Spring 2024 Conversation and Cultural Events

Bookmark this page! We add events on a bi-weekly basis. Or follow us on Instagram: @msufrench Venez nombreux!

Free French Tutoring in Schmitt 230 or by Zoom (Jan. 16 to May 7)

• Mondays from 1-3pm in person (Schmitt 230) with Isaac
• Tuesdays from 12-1pm by ZOOM with Isaac: https://montclair.zoom.us/j/88955682780 (Isaac)
• Wednesdays from 10-12 in person (Schmitt 230) with Imane
• Wednesdays from 12-1pm in person (Schmitt 230) with Isaac
• Thursdays from 2-4 by Zoom: https://montclair.zoom.us/j/88955682780 with Isaac

Tutoring is available for conversation practice, to help explain difficult concepts, to read through assignments and to help understand errors in written work, but not to correct or rewrite the work itself. Tutoring is also available for French and other subjects at CAST.

Conversation Hour

Wednesdays from 1:30-2:30 in the Schmitt 2nd floor atrium, through the doors to the quad side of the building. With snacks! Topics will include seasonal events such as La Chandeleur (make-your-own crepes), French Easter, Passover, and Ramadan traditions, Mardi gras and Carnaval, le premier mai (French Labor Day), the 2024 Summer Olympics and more.

Translation

Try your hand at translating a poem (from French into English, Spanish or Haitian Kreyòl) or recording a reading at our “Phares haïtiens: 19th-Century Haitian Luminaries in Translation” repository!

Free French Books!

Check out the “little library” of free French books in the second floor atrium of Schmitt. Feel free to take books home, to share with friends, or to add your own materials.

Upcoming Events

April 26, 10:30am. Participate in a Zoom conversation with Dr. Dixon Chibanda, director of the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI) and founder of the Friendship Bench Program. This program is free and open to the community. Dr. Chibanda began the Friendship Bench Project in Zimbabwe to increase the availability of community-based talk therapy and it is now being emulated across the world. Sign up here.

April 26, 2 pm. Join Prof. Emery in conversation with Corry Cropper and Seth Whidden, authors of Velocipedomania: A Cultural History of the Velocipede in France [by Zoom]. Register here.

May 1 at 3:00pm World Languages and Cultures Spring Extravaganza! Schmitt Hall Room 104. Venez nombreux!

Scholarships and Other Resources

Scholarship Universe: Check out this new program at the University and start planning to write applications during winter break!

iGrad personal financial portal. Available in NEST to help with financial literacy (prizes available)!

Summer 2024 Scholarships for study abroad. Several through the AATF: https://frenchteachers.org/promote-french/scholarships/ and others through the Alliance Francaise de Philadelphie: The Pierre C. Fraley Scholarship  ($3,000) and The Marie Louise Vermeiren Jackson Scholarship ($2,500). Deadlines in February.

Center for Writing Excellence (CWE). Need help with writing term papers or other projects? Need help with English language projects? Make an appointment with the CWE!  They provide one-on-one feedback for all students, faculty, staff, and alumni on all types of writing, in any stage of the writing process. In addition to face-to-face sessions, online appointments with the option to Zoom are available seven days per week. https://www.montclair.edu/center-for-writing-excellence/appointments/.

Concluded Spring Events

Jan. 28 at 3pm. Attend a free performance of the Dialogue des Carmelites with French faculty and students. Sign up for your free tickets by Jan. 22! https://forms.gle/thpA3EUpPi5xLPk1A

Jan. 15-Jan. 29. Gift Card Raffle! Sign up to be entered in a raffle to win gift cards to help pay for books and supplies (with thanks to our alumni donors!). Entry form here for those enrolled in French classes in Spring 2024: https://forms.gle/ShRFeAyX9B69fxp36

Wed. Jan. 31 at 1:00pm. Gift card raffle for books and supplies. Schmitt 2nd floor lounge on the quad side of the building (through the doors across from the library of free books). We’ll contact you by email if you win. Make sure to enter by Jan. 29. https://forms.gle/ShRFeAyX9B69fxp36

Wed., Feb. 7. Build a crepe! Celebrate La Chandeleur by building your own crepe. Meet on Schmitt 2nd floor open space on the quad side of the building (through the door across from our library of free books).

Feb. 15, 2024. Deadline for applying to the TAPIF (English teaching assistant in France) program. Spend a year in France while working as a teaching assistant and sharing your knowledge of American culture! Deadline extended to Feb. 15.

Feb. 26, 2024, 1-2pm Student Center Annex 207. CPR en francais! https://montclair.campuslabs.com/engage/event/9901567

Feb. 24-March 2, 2024. Marie Antoinette at Montclair! https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/kasser/1631/?productionidlist=206358

March 1. Deadline for many of the study abroad scholarships beginning in Summer 2024! Apply early! https://www.montclair.edu/study-abroad/scholarships-and-financial-aid/scholarships/montclair-state-scholarships/

March 6 from 9:00-2:00pm. French Day. More than 300 local high school students will come to campus to speak French and learn more about the cultural traditions of the French-speaking world. If you’d like to volunteer to serve as a guide or a panel assistant (and enjoy lunch with us), please contact Dr. Emery: emerye at montclair.edu.

March 8, 2024. Interested in the way the medieval period has been re-appropriated in modern times? Consider submitting an abstract by March 8 to the summer conference on medievalism to be held on the campus of Montclair State University from July 9-11, 2024! https://sites.google.com/view/thegamesofmedievalism/home

April 2, 5:30-6:30pm (in person and Zoom). “Upskilling in the Era of AI: Transforming Your Language Career” with professor Rocio Txabarriaga. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast reshaping the role of technology in language services. The impact of AI goes well beyond process automation, creating both challenges and opportunities for those working in the industry or aspiring to a career based on their unique language expertise. In this workshop, attendees will gain a general understanding of the technologies currently transforming the language industry, including large language models (LLMs) and orchestration, as well as awareness of emerging talent needs and strategies for upskilling. Please register here for location and Zoom Link

April 5: Join us in our spring immersion French trip to New York City (departure circa 2:30pm) to discover Bryant Park, one of New York’s most French-like open spaces (it even has a petanque club!). We’ll explore the New York Public Library exhibits, sample some patisseries, and browse the public reading nooks.  Who knows what other serendipitous activities may strike our fancy! Stay in NYC or return with the group. Please RSVP here by April 2.

April 5 and on: Fall 2024 course registration begins. Make sure to meet with your advisor and take care of holds before then! Course list here!

April 10: French Prize competition! Be creative and write a two-page essay in French on a topic of your choosing; OR Be creative and create a Tik-Tok video in French announcing what you like best about the French program at MSU; OR Be creative and write a poem in French; OR show off your translation skills and submit a translation for publication in our Haitian Poetry project: https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/phareshatiens/ [Poems for translation can be found here]. One winner and one runner-up will be selected by the French faculty and announced at the WLNC Awards Ceremony on May 1 (CS 104, 3:00 pm). A small honorarium will be awarded.  And don’t forget how good this will look on your C.V. ! Deadline:   Wednesday, March 27.  Send submissions to oppenheimL@montclair.edu

Friday, April 12th at 1pm via ZOOM! Perfect your “elevator pitch” for jobs and life! This workshop will be led by Jessica Wallace, Senior Talent Acquisition Program Partner at the creative agency, Dentsu. Register with your Montclair ID by clicking here.

April 17, 1-4pm. Aimez-vous le football (soccer, that is)? Come join the French soccer team as we take on other language groups. For more information about joining the team and attending (optional) practices, contact Dr. Emery: emerye at montclair.edu

April 18, 2:30-3:30pm in Presentation Hall (in person). Come meet Michel Kazatchkine, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and a distinguished French physician who has been a global leader on AIDS/HIV and global health. He will be in conversation with President Koppell. RSVP here.

Page mise à jour le 25 avril 2024