Isabelle Choquet

A native of France, I have lived in several French-speaking countries and my interest in these francophone cultures enhances both my teaching and my scholarship. In the classroom my goal is to help students acquire the skills necessary to communicate with people from different countries across the globe, as well as gain a lens for alternate perspectives. I enjoy teaching French language, literature and culture at all levels and rely on a broad range of audiovisual media in addition to textual material. At all levels, it is also fascinating to listen to students discuss contemporary issues.

Being part of the French professors’ team at Denison is great because we organize all kind of fun activities with the help of our French assistant. From pétanque game to raclette dinner to lectures or café francophone, there are many opportunities to interact with our students outside of the classroom. I also like to organize exciting cultural events, such as concerts—for instance two Québécois singers’ performances in spring 2018, MC June and Bruno Pelletier—, guest speakers’ visits—from film directors to cartoonists—, or francophone film festivals (with the financial support of the cultural services of the French embassy). My scholarship focuses on the French speaking Caribbean (Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe). Literary geography is a great resource to investigate how writers use spatial representations to convey their sense of belonging. I regularly teach courses based on my research. For instance, I recently taught a seminar entitled “World Literature in French?” and a course on Francophone Caribbean childhood narratives.

When I am not at Denison, I love to spend time with my children Mathéo and Héloïse. Hiking, cooking, eating, reading, watching films and traveling are all part of les petits plaisirs de ma vie.