UNC Charlotte
Bio
Mary A. LaMarca is an Associate Teaching Professor of French and the French major/minor adviser, as well as the French Club faculty adviser. She earned her PhD from Duke University, and focuses on theater and politics, particularly during the Occupation, as well as Translation, French for Business, and Francophone Literature and Cultures.
Paper
Language Exchange and Co-Curricular Cultural Events in French
This presentation will focus on internationalizing the French curriculum via a language exchange with the Université de Limoges, UNC Charlotte's sister university. My rationale is that by building individual relationships with students in France, students are more likely to study abroad as well as major in the language.
I will also detail efforts to internationalize the French major and minor by building a robust program of co-curricular events, such as films, games, karaoke, cooking seminars, conversation hours, and guest speakers. We have organized these in conjunction with an active French Club eboard, the Office of International Programs, the Global Gateways/International House at UNC Charlotte, as well as programming created by visiting and permanent faculty in French.
I will also discuss outreach to our recent graduates and how their participation in promoting study abroad and the TAPIF program (Teaching Assistant Program in France) has led to increased student involvement.