Playing with languages

The New York Times recently had a wonderful article about people who create languages, most notably for television shows and films. It reminded me of a recent conversation I had with a student who expressed her appreciation for a short unit on poetry because it helped her realize you can play with language.

I recommend checking it out.

Guidelines for evalulating online education

Like most teachers I incorporate technology into my teaching on a regular basis. For example, I post materials on a course management site, I project resources from the internet during lessons, I regularly assign homework in online workbooks through the publishers of the textbooks I use. I realize this is only the tip of the iceberg and I'm aware that many leaders in higher education are proponents of online education models that typically allow enrolling greater numbers of (tuition paying) students for fewer (salary earning) instructors. I'm trying to be proactive about these trends by gradually familiarizing myself with online course delivery methods while it is still my choice and not a requirement of my job.

For this reason I'll be adding posts from time to time that focus on online education.

My latest example comes from The New York Times' recent "Education Life" section (Sun. Nov. 6, 2011).

Highlights that stood out to me:

• So often it seems traditional 4 year colleges and universities insist on using curricula and practices that are "good" for students but that students don't necessary appreciate or value. I like this quote: "'Undeniably, the for-profits have a lot to teach us about improved service to students,' says Paul J. LeBlanc, president of Souther New Hampshire University..." (pg 10)
• When trying to determine the quality of an online course "An instructor's relevant work experience may be of more value than scholarship. Check bios online for content-area expertise, and ask about how faculty is trained in online instruction (a 40-hour course is typical)" (pg 11).
• In selecting an online course think about the skills you'll need to work with the technology. Good questions in this vein: "Do you have to navigate online tutorials to get started or does a live person guide you through registration and courseware? 'Just because you can Google and game doesn't mean you have the skills' to unpack a college's online setup, says Kenneth C. Green, founding director of the Campus Computing Project..." (pg 11). 

Credit for credentials

A recent article in The New York Times' "Education Life" section piqued my interest (Sun. Nov. 6, 2011).  Sam Kilb describes an initiative by The Department of Veterans Affairs to award $25,000 to someone who develops a "badge" that best serves veterans. "Badge" means recognition for a skill someone has developed outside of a traditional class, internship, work experience, or apprenticeship but that nonetheless has value and relevance to a wide audience. He cites the example of someone who has skills with arts and crafts could have them verified, assessed and awarded by a community group or company.

Although I work within a traditional academic setting, I am fascinated by the idea of rewarding people for the skills they pick up outside that setting. I think when we prioritize formal over informal learning we send a harsh message that only one kind of learner and skill set is valuable. We might also lose opportunities for important innovations and helpful insights that would improve businesses, schools, and organizations.

I'm not sure I'll have the chance to, but I would love to be a part of a movement to bring this kind of credential to my university.

Female vs male authors-is there a difference?

About two weeks ago a Nobel laureate publicly asserted that no woman writer could be his equal. Below is just one article on his comments.

"VS Naipaul finds no woman writer his literary match-not even Jane Austen"
By Amy Fallon
The Guardian
Thursday June 2, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/02/vs-naipaul-jane-austen-women-writers

Jane Austen

This story made me think about all the great writers out there and whether or not you can discern simply from reading their work if the author is a man or a woman. I'd like to offer a few examples from the French and Francophone literary world that contradict Mr. Naipaul's key assertions that 
1) women's writing is overly sentimental and 
2) women have a narrow world-view due to the fact they are not true masters of their homes.

• Yasmina Khadra's Les Agneaux du Seigneur (In the Name of God) brilliantly complicates the question. Athough "Yasmina" is a female first name, it is actually the pseudonym of a former Algerian military officer. This novel depicts an Algerian village in the 1990s torn apart by civil conflicts over the appropriate role of religion in daily life. There are few female characters and even less sentimentality. It shocked many readers who were unaware of the author's pseudonym because women were supposed to be isolated from the brutalities he described.

• Yasmina Khadra's The Attack goes in the other direction. In this novel an Arab Muslim living in Israel discovers his wife (also an Arab Muslim) was a suicide bomber who caused the deaths of numerous innocent people. He was not particularly religious and didn't realize how important her faith was to her. While grieving her loss, he must also comes to terms with the terrible act she has committed. Virtually every page drips with heart-wrenching sentimentality.

• Chateaubriand's novels René and Atala capture the Romantic angst of early 19th century French literature. In these novels, and many others of the time authored by both men and women, reflect the "mal du siècle" or melancholy that came with the new century. The main characters are consumed by sentimentality and the struggle to find a meaningful path through life.

Chateaubriand

If sentimentality is the mark of women's writing, Mr. Naipaul should check out these examples. 

His comments also raise some excellent questions:

• Is there automatically a correlation between the author's identity and the topics he/she describes?

• If so, how much must a reader know about the author's background in order to understand his/her text?

• Can a reader "feel" the identity of the author bleeding through his/her writing? If not, why not?

• What do we make of texts that we think were authored by someone of one sex, only to find out we were wrong?

• Hélène Cixous theorized that there is such a thing as "écriture féminine" but what exactly characterizes "feminine writing"? Can a male writer adopt those characteristics? (She thought a few could.)

• VS Naipaul won the Nobel prize for literature, but he's also been criticized for his opinions on race and women. Should his talent absolve him of his shortcomings? Should Nobel prize winners be held to higher standards of conduct?

Bienvenue! Welcome!

This blog is designed to raise awareness of the Francophone (French-Speaking) world for my college French students and our greater university community. As a “francophoniste” (a specialist in Francophone Studies), I am constantly sharing bits and pieces of the information you’ll see here, but I wanted to put it together in one central, easily accessible location.

Before creating this blog I searched for others about Francophone Studies, but found very few. Hopefully my blog will benefit my students, colleagues, and others out there looking for ideas about this exciting field.


Those of you unfamiliar with Francophone Studies may wonder about the name “Francophone-itude.” This is a nod to the founders of the Négritude movement that started in Paris in the 1930s, Césaire, Senghor and Damas. These three men from France’s (then) colonies sought to recognize and celebrate the literary, musical, creative and intellectual contributions of people of color in France. 

Paris Exposition 1900

Although the term Négritude has since been critiqued and contested and other terms have been proposed, it was an important moment for minorities in France, for France’s colonial subjects beyond the borders of France, and for the field that eventually became Francophone Studies. (Note that the term “Francophone” also has its critics but that’s a topic for another post…)

The term Négritude” inspired a contemporary attempt to draw attention to migrants, another misunderstood but large group of people. The idea of “Migritude,” coined by Shailja Patel, combines the idea of Négritude and migrant attitude. Today you’ll find authors across the globe who identify with this concept, including those in France.

In a time when foreign language programs in the U.S. are being cut, the relevance of courses in the humanities is questioned, and Americans are increasingly perceived as culturally insensitive to the world around them, I’m attempting my own kind of recognition and celebration of the field I’m passionate about.

You can expect posts on the following topics here:

• Current events in the Francophone world
• Reviews of books, articles and resources
• Essays on issues like gender, race, class and language
• Resources for learning French  
• Reasons to study French (and other languages)
• How the French language and knowledge of Francophone cultures are relevant beyond the classroom
• Guest posts by other members of the Francophone Studies community (including, hopefully, my own students!)

I will plan to post a new entry about every week so be sure to check back for updates. I welcome your suggestions, comments and feedback.