How Do You Say Colonialism in . . . ? →
Bringing colonial history into the language classroom engages students in both history and language.
Read MoreAssessing French language on paper or computer →
Is paper or computer better for assessing L2 students’ writing? This article shares observations from several French classes at an American high school in which assessments that were otherwise identical were offered to students on both paper and computer.
Read MoreAmerica, the Nouvel Ancien Régime
This year marks the 235th anniversary of the start of the French Revolution. With each passing year, the ancien régime creeps further into a distant past. Yet the lessons to be learned from it are stronger than ever. By comparison, the past seems eerily analogous to the United States today. And if that past is any guide, Americans might want to brace themselves for more turbulent times well past Election Day.
Read MoreThe Olympics head from Paris to LA
The passing of the Olympic torch from Paris to Los Angeles was a fitting end to this summer’s games. It shed a light, so to speak, on just how much the games have become Disneyesque.
Read MoreThe Organization of Aid
During a recent visit to the Mémorial de la Shoah (Holocaust Museum) in Paris, I caught a temporary exhibition on the role of foreigners in the French Resistance. It was a discovery of some of the people born outside France who helped save those persecuted inside it during the Occupation. Many of these champions of freedom are probably unknown to most Americans, but two of those featured in the exhibit were in fact American: Varian Fry and Tracy Strong, Jr.
Read MoreFrance’s New Prime Minister, essentially
When news broke out earlier this month about Gabriel Attal becoming France’s latest prime minister, the headlines made two things about him stand out.
Read MoreFrench literary giants come to the US
Rare is the pleasure to meet two literary giants in one week. Even rarer is that they are the latest recipients of the Prix Goncourt, a top French literary award that has been recognizing exceptional prose for last 120 years, who just happened to be in New York at the same time.
Read MoreColorblind in France
While American opinions pour in about what France should do better to confront its racism, it is worth remembering the adage about people in glass houses throwing stones. Many Americans admit that racism persists and should end. What they are increasingly asking for to achieve that goal is something closer to the colorblind French model.
Read MoreA crime no longer in France, but once again in the US
In 1974, Simone Veil, made a fervent speech before the National Assembly to decriminalize abortion in France. Abortion was once a crime in most of the United States just like it was in France. Today, however, abortion is becoming a crime again in the United States.
Read MoreLost in Translation: French Séparatisme and American Separation of Church and State
“France is grappling with séparatisme, which the government has targeted as
incompatible with French republican principles and is now sanctioned
under a new law. Crucially for scholars and teachers of French, debates
about séparatisme reflect substantial cultural differences between France
and the United States that can, without sufficient context, lead to errors in
translation. This article proffers the meanings of séparatisme, its close
cousin laïcité, and related terms based on cultural insights into French
society. The lexical history and legacy of these terms are further considered
in comparative context, namely regarding American separation of church
and state.“
Photo: Michele Neylon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mneylon/6561474487)
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