Research Spotlight | Speaking Atlas of French Varieties in Canada
Dr. Marie-Eve Bouchard, Assistant Professor of French Sociolinguistics, shares about her latest research project that aims to combat discrimination and promote an appreciation of linguistic diversity, especially in Canada. Promoting Linguistic Diversity When I started teaching at UBC, I quickly realized that French learners in our department demonstrate a great interest in learning a European […]
Audiobooks for Teaching Literature and Language Acquisition
Dr. Arianna Dagnino, Sessional Lecturer of Italian, explores the possibility of using audiobooks in classrooms in this interview with voice actor Dennis Kleinman. I was prompted to ask myself these questions when, last year, I worked with South African voice actor Dennis Kleinman on the audiobook of my post-apartheid novel The Afrikaner (Guernica Editions), which […]
From Old to Modern French: Translating the Significant « La Mort le roi Artu »
Dr. Patrick Moran, Associate Professor of French, describes the process of translating Jean Frappier’s version of La Mort le roi Artu from Old to Modern French, and the overall significance of this medieval text. I was approached to translate Jean Frappier’s version of La Mort le roi Artu from Old French to Modern French because of […]
Sima Godfrey: Reflecting on 32 Years at UBC
Upon her retirement, Dr. Sima Godfrey reflects on the most memorable moments of her 32 years as a faculty member in UBC’s French program—including powerful stories about students who have impacted her as much as she has impacted them. The most rewarding memories I have involve students, some of whom I have had the pleasure […]
Postcolonial Sociolinguistics: Special issue edited by Marie-Eve Bouchard explores attitudes, ideologies and power in language contact settings
Dr. Marie-Eve Bouchard, Assistant Professor of French at UBC, edited a special issue for the Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics that addresses how language ideologies and attitudes are constructed in multilingual and language contact settings, and how they create and maintain unequal relations of power between groups. Through several empirical studies involving languages from Central America (Mexico, […]
Promoting Diversity in Francophone Studies
Dr. Caroline Lebrec, Assistant Professor of Teaching (French), describes various efforts to promote diversity in Francophone Studies—from developing a new textbook series, designing an experiential learning course, to analyzing the representation of gender in French language. Textbook Series I am working on developing a textbook series that will offer content that is embedded in our […]
Mindfulness and Contemplative Pedagogy in Second Language Acquisition
Dr. Chiara Falangola, Lecturer of Italian, describes her ongoing project on mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy in second language acquisition. I am interested in ways of incorporating mindfulness into second language acquisition, as well as new ways of improving the language curriculum in the sense of inclusion, diversity, and the merging of language, culture and literature. […]
Research Spotlight: Procreative Poetics and the Origins of the Opera Libretto
Dr. Katharina Piechocki, Assistant Professor of French who specializes in 17th-century French and Italian Literature, shares about her latest book project and research fellowship in Florence, Italy. Procreative Poetics My goal during my research fellowship at Villa I Tatti in Florence is to complete my second book, Hercules: Procreative Poetics and the Origins of the […]
Why Dante Alighieri Still Matters Today, 700 Years After His Death
In commemoration of 700 years since the death of Dante Alighieri, Dr. Daniela Boccassini, Professor of Italian, shares why his works are still significant today. A list of Dante-related events and resources are also listed for those who wish to explore Dante’s influence more deeply. In the words of Pope Francis (2014), Dante is “a […]