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Reports from Rennes

Sarah Pugliese“I am a graduate student from Rennes 2, and in order to complete my studies and further develop my personal interests and professional aspirations, I am doing an internship at the French department of the University of Florida during the 2018 Spring semester. After a bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish languages, literatures and civilizations, I am currently in my second year of my master’s degree titled ‘Les Amériques,’ a multilingual study of the American continent in its literary, historical, social and cultural dimensions. My internship at UF has been a truly rewarding experience so far. The campus is very pleasant and dynamic, and the students are welcoming and engaging. It is therefore very interesting for me to discover a different academic system than the one I know in France, and to gain a professional experience while being in a research environment. For example, I assist Dr. Blondeau for the sociolinguistic project ‘Le Français à la mesure d’un Continent’ and I help the France-Florida Research Institute to organize presentations and other events. I also joined the French Club and offer individual French classes. The intercultural interactions and the various activities I get to take part in are exciting and I am glad I was able to have this opportunity.”

“My name is Kéziah. I am a graduate student in Literature at Rennes 2. I pursue my studies with a ‘Master Recherche’ in ‘Littérature Générale et Comparée,’ for which I started a research paper on contemporary literature.

“The classes in the French Department complete and further my education and my knowledge in French literature. The teaching method is pleasant as there is more interaction through small groups of class. I had also the possibility to take classes not directly about French literature, which I felt appreciable as I started my studies with two formations not only centered on French literature. Besides, studying at UF is also beneficial for my research as there are some fields of studies much more developed than in my university and France.

“I also like the campus life very much, the fact that Gainesville is a little student city. As I live on campus, I feel really immersed in the UF atmosphere, it shapes another link to the university and its area compared to my life in Rennes. There are also a lot of international students, and it is very enjoyable and enriching to be part of this wide melting of people.”