The hypothesis of this Institute for Advanced Studies project is that college experiences shape the values, the aspirations, and the convictions that guide individuals in the transition from late adolescence into mature adulthood. Given the importance of this particular period in students’ lives, it’s especially important to understand how they network, and what effect the specific network they develop has upon the social action in which they engage. This is a comparative project that focuses upon France and the United States, and it will be centered on a comparison between the experiences of students in two Jewish Student organizations, l’Union des Etudiants Juifs de France (created in 1944) and the American Jewish Zionistorganization Avukah (created in 1925 and folded in 1943-4).

“Renvois du plurilinguisme méditerranéen dans la littérature judéo-maghrébine de nos jours: Tunis, Alexandrie, Casablanca “ in the journal Expressions Maghrébines, for the special issue “Le Maghreb Méditeranéen: Littératures et Plurilinguisme” Volume 11, Issue 2, Winter 2012.

Congratulations Rob for your recently published article!

“Secondhand Memories: Franco-Tunisian Jewish Women and the Problem of Writing Return” in the journal Life Writing, for the special issue “Women’s Life Writing and Diaspora” Volume 9, Issue 4, 2012.

The Liar

By David Ives

 April 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 8pm
 April 8 at 2pm

Fresh from a successful world premiere at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., David Ives’ vivacious adaptation of Corneille’s 17th comedy delights with linguistic wit and slapstick style. When the new man-about-town is a compulsive liar and his honest sidekick cannot tell a lie, mayhem and misunderstanding ensue in affairs of the heart. Recently Ives won a 2010 MacArthur Award for this rollicking farce.

For more information and details please click here.

Vanderbilt Professor Paul Miller (Dept. of French and Italian) has recently published his article titled: “Remoteness and Proximity: The Parallel Ethnographies of Alejo Carpentier and René Maran” in Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures.

To access the full article online please click here.

“Vous avez quel âge?” was a hit one-man show starring Jean Piat in the Théâtre de la Comédie des Champs-Ëlysées, premiering in February 2010. Françoise Dorin, daughter of “chansonnier” René Dorin, was born 1928. She became an actress in her father’s shows at the Théâtre des Deux Ânes and then in the “legitimate” theatre with Michel Piccoli and Roger Hanin. She then became a successful songwriter, with songs for such singers as Charles Aznavour, Régine, Dalida and Juliette Gréco. She is the author of several novels (including “Le Coeur à deux places” and “En avant toutes”) and more than a dozen plays (notably “Comme au théâtre,” “Le Tournant” and “L’Étiquette” in addition to “Vous avez quel âge?”).

Here is the introduction she has written for this play:

“Vous avez quel âge ?
“Question qu’hier on ne se permettait pas de poser – surtout aux dames – et qu’aujourd’hui on lance avec désinvolture …aux dames comme aux messieurs !
“Question apparemment légère et pourtant lourde de complexes et d’angoisses.
“Question que l’on vous pose, enrobée de sourires, comme pour les enfants on enrobe les purges de confiture !
“Question urticante sur laquelle on pose ici le baume apaisant – et nécessaire – de l’humour.”

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Visitor campus map:
http://cpc-fis.vanderbilt.edu/pdf/VisitorCampusMap.pdf

In this interview, we discuss the utopian ideals of socialist Zionism, and the influence of Harris upon Chomsky’s political thought.  We look at the contradictory facets of Zellig Harris as an individual.  And we consider whether rationality is an unreasonable assumption, when it comes to inter-personal dynamics.

Please follow this link to listen to the interview. Or click here to launch the podcast.

Professor Russell Jacoby of UCLA will present and discuss his new published work “Bloodlust: On the Roots of Violence from Cain and Abel to the Present”.

Professor Holly Tucker (French and Italian Department) has been named finalist or the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her recently published book: Blood Work A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution. Click here for more information.

Serata Arlecchina (Italian Carnival Night) was a research-based project by Dr. Francesca Mirti, aimed to create a venue to utilize the Italian language in a real life, pressure-free setting outside the classroom.

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American students met native Italians currently present at Vanderbilt during a party. Students, under the supervision of their instructor, organized the event that took place on the 16^th of February, 2012 in Furman Hall 209. Each student participated to the organization of the event by working in a specific endeavor, which represented an extraordinary opportunity for deepening the knowledge of both the Italian language and culture and enhance their intercultural competence.

Serata Arlecchina proposed Italian music, images, recipes and games from Italy researched by the instructor and the students. The whole design was approved by the Director of the Program and the Chair of the Department of French and Italian.

The language spoken during the party-lesson was entirely Italian and the students had to come prepared by reviewing all the material covered since the beginning of the semester which included greetings, body parts, introducing oneself, meeting people, steps for group dances, songs, etc.

One could summarize the Serata Arlecchina as three hours of intense immersion in Italian through songs, interaction with native speakers, funny dances, funny games, and food tasting. Students had a wonderful opportunity to learn about Italian culture and language firsthand in a way that was very practical and fun.

Professor Tucker will talk about her writing process and share some of her writing projects with a small group of students Wednesday, February 22, at the Writing Studio event Dinner and a Draft. If you’d like to attend, please visit our website (www.vanderbilt.edu/writing) and register for the event!

The Writing Studio

You write and write for their courses. Ever wonder what your professors write about, or what their writing processes are like?

Join Holly Tucker, Associate Professor with the Center for Medicine, Health and Society and Associate Professor of French and Italian, for dinner and a discussion of her writing process and her work. Professor Tucker’s recent book Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution has gained acclaim from both academic and popular readers and was featured on NPR’s Science Friday. The event is hosted by Frank Wcislo and Jane Wcislo.

Twelve student spots are available for this event. Please reserve a spot at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/writing.

*This event is open to all Vanderbilt undergraduates, with priority given to first-year students.

Congratulations to Daniel Ridge who successfully passed his Ph.D. dissertation defense on January 27, 2012.  His defense dissertation is titled: “Pierre Louÿs, jeune homme de lettres”

Jerome Brillaud:

Tracy Barrett

Holly Tucker