University of Florida Homepage
grand castle at sunrise

Graduate Student News

Erin Davis

Since joining the program in Fall 2017, I have been teaching French 1134, Accelerated French Review. The transition from raising a family to graduate school has required adapting to a challenging schedule combining teaching and my own academic endeavors. A supportive network of advisors, professors, and experienced teaching assistants has made the process enjoyable. I appreciate the guidance provided by the program, but also benefit from a comfortable degree of autonomy in developing my own teaching style and lesson planning.

In terms of my own academic pursuits, the program has allowed me to be creative. I am delighted to combine my interests in architecture and interiors with French literature, particularly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with extremely knowledgeable professors who share my interests — from Bastide’s Rococo fantasy in La Petite Maison to Zola’s pretentious urban mansions in La Curée.
I look forward to spending a month in Paris this summer conducting research for my thesis, which will focus on the manifestation of domestic architecture and interiors in literature, especially as they relate to the sweeping socio-economic changes during the Second Empire. I am also interested in exploring how various modes of literature treat the relationship between the domestic environment and issues of morality and moeurs.

Corrin Fleming

Before coming to Gainesville, Corrin graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and participated in TAPIF, teaching English. During her time at UF, Corrin has most enjoyed teaching French. She has taught at the 1000 level, and is currently enjoying teaching 2220! She hopes to influence students to open up to a new language and culture, and ultimately to study abroad! As her experiences abroad have been formative, she feels strongly that they will be for her students as well. Corrin has also enjoyed learning about francophone communities around the world, and hopes to visit them in the future! Graduation is set for May 2018, and afterwards she hopes to find a position teaching French. Corrin also loves film and poetry, and has been inspired by her courses to continue writing and translating.

Jennifer Kramer

It is hard to believe that my second year of the MA program is already approaching its end. Reflecting on my experience here at UF in the French department, I have experienced tremendous growth, not only in my studies, but as a teacher. I am currently teaching FRE 1131 (for the third time), and while being a teaching assistant is demanding, it is always rewarding to hear from former students who have decided to study abroad or further their studies in French. I continue to work on my thesis with the help of Dr. Will Hasty, who has given great guidance as a medievalist. My thesis compares two popular revolts of 14th century France and England, as recorded in Froissart’s Chroniques. I hope to attend a conference this summer, as well as a paleography workshop in preparation for a Ph.D. program in history or medieval studies.

Kelly Wiechman

In June 2017, I attended an intensive French language course offered through the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi with financial support from the University of Florida, and in July, I presented a paper in Martinique at the annual Conseil International d’Études Francophones (CIÉF) conference entitled “L’Onomastique française en Caroline du Sud” with financial support from the FFRI. The title of my dissertation is “Refugees and Exiles: Francophones in South Carolina 1562-1810,” and I am planning to graduate this August.

I am currently working as a full-time adjunct at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, teaching French at the beginning and intermediate levels. I serve as a member of the College of Charleston’s interdisciplinary Linguistics Studies Minor Steering Committee as well as their interdisciplinary Linguistics Studies Minor Scholarship Committee. Over summer 2018, I will participate in the College of Charleston’s Distance Education Readiness Course, which will enable me to teach courses online. In November 2018, I will be presenting a paper in New Orleans at the American Council of Quebec Studies’ biennial conference titled “The Acadians in South Carolina.”