desires as a child was to learn the French language. The opportunity presented itself when I got the chance to study and live in France for four years. Those four years have cemented my passion for the French language, culture and literature and have inspired me to share my enthusiasm with those I encounter, especially my students. I received my M.A. in 2009 from Ohio University and then taught for one year first at Ohio University, and then at Saint-Mary’s College of Maryland before beginning my doctoral studies in 2010 at the University of Iowa. I graduated this summer with a Ph.D. in French and Francophone World Studies. My core research includes Francophone literatures, cultures and cinema of the Caribbean, SubSaharan Africa and North Africa, Haitian women writers, and cultural and social concepts such as creolization, créolité, métissage, callaloo and globalization. In my spare time I ◄ Welcome Professeur Remy! enjoy traveling, reading, playing scrabble and meeting new people.” From the Editor’s Desk Our gratitude goes to the staff and faculty of Hope's Office of International Education who advise students on study-abroad programs, an essential component of the language experience. The French section would also like to thank all those who submitted essays on their study abroad experiences. Un très grand merci to Miriam Roth ('17) for her editing, designing and formatting for this newsletter. The French Newsletter is published by the French section and funded by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Please contact Professor Brigitte Hamon-Porter (hamon@hope.edu) for items to be included in the next issue. As always, we love to hear from alumni! Read the Newsletter online at http://www.hope.edu/academic/language/french/. Hope College Department of Modern and Classical Languages P.O. Box 9000 Holland, MI 49422-9000 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage