So many things are happening in Ohio State’s Department of French and Italian connecting Ohio to points and people around the world. Here’s a not-so-brief but still incomplete list!
Thanks to a generous gift, we inaugurate what will be the annual Mancini Lecture Series. On March 5, we welcome Karla Mallette, Professor of Italian and Mediterranean Studies at the University of Michigan, whose topic is “Hang Time: Gambling and Risk in Late Medieval Italy.” Her work touches on people, ideas, languages (including Italian as well as Arabis), and objects--such as game pieces--that circulated together in the medieval world. Next, March 24-25 FRIT is co-sponsoring the visit of the renowned Italian performer Giuliana Musso. She will perform her theater piece “Dentro: Una storia vera, se volete” at the Wexner Center for the Arts at 7:00 pm on those days. On March 25, 12:45PM - 2:00PM, she will give a special workshop in Italian. Our deepest gratitude goes out to the family of Professor Mancini for making these enriching experiences possible. This represents an exciting collaboration with the department of Theatre, Film and Media Arts (TMFA) and the Wexner Center.
Congratulations to Professors Benjamin Hoffmann and Lucille Toth, who were just promoted to Professor and Associate Professor with tenure. Come celebrate this momentous milestone for these two creative scholars on February 26, when they will give a joint Inaugural Lecture titled "Improvisation, Structure, and the Literary Text."
Focusing on the environmental and the Antilles, renowned comic artist Jessica Oublié will make a special visit to Columbus to give a program in French on her book, Toxic Tropics, on March 27. Professor Maggie Flinn will be translating and moderating. Organized in conjunction with the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, gratitude is also due to support from Villa Albertine New York and Ohio State Energy Partners.
Francophone Day is March 20. We are hosting a celebration on campus, engaging high school French students by soliciting their videos for a contest, and more.
The “Nuit des Idées” (Night of Ideas) is a program sponsored by the French Embassy and French Institutes around the world where cities host evenings of diverse speakers and media events around a compelling social question. This year’s theme is “Pouvoir Agir.” On April 1, 2025, Columbus will join cities such as Paris, New York, Montreal, Chicago, Tétouan, Stockholm, Berlin, Santiago de Chile… to host the first-ever Nuit des Idées in Ohio. Again, this kind of event is not possible without the efforts and support of many contributors: our French Center of Excellence, the Wexner Center for the Arts, the Departments of Design and History, the Office of Engagement and other all have a hand in it. There will performances by Lucille Toth’s OnBoard (h)ers group, a video project on language brokers (kids who translate for immigrant family and community members) created by Maurice Stevens and Fabienne Munch, and talks on “Confronting Climate Change” by environmental historian Bart Elmore, on Haiti by Ryan Joyce, the “Attention Economy” by Dorry Noyes, the “Speed of Thought” by Jonathan Mullins. The public will have a chance to explore the Wexner galleries and as a place for inspiration and conversation. Please attend! Prof Hoffmann and the Wexner staff are currently seeking grants to make it happen. It’s going to be amazing.
Big news: Professor Benjamin Hoffmann will be inducted as a chevalier of the Palmes Académiques on April 1 when the French delegation is here as well. This honor is bestowed by the French government to distinguished academics and teachers and for valuable service to universities, education and science. He has certainly done that with his directorship of the French Center of Excellence. Please join us in congratulating him! His newest novels include Les Minuscules (Gallimard, 2024) and Je suis Murakami (Zone Critique, 2025).
So many wonderful things are happening thanks to kind donors who want to promote meaningful intercultural engagement around French, Italian, humanities education more broadly. Thanks to Judith Roof for a gift that is helping us send graduate students to attend more professional conferences, an essential part of helping them grow their ideas, meet potential collaborators, and become dynamic educators for the next generation. See the spotlight on French doctoral student Holly Engel this month!
It is also study abroad and award application season. Thanks to donors over the years who help students “Make Their Dreams Come True.” As the price of travel increases, aid is all the more appreciated.
Internships are more and more in demand by students seeking hands-on learning that prepares them for the careers of today. If you could help create an internship experience, let me know! I am working to collaborate with Prof. Patrice Hamel and the STILSAS program to place some of our dual majors and minors with STEM labs and enterprises in French and Italian speaking countries. We are also looking for ways to help students afford to go. Grateful for both ideas and financial support for new initiatives like this.
Stay tuned: we are hiring a new professor of Global French who will begin in autumn 2025. More news will be forthcoming in our next issue!
Our collaborative faculty and students make this such a vibrant community. Thank you for reading our Frontiere newsletter and being part of this community, too.
~ Sarah-Grace
