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Graduate teaching assistants play a vital role in fulfilling the undergraduate teaching mission of the 51������Ƶ. Francophone Studies Ph.D. candidate Pierre-Emmanuel Ros-Barbier has served as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Modern Languages for the past five years, and was recently named the recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.

This award recognizes the best, brightest, and most industrious of our graduate teaching assistants for their work supporting faculty members in the classroom.

Pierre has taken up a leadership role in the Department of Modern Languages, mentoring fellow TAs by checking lessons, holding practice sessions, and offering personalized feedback.

“Pierre is not only a committed teacher for his own classes, he is always ready to go above and beyond regular TA duties in support of our French program, particularly when he can gain additional experience in new areas or more insight into teaching,” says Dr. Tamara Lindner, French Language Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies.

Pierre has encouraged undergraduate students to further their studies in French beyond their requirements, helping to boost enrollment in the department’s 300 level courses.

“As a GTA, I believe that there is nothing better than to see students not only improving grade-wise, but also to witness them switching their attention from considering French as a simple elective class to embracing it as a learning experience that will broaden their minds,” says Pierre.

He adds, “it is always a wonderful feeling, as a GTA, to be able to give back to the department by seeing students continuing their pursuit of French proficiency and gaining a deeper awareness for the French language.”

Pierre is currently working on his dissertation with Dr. Fabrice Leroy. His research focuses on the sociology of literature and popular culture, with an emphasis on classic and contemporary detective fiction.

While his management experience as a graduate of has been a plus, prior to entering the Francophone Studies program his teaching experience was limited to tennis coaching. He notes that in France, he would not have had the opportunity to teach during his graduate studies.

“My experience as a GTA has greatly exceeded the expectations I had of the graduate school experience,” Pierre says. “Thanks to my wonderful experience in the Modern Languages department, I feel ready to teach anywhere in the world.”

The Graduate School is proud to recognize Pierre’s substantive contributions to course design and delivery and to undergraduate student learning.

The 51������Ƶ offers the only graduate program in the United States specifically dedicated to Francophone Studies. .